REDMOND, Ore. — Crews have begun to tear down the 107-year-old Cline Falls Dam on the Deschutes River.
The Bulletin reports the dam was built in 1910 to provide water and energy to a proposed community in central Oregon and later generated hydroelectric power to the Redmond Airport during World War II. The wood and concrete dam is owned by Central Oregon Irrigation District and is nonoperational.
Workers have placed excavators and sandbags on the river to temporarily alter the flow while they work to remove the dam this week. Officials expect the work to be completed by the end of August.
District manager Craig Horrell says after the dam is removed, trout and other fish species will be able to swim downriver more freely.
