Video

Video by Tom Conning

Long Tom River drop structure dangers

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Portland District

April 25, 2023 | 2:55

Army engineers built Fern Ridge Dam in the 1940’s. It blocks the Long Tom River in central-western Oregon. Fern Ridge reduces flooding and provides irrigation and recreation in its reservoir. Engineers also heavily modified the lower Long Tom River, downstream.

Much of the Long Tom's banks are private property, with little maintenance making access problematic. Many areas are steep with thick vegetation. These aspects can make finding places to put in or take out difficult. That makes recreating challenging, especially with other dangers lurking.

There are also several low-head dams or drop structures in the river. These structures help with flooding and irrigation but can trap unsuspecting boaters at higher flows with recirculating currents.

Because the structures span the width of the river, escape from the currents can be extremely difficult, if not impossible.