The Link River Dam is a concrete
gravity dam
A gravity dam is a dam constructed from concrete or stone masonry and designed to hold back water by using only the weight of the material and its resistance against the foundation. Gravity dams are designed so that each section of the dam is ...
on the
Link River
The Link River is a short river connecting Upper Klamath Lake to Lake Ewauna in the city of Klamath Falls in the U.S. state of Oregon.McArthur, p. 580 Draining a basin of , the river begins at the southern end of Klamath Lake and flows a short ...
in the city of
Klamath Falls, Oregon
Klamath Falls ( ) is a city in, and the county seat of, Klamath County, Oregon, United States. The city was originally called ''Linkville'' when George Nurse founded the town in 1867. It was named after the Link River, on whose falls the city ...
, United States. It was built in 1921 by the California Oregon Power Company (COPCO), the predecessor of
PacifiCorp
PacifiCorp is an electric power company based in the Lloyd Center Tower in Portland, Oregon with operations in the western United States.
PacifiCorp has two business units: Pacific Power, a regulated electric utility with service territory thro ...
, which continues to operate the dam. The dam is owned by the
U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.
Link River Dam's reservoir, Klamath Lake, has a capacity of . The project provides flood control, generates hydro power, and stores most of the water used for irrigation in the
Klamath Reclamation Project Klamath may refer to:
Ethnic groups
*Klamath people, a Native American people of California and Oregon
**Klamath Tribes, a federally recognized group of tribes in Oregon
*Klamath language, spoken by the Klamath people
Places in the United States
* ...
. The dam is 22 feet (7 m) high and 435 feet (133 m) long.
Its two channels can allow one outflow of 3,000 ft³/s (85 m³/s) with 1,000 ft³/s (28 m³/s) through the Ankeny Canal, and another outflow of 290 ft³/s (8 m³/s) through the Keno Canal. Those channels feed PacifiCorp's two
hydroelectric
Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other Renewable energ ...
turbines located downstream and generate 151 MW. All the flow is ultimately diverted down the Link River into
Lake Ewauna
Lake Ewauna is a reservoir in Klamath Falls, Oregon. It is the headwaters of the Klamath River, fed by the Link River from Upper Klamath Lake. Its constant level throughout the year is controlled by the release of water from Keno Dam, south of t ...
.
In 2004 PacifiCorp announced the Link River power projects would be abandoned, as the cost to repair the canal and pipeline supplying the power turbines is too high to be economically viable. As of 2014 the company intends to continue to run the plant, in the short term and at reduced output.
History

In 1878, five years after the
Modoc Wars, residents of
Linkville formed the "Linkville Water Ditch Company." They dug a low capacity canal that connected their homes with the Link River. A William Steele extended the ditch by in 1884. After his death in 1888 the Klamath Falls Irrigation Company took over the canal. It is now known as the Ankeny Canal.
Charles and Rufus Moore dug a canal on the other side of the Link River in 1877 to power a sawmill and transport
logs from Upper Klamath Lake. This later became known as the Keno Canal.
On February 24, 1917, officials from the USBR and COPCO reached an agreement to lease the Keno Canal for ten years at a rate of $1,000 per annum. The agreement also allowed the power company to regulate the outflows of Klamath Lake. In 1919, COPCO placed a temporary low-crib dam near what is now Putnam's Point in 1919. Construction began on the dam on July 29, 1920.
Senator
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...
George E. Chamberlain of Oregon telegraphed
Secretary of the Interior Secretary of the Interior may refer to:
* Secretary of the Interior (Mexico)
* Interior Secretary of Pakistan
* Secretary of the Interior and Local Government (Philippines)
* United States Secretary of the Interior
See also
*Interior ministry ...
John B. Payne
John Barton Payne (January 26, 1855January 24, 1935) was an American politician, lawyer and judge. He served as the United States Secretary of the Interior from 1920 until 1921 under Woodrow Wilson's administration.
Early life and career
Payne ...
on August 20, 1920, requesting he halt dam construction long enough to determine the legality of the 1917 contract. Payne issued a supplemental contract on December 10, and California-Oregon Power restarted construction on May 15, 1921, finishing it on October 29.
Current operations
As a 50-year contract between the USBR and PacifiCorp reached its expiration in 2006, the company proposed closing down hydroelectric generation at Link River. It cited the high costs of complying with fish passage remediation. This proposal would have left the dam in place for water storage and flood control. (The proposal was distinct from the
proposed removal of four other dams, operated by the same company in the same watershed.)
As of 2014 the company intends to continue to generate electricity at Link River, in the short term and at reduced output. PacifiCorp implemented changes of operation are intended to reduce the loss to two
endangered species
An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching, inv ...
, the
Lost River sucker and
Shortnose sucker
The shortnose sucker (''Chasmistes brevirostris''),
also known as the koptu (pronounced ) by the Klamath Tribes,
is a rare species of fish in the family Catostomidae, the suckers. It is native to southern Oregon and northern California in the U ...
, by some 90%.
Further decommissioning discussion remain pending with the governing agency, the
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is an independent agency of the United States government that regulates the interstate transmission and wholesale sale of electricity and natural gas and regulates the prices of interstate transport ...
.
References
External links
Klamath Waters Digital Library
{{Klamath River
Dams in Oregon
Dams on the Klamath River
Gravity dams
PacifiCorp dams
Hydroelectric power plants in Oregon
Buildings and structures in Klamath Falls, Oregon
Dams completed in 1921
Energy infrastructure completed in 1921
1921 establishments in Oregon