7 rescued near low head dam
Seven people nearly drowned on the Willamette River in Glenwood Saturday afternoon after going over a low head dam.
The Eugene Springfield Fire Department says crews were alerted to the water rescue call at 3:19 p.m. and arrived five minutes later to guide water rescue boats.
Once on scene, fire crews learned that seven “college-aged men” were floating down the river in non-rated flotation devices without wearing life jackets.
After passing over the low head dam, some of the men were forced under water due to currents and obstacles called strainers. Most were washed downstream from the dam while one escaped the churning current by grabbing a branch to pull himself up a concrete wall, according to the Eugene Springfield Fire Department.
“The low head dam is a dangerous obstacle in the waterway on a good day,” Eugene Springfield Fire Chief Mike Caven said. “With cold water, changing flows and debris caught on the dam, it is much more dangerous.”
What is a low head dam?
Low heads dams are manufactured structures designed so that water flows continuously over the top from bank to bank and usually have a 1- to 15-foot dropoff. The falling water creates a strong circulated current that can trap objects and people underwater.
“These structures have earned the title of ‘the killer in our river’ or ‘drowning machines,” according to a 2022 presentation from the American Society of Civil Engineers on the dangers of low head dams. “These forces are nearly inescapable for even the strongest, lifejacket-clad swimmer, boats, and kayaks.”
A study from the Association of State Dam Safety Officials says low head dams have been built across U.S. rivers and streams to raise the water level for purposes of improving municipal and industrial water supplies, hydropower production, and diverting irrigation water.
How to stay safe while on the water
“We recommend recreating on the river with approved and rated watercraft while wearing an approved personal floatation device,” Caven said.
Despite Caven’s advice, the Association of State Dam Safety officials noted life vests become less effective due to reduced buoyancy.
In some instances, life vests can be ripped off of victims in the churning hydraulic below the dam due to the relentless force of the water.
The American Society of Civil Engineers recommended the following safety precautions:
● Study a map beforehand to locate potential dams and hazard locations or ask a local for more information about dam locations
● Always be alert for potentially dangerous situations
● Always navigate around the structure or turn around well before reaching the dam when kayaking, canoeing or boating
● Obey all posted signage and barriers in the area
● Let someone know when and where you are heading out and when to expect your return
● Never enter the water to try and help someone. Call 911 and use a remote assistive device, such as a rope or throw bag, to try and pull them to safety.
Oregon low head dam wrongful death lawsuits
The families of Joseph Bendix, 26, and Mariana Dukes, 23, a Eugene couple who drowned after tumbling over Stroda dam while kayaking down the Long Tom River in 2022, filed a $50 million wrongful death lawsuit against Oregon, Lane County, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in April.
The lawsuit alleges the Army Corps failed to restrict water users from accessing the Stroda Dam by closing the waters surrounding the dam from public access, failed to post sufficient signage warning or alerting water users to the dangers associated with the dam, and failed to post signage instructing water users to exit the Long Tom River before encountering the danger of the Stroda Dam.
According to court documents, “the two approached the Stroda Dam from upriver which, like most submerged dams, has a low profile below the water line which obstructs its view from upriver.
Joseph Bendix and Mariana Dukes II kayaked over the dam unsuspecting of its dangers and were pulled into the dam’s deepwater hydraulic cycle, causing both to drown.”