10A COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL February 10, 2016
D AMS
Continued from page 1A
bring to local economies, in
addition to the $100 million or
so in electricity produced by hy-
droelectric power plants through
partnerships with the Bonneville
Power Authority and Lane Elec-
tric Co-op, among others.
But make no mistake — the
dams’ primary purpose is fl ood
control. The system allows the
Corps to manage 77 percent of
the runoff of the Willamette and
its tributaries, Bengston said,
though waterways like Mosby
Creek, which is not regulated,
add intrigue to the manage-
ment of a reservoir like Dorena.
It takes about two to three
days for water to make its way
throughout the entire system,
and the close of 2015 and start
of 2016 have given the Corps a
lot more water to manage than
the extremely dry weather the
Willamette Valley experienced
in months prior.
“Flows like we had in Decem-
ber are educational,” Bengston
said. “They give us a hint of
what the rivers could look like if
the dams didn’t exist.”
Data provided by the National
Atmospheric and Oceanic Ad-
ministration’s Northwest River
Forecast Center also offers such
insight. On Dec. 18, 2015, at a
gauging station at Goshen past
which the combined waters
of the Row and Coast Fork of
Meet Dorian Perkey
“Flows like we had in December are
educational,” Bengston said. “They
give us a hint of what the rivers could
look like if the dams didn’t exist.”
the Willamette Rivers fl ow, the
height of the river peaked at
11.27 feet. Had those high fl ows
not been regulated, according
to the NWRFC’s estimates,
the river could have reached
15.1 feet in a location where it
is considered full at 11.7 feet.
Minor fl ood stage there is 13
feet, and major fl ooding occurs
at heights of 18 feet or higher.
(Information from the Goshen
gauging station can be found
at: http://www.nwrfc.noaa.gov/
river/station/flowplot/flowplot.
cgi?GOSO3).
Younger generations may fi nd
it diffi cult to envision a time
when fl ooding was a more regu-
lar part of life in Cottage Grove,
but historical photos showcas-
ing this community’s down-
town underwater help shed light
on wetter times, and an article
printed in the Sentinel in De-
cember of 1955 touted the two
dams’ usefulness in preventing
major fl ooding:
“While most of Oregon suf-
fered from damaging and deathly
fl oods, Cottage Grove remained
comparatively free from the di-
saster,” the article stated. “The
reasons for Cottage Grove’s
freedom from fl oods were two
products of the U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers, Dorena and
Cottage Grove dams. Neither of
these two dams entirely stopped
the rampaging fl ood water that
fl owed into them, but they con-
trolled it.”
The Corps completed Cottage
Grove Dam in 1942 at a cost of
$3.3 million; Dorena Dam fol-
lowed in 1949. An excellent ar-
ticle on the construction of the
Cottage Grove Dam appears
in Marie Gilham Geer’s book
“They Called it Hebron,” about
a community displaced when
the dam was created. In it, Geer
recounts that the dam spared the
area from serious fl ooding in
1941, then again in the autumn
of 1942, when 20 inches of rain
fell in just over a month.
These days, the dams are used
to “take the peaks off the big
storms from December through
May,” explained the Corps’ Pub-
lic Affairs Offi cer, Amy Echols.
“You’ll see high water levels
after a rain event because we’re
releasing the water that we held
back until the coast is clear,”
Echols said. Information from
the U.S. Geological Survey and
the NOAA’s Northwest River
Forecast Center is used to de-
termine the Corps’ course of ac-
tion, whether it be to release wa-
ter through the dams’ regulating
outlets or hold it back.
“We look at the weather fore-
cast 10 days out to get some-
thing of a picture, but the fore-
cast at three days out is where
we start to get clarity,” Bengston
said.
Replenishing rains in late
spring are allowed to fi ll the
dams for the summer recre-
ation season, after which they
are again emptied in the fall
in anticipation of winter, and
Bengston said that these spring
rains do more to fi ll the reser-
voirs than the annual melt of the
snowpack in the mountains.
“We’re asked questions a lot
about refi lling the reservoirs in
the Willamette Valley,” he said.
“The spring rains are what re-
ally fi ll the reservoir.”
The website for the Corps of
Engineers’ Portland District,
located at http://www.nwp.
usace.army.mil/Missions/Wa-
ter.aspx, offers data on river
fl ows and fi ll levels at each of
the valley’s 13 dams through
“teacup diagrams.”
members in regard to the ex-
hibit’s visit.
Pobiner, however, said that the
conversations surrounding the
exhibit are meant to fi nd a way
to have a productive discussion
regarding human origins.
“Sometimes there’s an agree-
ment to disagree, but most peo-
ple who visit the exhibit want to
fi nd the room to have a conver-
sation,” she said. “The discus-
sions can be lively, but they’re
rarely negative or confronta-
tional. That’s not the tone we’re
trying to set.”
Pobiner said that one require-
ment of the application process
Territorial Land Company, REALTORS
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CG
The Smithsonian Institution,
The American Library Association, John Templeton Foundation,
and the Cottage Grove Public Library Present:
“Exploring Human Origins:
What Does It Mean To Be Human?”
E XHIBIT
Continued from page 1A
Territorial Land Company welcomes
Dorian Perkey as a newly licensed Real
Estate Broker. Dorian was born and raised
in Cottage Grove. She is a graduate of CGHS
and of the University of Oregon. Her father
has been a local Real Estate Broker for over
25 years, so it would seem as though Real
Estate is in her blood. With ambition and
high expectations, Dorian plans on making
this a successful life-long career.
for the exhibit was to showcase
a plan for events to accompany
the exhibit. Following next
Wednesday’s clergy meeting,
a conversation will take place
from 6-8 p.m. that examines
the exhibit’s main themes. Po-
biner said she’ll also be leading
a workshop for local educators
about teaching human evolu-
tion, including the experiences
they’ve had teaching the subject
in the past. The donation of fi ve
replica human skulls that teach-
ers can check out as a reference
material accompanies each of
the exhibit’s stops.
Some of the events scheduled
as part of the Smithsonian’s ex-
hibit include:
Anthropology workshop at
Cottage Grove High School:
Thursday, Feb. 18, 12:30-2:15
p.m. Andrea Eller and her team
from the Comparative Osteol-
ogy lab at the University of Or-
egon will lead.
Full moon celebration: Mon-
day, Feb. 22, 6-8 p.m. at the Li-
brary.
Educator workshop: Feb. 18,
3-5 p.m., a workshop for class-
room teachers, museum and
other educators.
Human origins tour and fam-
ily art: Saturday, Feb. 27 from
1:30-3:30 p.m. Cave painting
with Tinika at the Library.
Community
conversation:
Feb. 18, 6-8 p.m. A conversation
meant to “help us understand
each other’s perspectives.”
Human Origins Oregon:
Thursday, March 3, 6-8 p.m.
Paisley, Columbia and Fort
Rock Caves: 15000 years of
History.
Wisdom Seekers discus-
sion: Thursday, Feb. 25, 6-8
p.m. Group will discuss what it
means to be human.
Feb. 17 th Science Program 6-8pm
with Smithsonian Dr. Rick Potts
Feb 18 th Community Conservation 6-8pm
with Drs. Connie Bertka & Jim Miller
Feb 22 nd Full Moon Celebration, Music ,
“Cave Painting” Family Friendly Event 6-8pm
For more information: Cottage Grove Public Library:
541-942-3828 cottagegrovepubliclibrary.org
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Denta
Who’s the top-grossing ac tor in kids’ tooth decay stories? Sugar.
And in Fe bruary 2016, during National Children’s Dental Health
Month, the American Dental As sociation is bringing “Sugar
Wars” * to a dentist’s offi ce near you.
Your child’s dental hygiene isn’t only about brushing and fl ossing.
The best way to prevent tooth decay and the costly dental
cavities that result is to tackle the problem where it starts: eating
sugary foods.
Everyone likes a treat now and then, but when you and your kids do
indulge, it’s extra important to remember a couple of things.
• Don’t eat candies or sugary foods through out the day; the bacteria
that cause decay feed on sugar, so it’s important to give your
mouth a break.
Jonathan E. Backer, D.D.S.
Great dental health
starts young!
Family Dentistry
541-942-8437
New Patients Welcome
1551 E. Main St.
• Brush your teeth with a dentist-recommended toothpaste after
you’ve eaten a sugary snack or dessert. This does two things: it
re mo ves any stuck food particles from the teeth and gums, and
it helps the saliva return to a normal pH level that doesn’t favor
tooth decay.
Generally, it’s best to avoid eating sugary foods every day for your
dental health and overall health. Opt for desserts that feature fresh
or frozen fruits, nuts and low-sugar recipes. At snack time, choose
fresh fruit or vegetables, nuts, cheese, whole-grain pro ducts or other
low-sugar foods that don’t easily get stuck in the teeth. Plan an
attack on sugary sodas, fruit drinks pastries and candies.
Teaching your kids good dental habits is the best way to fi ght
the Sugar Wars. Remind them to brush at least twice a day (once
before going to bed), rinse after snacking, fl oss daily and choose
low-sugar snacks.
Douglas G. Maddess, DMD
Brightening Lives One Smile at a Time
Welcoming New Patients
Call for an appointment today!
914 South 4th St.
douglasgmaddessdmd.com
Shane Parsons, DMD
Brent Bitner, DDS
New patients welcome
Dentistry with Family in Mind
605 Jefferson Ave. • Cottage Grove
C ALL U S T ODAY !
Please call for an appointment.
Hours: Monday-Friday, 8am-5pm
Emergency appts. available daily
www.shaneparsonsd md.com
541.942.7934
541
350 E. W ASHINGTON A VENUE • C OTTAGE G ROVE
942-9171
WWW.CGSMILES.COM
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