Monday March 17, 2025
The Register-Guard —
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is seeking feedback on draft plans for what will happen to the Cottage Grove and Dorena lakes.
The Army Corps said the 1989 reservoir plan needs to be updated because of “changes to the region, policies, and an increased public awareness of the value of USACE lands as recreation open space and wildlife habitat.”
The main changes to the plan center around redesignating parts of the lakes and the areas around them. For example, the area designated for “project operations” will shrink while the area designated for “wildlife management” will grow.
At a town hall, Army Corps employees described these changes as integrating the designated uses with their current practical use rather than an attempt to change how the areas are used.