kimerajamm
Joined: 28 Nov 2010
Posts: 785
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 Posted: Sat Mar 05, 2011 12:40 am Post subject: Butte Creek |
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The Howard Prairie Delivery Canal was completed in 1959, along with Keene Creek Reservoir, Cascade Tunnel, and Greensprings Tunnel. Water from Howard Prairie Lake is diverted into the canal west to Keene Creek Reservoir, about 16 miles (26 km) east of Ashland.[6][44] Nearby Hyatt Reservoir also provides water.[44][47] It is then piped through the 1-mile (1.6 km) long Cascade Tunnel to the Greensprings Power Plant, which generates about 18 megawatts of power. Afterward, the water is conveyed from the power plant 2 miles (3.2 km) through the Greensprings Tunnel into Emigrant Creek, a tributary of Bear Creek.[6][44] An average of approximately 38,620 acre feet (47,640,000 m3) of water flows through the tunnel.[47] The water eventually ends up in Emigrant Lake, about 8 miles (13 km) southeast of Ashland, where it either continues along Bear Creek, or is diverted for irrigation.[44]
[edit]Butte Creek Mill
The Butte Creek Mill, originally named Snowy Butte Mill, was built on the banks of Little Butte Creek about 5.5 miles (8.9 km) from its mouth in 1872.[17][50][51][52] A diversion dam was built in the 1880s to provide water for the turbine that powers the mill.[50] This dam has been rated as the fifth worst fish barrier in the watershed.[53][54] In 2005, the Rogue Basin Fish Access Team built a $250,000 concrete fish ladder to allow fish past the dam.[51][53][54] A small weir made of boulders was built at the base of the ladder creating a 9-inch (23 cm) jump between the creek and the ladder, however the boulders were washed away in a severe storm just three months later, making the distance between them over 2 feet (0.6 m).[53][54] The weir was rebuilt in 2008 for about $122,500.[51] This time, it was built with concrete instead of boulders.[54]
The mill is now included on the National Register of Historic Places, and is the only gristmill in Oregon to still grind flour.[50][52] It is also the oldest water-powered gristmill west of the Mississippi River.[55]
[edit]Restoration
In 1955, intense flooding occurred throughout the Rogue Valley, and the meanders in Little Butte Creek between Eagle Point and the Rogue River were blamed for severe erosion in the region.[56][57] The 1.3-mile (2.1 km) section of the creek was subsequently bulldozed and straightened in the late 1950s and early 1960s.[56] The straightness of the creek forced water downward instead of outward, scouring the stream bed down to bedrock, creating an unsuitable habitat for wild salmon.[57] In 2007, a plan to recreate the old meanders of the creek and extend it by half a mile (0.8 km) was proposed.[56] It involves building riffles, engineered log jams, and adding boulders, and is predicted to cost around $550,000.[57] The project is expected to be completed as early as the mid-2011mobile phone plans
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