GRANTS PASS, Ore. (AP) — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says the floodgates on a Rogue River dam are safe after all.
The corps said Tuesday that close inspections the past two years show the Lost Creek dam floodgates can handle the stresses of operating with a full reservoir under all but the most extreme conditions.
As a result, next winter the reservoir will be filled to its normal height, rather than kept 8 feet below.
That means more water for recreation and salmon in spring, summer and fall.
Some key repairs will still be made as money becomes available from Congress.
The corps got worried in 2010 that the floodgates could fail during a flood because problems were discovered with a similar design on much older dams in the Willamette Valley.
