Annual Report of the Chief of Engineers
on Civil Works Activities
Fiscal Year 1972
Department of the Army Corps of Engineers
Extract Report of Walla Walla District
Catherine Creek Lake, Oregon
Location. On Catherine Creek, about 8 miles above Union, Oregon, in Section 7, Township 5 South, Range 41 East, Willamette Meridian.
Existing project. Dam will be an earth embankment with an impervious core protected by sand and gravel filters. Shell material will consist of granular fill covered with rockfill zones on outside surfaces. Upstream face will be protected by riprap. Height will be about 210 feet above streambed and crest length 790 feet. The ungated side-channel spillway will have a capacity of 18,500 cubic feet per second. Lake will have a storage capacity of 61,000 acre-feet, with 52,000 acre-feet of usable space at Elevation 3435. Improvement will provide for flood control, irrigation, municipal water supply, fish and wildlife, and recreation. Project was authorized by 1965 Flood Control Act. Estimated costs (July 1972) are $20,600,000 Federal and $121,000 non-Federal.
Local cooperation. The Water Supply Act of 1958, as amended, applies. The city of Union, Oregon, has provided assurances of willingness and ability to meet requirements. Reimbursable costs are estimated to be $110,500 for construction and $200 annually for operation, maintenance, and replacement.
The Federal Water Project Recreation Act of 1965 applies. This requirement for local cooperation was added after submittal of the survey report. Union County Court has submitted a letter of assurance of local cooperation on project recreation. Reimbursable costs for recreation are estimated to be $218,500 for construction and $22,800 annually for operation, maintenance, and replacement.
In accordance with reclamation law, local irrigation interests will be required to repay a portion of first costs and annual operation, maintenance, and replacement costs of dam and lake allocated to the irrigation function, currently estimated at $1,488,000 and $13,600, respectively. The portion of construction cost beyond ability of irrigators to repay will be returned to reclamation fund from revenues derived from disposition of power marketed through the Bonneville Power Administration. Irrigation districts are to contract for repayment of cost allocated to irrigation.
Costs for fish and wildlife mitigation and anadromous fishery enhancement for an ongoing Federal program are to be borne by the Federal government, but local interests will be required to assume average annual costs of $2,100.
Operations and results during fiscal year. The hydrology design memorandum was submitted in November 1971 and a general design memorandum was submitted in October 1971. A water quality report for the Catherine Creek and Grande Ronde projects was submitted June 1972. An environmental impact statement is being prepared.
Condition at end of fiscal year. Preconstruction planning is approximately 99 percent complete.