Category Archives: on the river

Tree In the River below Forest Glen Landing

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Darren Bucich, McKenzie Fire and Rescue notified us that a tree has just fallen across the McKenzie a few hundred yards below the Forest Glen Landing. Tim Chase, Lane County Search and Rescue is looking things over there on the river and will advise.
Update:June 29 1:15
The ramp is still open. Lane Counth will be posting warning signs. One tree down blocking 80% of the river leaving an opening to get through that is on river left.
A McKenzie Fire and Rescue staff member did witness a drift boat and large raft make it through.

Also there are two more smaller trees down a little further down, river left is the passage through these as well.
Caution should prevail and the river just below Forest Glen considered blocked and dangerous.

South Fork Diversion to Cause Turbidity

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South Fork McKenzie River Diversion Update

As part of the South Fork McKenzie River Floodplain Enhancement Project, the McKenzie Watershed Council and U.S. Forest Service are temporally diverting the lower mile of the South Fork McKenzie River into a floodplain side channel. The diversion began yesterday, Wednesday 6/27, evening. Contractors will slowly draw flow down in the South Fork over the course of the next 24-36 hours to allow for fish escapement. Fish salvage operations will occur during that time. Project activities, including the diversion, will continue until August 15, 2018.

The USACE has reduced flow in the South Fork to 300 cfs during Project implementation. Contractors used a helicopter to fly large wood into the diversion channel and surrounding floodplain on June 25/26. Project managers designed large wood placement to slow flows, which, along with natural vegetation in the diversion channel, will allow suspended sediment to settle out in the floodplain. The diversion channel enters the McKenzie River in a side channel just downstream of the South Fork/McKenzie River confluence.

Project managers expect that the diversion may cause short-term turbidity pluses to the McKenzie River immediately downstream of the South Fork McKenzie River confluence.

For more information, please contact project managers, Jared Weybright, McKenzie Watershed Council Executive Director, at jared@mckenziewc.org, 458-201-8150 (office), or 541-505-0501(cell); or Kate Meyer, USFS McKenzie River Ranger District Fisheries Biologist, kmmeyer@fs.fed.gov, 541-822-7230

MRGA Volunteers Are Helping With Distributed Fish Planting

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MRGA volunteers are again operating the ODFW fish stocking boat under the supervision and direction of the ODFW. Fish planted in the McKenzie River can now be evenly distributed along the entire river with the help of professional boat operators. This permission for assigned volunteers to represent the ODFW is granted by a new Memorandum of Understanding between the US Army Core of Engineers and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. Thank you all for your help with communications between all parties so these two agencies could resolve proper procedures for the transfer and stocking of fish for this year.