Galesville Reservoir

Galesville Reservoir is a water storage reservoir in Klamath Mountains of Douglas County, Oregon. The dam was completed in October 1986.

This reservoir is the outlet of the Upper Cow Creek Watershed, which contains 47,482.5 acres (19,215.5 ha) of land. The dam was proposed in a 1966 research document as a water storage dam, with a targeted completion date of 1975.[1] The dam does not include a fish ladder, so it acts as a complete fish passage barrier.[2]

67% of the watershed is owned by the US Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management, with 7% owned by the state and county. The remainder is privately owned. Nearly all of the land (98.7%) is used for forestry. The reservoir has a higher-than-allowed level of mercury as described by the Clean Water Act.[2][3] Several historic mining claims above the reservoir exist, such as the Red Cloud Mine, which was established to extract mercury from veins of cinnabar.[4]

Chief Miwaleta RV Park and Campground, a county park, is located on the shores of the reservoir.[5] The upper portion of the reservoir is a wildlife area.[6]

The name "Galesville" comes from a small town in the Cow Creek Valley. The location was a post office established in 1854 with George F. Hall as the first postmaster. It was closed in 1916. Legend has it that the initial two settlers were Gale and Goshen, who named it Galesville.[7]

The dam was used in the 2013 movie Night Moves.[8]

References
  1. "Water Supply and Quality Control Summary: Upqua River Basin, Oregon: Tiller and Galesville". EPA. 1966. Retrieved 19 September 2016.
  2. https://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/xmlui/bitstream/1957/872/1/Upper_Cow_Creek_WAAP.pdf
  3. "Water Quality Restoration Plan: Umpqua River Basin: South Umpqua Subbasin: Upper Cow Creek" (PDF). Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Medford District Office. 2004. Retrieved 19 September 2016.
  4. "Red Cloud Mine letters" (PDF). Retrieved 19 September 2016.
  5. "Douglas County Oregon e-Government - Parks Dept". Retrieved 19 September 2016.
  6. "Galesville Hunting Map" (PDF). Retrieved 19 September 2016.
  7. McArthur, Lewis A.; McArthur, Lewis L. (1992) [1928]. Oregon Geographic Names (6th ed.). Portland, Oregon: Oregon Historical Society Press. p. 345. ISBN 978-0875952369.
  8. "Galesville Dam in Douglas County lands role in Hollywood film (AP)". OregonLive.com. 20 September 2012. Retrieved 19 September 2016.

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