HomeMy WebLinkAboutResolution No. 5129
COUNCIL RESOLUTION NO.5129
A RESOLUTIONSUPPORTING THE REOPENING OF
WILLAMETTE FALLS LOCKS.
PASSED: 7:0
REJECTED:
OPPOSED:
ABSENT: Evans
CONSIDERED:April 22, 2015
RESOLUTION NO. 5129
A RESOLUTIONSUPPORTING THE REOPENING OF WILLAMETTE
FALLS LOCKS.
The City Council of the City of Eugene finds that:
A.
On January 1, 1873, the Willamette Falls Locks opened to allow passage around
the waterfall at Oregon City, thereby providing access to a one river system.
B.
In 1915, the Army Corps of Engineers purchased the Willamette Falls Locks from
the private operator, thereby ensuring free public passage through the Locks.
C.
In 1974, the Willamette Falls Locks were listed on the National Register of
Historic Places; it was the first significant facility built to improve navigation on the Columbia-
Snake River Inland Waterway system and,through 1939, the most important.
D.
In 1991, the Willamette Falls Locks were designated as a State Historic Civil
Engineering Landmark by the AmericanSociety of Civil Engineers.
E.
In 2006, Governor Kulongoski designated the Willamette Falls Locks as an
Oregon Solutions project, and the Willamette Falls Locks Oregon Solutions TaskForce was
formed, which continues to the present as the One Willamette River Coalition coordinated by the
Willamette Falls Heritage Foundation to preserve the Locks and support its continued operation.
F.
From 2006 through 2010, funding provided to the Army Corps of Engineers from
the Oregon Department of Transportation, Clackamas County and the U.S. Congress allowed for
seasonal operations and selected structural upgrades, including $2.2 million in funds from the
American Recover and Reinvestment Act of2009 (PL 111-5).
G.
In November 2011, the Willamette Falls Locks were placed into "non-
operational" status and on short notice were closed to vessel passage based upon an engineering
assessment that identified safety concerns of potential failure.
H.
Closure has placed a severe hardship on commercial, recreationaland tribal river
users.
I.
In March 2012, the National Trust for Historic Preservation declared the
Willamette Falls Locks as one of the most threatened National Treasures, thereby providing
technical assistance.
J.
The Historic Preservation League of Oregon (now Restore Oregon) named the
Willamette Falls Locks as one of its 10 “Most Endangered Places.”
Resolution -Page 1of 2