Balm Grove Dam

 

Balm Grove Dam on Gales Creek   photo: Trees for All

Many of you members may recall fleeting discussions in the past about a small, yet controversial impediment inhibiting fish passage on Gales Creek. Established long ago as a recreational/swimming hole, the primarily unused concrete dam and recreation site limited fish passage - especially in low flow years.

Your chapter, the Tualatin Valley Chapter, ....

....happens to have a board member - Jon Pampush - who also is on the Tualatin River Watershed Council board and he has helped us monitor the project since inception. Although, there was little physical effort to contribute, through member support, your chapter has been able to provide some financial support - we are pleased to report that the balm Grove dam has been removed and initial habitat restoration/stabilization is in place!

 

 

Balm Grove Dam - before

Gales Creek - after

From our partners at the Tualatin River Watershed Council (TRWC) we received this note:

Thank you! As you know, the Balm Grove dam was removed this past summer...In September of this year, Clean Water Services, and its partner the Tualatin River Watershed Council removed an old dam outside of Forest Grove that has blocked fish passage to 87 miles of habitat for several kinds of fish since at least the 1930s.

The dam, commonly known as the Balm Grove dam, sits in Gales Creek, a tributary of the Tualatin River. Removing the dam is expected to open over 87 miles of historic, “in-stream” habitat for coastal cutthroat trout, 28 miles for winter steelhead, and several miles for coho salmon, Pacific lamprey, mountain whitefish, and mountain and largescale sucker fish. The winter run of steelhead in the creek are protected by the federal Endangered Species Act.

Gales Creek hosts one of the Tualatin Valley’s most important areas for winter steelhead. By removing this dam, we were able to open up miles and miles of historic habitat. This project has been a high priority for our watershed council for a very long time.

The dam at Balm Grove was built in the early 20^th Century to create a recreational area for residents including a popular swimming hole, tavern and dance hall. The area has not been used in several decades and the facilities are in disrepair, yet the dam remained, blocking fish passage and creating a safety hazard. Clean Water Services and the Tualatin River Watershed Council (TRWC) completed a robust plan to ensure the dam was removed safely and fish and wildlife habitat is restored with native plants and natural stream flow.

 -Scott McEwen/TRWC

Scott continued with some future plans that we - your chapter - will continue to support:

Next summer we intend to remove another fish passage barrier on Coffee Creek in the upper Gales Creek watershed.  Coffee Creek has been documented as containing critical steelhead habitat, and that project will open up another four miles of habitat. We have partnered with the SWCD to remove another four priority fish passage barriers in the next five years coming.

It also just happens that Scott McEwen/TRWC will be our guest speaker for the January Member meeting - please consider coming to hear more about Balm Grove and other projects! Start your new year off by coming out to our new meeting venue and joining us!

For more information on the Balm Grove Dam removal project - the Trees for All website has a really nice summary: BALM GROVE DAM - Trees for ALL