hagg lake dam raising

[deeptrout]

Smith and wyden are spending 1.4 million studying the impact on the environment associated with the possibility of raising the dam at hagg 40 feet. just a clue to the outcome of the study, they also announced a completion date of 2016. there is a short video/audio clip on the kex 1190 website, probably more on the news tonite and in the fishwrapper (oregonian) today. So, what is the opinion of the fisherman that use this lake and this forum? personally, I feel sorry for the landowners up there already, but more water means more area to fish and to support fisheries. Its probably a good deal for lake users like me in the longrun, but I don't live up there or pay taxes in washington county. Any other opinions?

[Nathan Bohlmann]

looking out 40 years a good decision, Hope they will add campgrounds.

Think kokanee could live there??

[Chris61182]

Think kokanee could live there??

Not to hijack the thread but that's something I've wondered as well. Even with out the dam raising what's stopping them from stocking kokanee?

[fisher guy]

I believe it's because water temp can get to high in the summer.

[Wigeon Pete]

We should know better than to raise the dam. We've all seen the environmental damage caused by dams already. Yeah, it would give us more area to fish, but it would also damage fish runs that are struggling in the Tualatin River already, not to mention the damage to natural habitats downstream that rely on seasonal flooding. The plan is to put in an 8-foot pipe from the river back up to the dam to fill the lake with already limited water from the river. Estimates show there is not enough rain in the watershed above the lake to fill it with rain once the dam is raised.

It's true that everone downstream needs more water and cities just keep growing. I don't know what the answer is.....

[deeptrout]

I heard part of the justification was to help flows in the tualatin by puting some of the water back during dry summer months. doesn't a deeper reservoir mean cooler water downstream when the water is being released? they are selling this as good for fisheries below the dam as well as above. is this just hot air?

[stupenny5]

People do your research I can tell you are not up on reasons for the dam and the uses. The dam could get 100 ft taller and other than property being flooded you would be doing good.

You will still have flooding, you will have fish. People will have more water.:twocents:

[cavdad45]

Raising the dam at Hagg Lake would not benefit sportsman at all. It would just store more water while yielding about the same habitable space for fish.

The main reason Kokanee cannot survive at Hagg Lake is not because of a lack of depth. Hagg Lake is plenty deep. Hagg Lake is prone to stratification during the warmer monthes of the year, producing a very definite thermocline whose depth varies 15-30 feet, but usually settles in at 18-20ft. Below the thermocline complex organisms (fish) suffer from a lack of oxygen and will die.

As far as developing a plan to flush out the Tualatin River, the best solution is a new impoundment where Cherry Grove now sits. High banked hillsides make for natural containment and an earthen dam with a regulated spillway could clean up the Tualatin in a short time as well as create a temperate oxygenating flow.

[JustSteve]

There was a dam above Cherry Grove. It broke...big mess. People may be shy about repeating history.

[anascarfan2001]

maybe an uneducated suggestion but no dam is a good dam!the natural way is always the best way for anything.everything man tries to better seems to backfire.there were no dams for thousands of years and fish were in abundance!if ya dont want to be flooded,dont build a house on a waterway!its rediculous to need a hatchery to clone fish.the tualatin holds several records in the early 1900's(white catfish,sockeye salmon)now its the home of the boneless brown trout!(aka sewage)i caught 20 inch trout year round in creeks so small you could jump across them as a kid.when was the last time you caught any number of trout in the clackamas,the sandy,or even the alsea?build and fill all the dams you want but its just another step backwards.look at the sandy without the dams now,i've have seen better fishing this year there than i have in my 15 years of fishing that river.:twocents:

[JustSteve]

the trouble with no dam is then we, as people, will start having drinking water issues.

Granted, back in the day, there wasn't a need for billions of gallons in stored water for the masses..but there wasn't that many masses..plus the farmers who irrigate their food to feed us.

Population growth using housing/resource consumption techniques that are antiquated equals a higher demand on natural resources.

Now..if people would stop for a moment and think about putting in rain barrels off of their gutters, if builders would start putting in circuits for grey water to be divered to lawn sprinklers, or even better, plant yards with fauna that is drought resistant...otherwords, decrease our water usage......but that would just make sense. Why should we? It's Oregon, right? It always rains. Enough crazy talk for tonight. I really gotta cut back.

steve

[Super Fluke]

looking out 40 years a good decision, Hope they will add campgrounds.

Think kokanee could live there??
They should put browns in hagg also.

[cavdad45]

They should put browns in hagg also.

Oh yeah!!! A predatory fish like that in Hagg? Awesome!!! Hagg would definitely yield a state or world record brown.

[Clyde]

Why wouldn't you simply build a new reservoir and dam? Seems silly to increase the load of an existing facility in order to only be adequate in supply by the time it's finished.