Detroit Dam

Detroit Dam
File:Detroit Dam Oregon Close.jpg Detroit Dam on the North Santiam River
Location of Detroit Dam in Oregon
Country	United States
Location	Detroit, Linn County/Marion County, Oregon
Coordinates
Purpose	Flood control, power, irrigation
Status	Operational
Construction began	1949
Opening date	1953 (1953)
Owner(s)	U.S. Army Corp of Engineers
Dam and spillways
Type of dam	Concrete gravity
Impounds	North Santiam River
Height	463 ft (141 m)
Length	1,523.5 ft (464.4 m)
Elevation at crest	1,580 ft (480 m)
Reservoir
Creates	Detroit Lake
Total capacity	455,000 acre⋅ft (561,000,000 m3)
Active capacity	321,000 acre-feet (396,000,000 m3)
Catchment area	437 sq mi (1,130 km2)
Surface area	3,500 acres (14 km2)
Max. length	9 mi (14 km)
Normal elevation	1,569 ft (478 m) (full)
Power station
Commission date	1953
Type	Conventional
Turbines	2 x 100 MW Francis-type
Installed capacity	100 MW

Detroit Dam is a gravity dam on the North Santiam River between Linn County and Marion County, Oregon. It is located in the Cascades, about 5 mi (8.0 km) west of the city of Detroit. It was constructed between 1949 and 1953 by the United States Army Corps of Engineers. The dam created 400-foot (120 m) deep Detroit Lake, more than 9 miles (14 km) long with 32 miles (51 km) of shoreline.

The dam, dedicated on June 10, 1953, was authorized for the purposes of flood control, power generation, navigation, and irrigation. Other uses are fishery, water quality, and recreation. It was built in concert with the Big Cliff Dam downstream.

File:Detroit Dam - free-overflow spill test.jpg

Free-overflow spill test, 2013

• Drainage area: 437 mi² (1,132 km²)
• Maximum inflow: 63,200 ft³/s (1,790 m³/s) 1909
• Lake Elevation
  • Maximum pool: 1,574 ft (480 m)
  • Full pool: 1,569 ft (478 m)
  • Minimum flood control pool: 1,450 ft (442 m)

• Usable storage (1,425.0 to 1,563.5 ft) = 321,000 acre-feet (396,000,000 m³)
• Powerhouse
  • Number of units: 2
  • Nameplate capacity: 100 MW
  • Overload capacity: 115 MW
  • Hydraulic capacity: 5,340 ft³/s (151 m³/s)

External links

Media related to at Wikimedia Commons

• Corps of Engineers plots of lake level and flow for various intervals up to a year