Page 109 - Clackamas County Watertourism Strategic Plan. Final.v3

STRATEGIC PLAN FOR WATER-BASED TOURISM IN CLACKAMAS COUNTY, OREGON THE OPPORTUNITIES
6-6

Physical
Willamette River Corridor
Improvements

Recommendation 9: Provide Camping at Willamette Park, West Linn
Paddlers and all boaters travelling downstream from Wilsonville area and other points south would find Willamette Park an ideal place to camp. A
campground here would also provide the downtown with a new market of visitors. Camping is in high demand in this area of the county and would
be profitable there.
Recommendation 10: Remove (or improve safety at) low head Dam on Tualatin
The low head dam at river mile 3.4 is extremely dangerous. It was originally built in the 1940s to serve Lake Oswego during a time when river
recreation wasn’t a popular sport or industry. The antiquated technology and design of this dam makes it impossible for boaters to by-pass. There is
no boat portage at this dam, the banks are steep and surrounded by private property, and the nearest road crossing (take-out) is 2 miles upstream.
Boaters are literally stranded at this location and gives them little choice but to attempt a downstream paddle. The hydraulics at this dam creates a
recirculating wave which keeps boats and people recirculating in place from surface to bottom for an indefinite period. Drowning though exhaustion
is often the result of a boater being trapped in a recirculating wave. Due to its remote and inaccessible location it would take hours for emergency
personnel to be notified and then arrive at the scene. Without this dam, the river from the nearest put-in in Clackamas County (Shipley Bridge at
Stafford Road) to Fields Bridge is beautiful, friendly, and safe. Downstream travel from here to the mouth at the Willamette River and Park is
possible at different skill and water levels