Drilling planned for taking soil samples at Ochoco Dam

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation will start a drilling program next Monday to collect soil samples at Ochoco Dam east of Prineville.

The agency’s drill crews will be working near the toe of the dam’s downstream face.

Soil samples will be collected from the embankment and foundation at 10 drill sites to refine existing Ochoco Dam studies for seismic stability, officials said Thursday.

A temporary access road will be constructed on the downstream slope of the dam in mid-March.

The Bureau of Reclamation advised the public to be aware of construction equipment near the dam and to stay clear of the area. The drill crews are expected to continue through the summer.

Ochoco Dam, on Ochoco Creek 6 miles east of Prineville, was built just after World War I and was rehabilitated by the Bureau of Reclamation in 1949. It’s 152 feet high with a crest length of 1,300 feet.

Ochoco Dam has been part of Reclamation’s Crooked River Project since 1956. It stores water for the Ochoco Irrigation District.

More info on the dam here: http://www.usbr.gov/projects/Facility.jsp?fac_Name=Ochoco+Dam