Overview

Emigrant Dam and Lake, located 7.5 miles southeast of Ashland, Oregon, on Emigrant Creek, was constructed by the Talent Irrigation District for irrigation water supply. The original 110-foot-high thin-arch concrete dam was incorporated into a 204-foot-high earthfill structure with enlargement by the Bureau of Reclamation in 1961. The dam is 204 feet high and has a crest elevation of 750 feet. The reservoir’s total capacity is 40,500 acre-feet (active 39,000 acre-feet). The enlarged reservoir reregulates Green Springs Powerplant discharges and provides additional storage for irrigation.

Geology

Most of the rock layers consist of medium to fine-grained sandstone, but layers and lenses of siltstone, claystone, conglomerate, and coal are present throughout the series. Into these sediments, many irregular sills and dikes of diorite, andesite, and felsite have been intruded. The color of the rocks ranges from light gray to black; most layers are reddish to yellowish brown.

General

Project Rogue River Basin

Dam Type Zoned Earthfill

Longitude-122.605233

Watercourse Emigrant Creek

ReservoirEmigrant Lake

Original Construction1924

Modified Construction1958-1961

Latitude42.16206

Dimensions

Crest Elevation2254.00 ft

Structural Height204.0 ft

Hydraulic Height (Normal Operating Depth at Dam)183.0 ft

Crest Length4,750.0 ft

Top of Joint Use Pool (Elevation)2241.0 ft

Top of Active Conservation Pool (Elevation)2241.0 ft

Top of Dead Storage Pool (Elevation)2131.5 ft

Streambed at Dam Axis 2058.0 ft

Spillway Crest Elevation 2248.4 ft

Hydraulics & Hydrology

Normal Water Surface Elevation 2241.0 ft

Spillway Type Ungated overflow

Auxiliary Spillway No

Total Water Storage at Elevation 39,000 ac-ft

Outlet Works Capacity at Elevation 670 cfs flood release restriction

Spillway Capacity at Elevation 11,300.0 cfs at 2248.4 ft