USACE is inviting public input on a supplemental environmental study evaluating endangered fish protections and potential hydropower removal at eight Willamette Valley dams.
Oregon — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Portland District is asking the public to weigh in on a new Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) that could reshape future operations of the agency’s 13 Willamette Valley dams.
The draft SEIS builds on a six-year environmental study completed in April 2025 but incorporates major new requirements that emerged just before the earlier study concluded—including updated endangered species protections and a mandate to consider eliminating hydropower at multiple dams.
USACE officials said the agency’s goal is to assess how potential operational changes may affect endangered fish, water quality, dam operations, communities, and recreation…