The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Oregon, in cooperation with the U.S. Forest Service (Forest Service) and the Middle Fork Irrigation District (MFID), is preparing a Watershed Plan-Environmental Impact Statement (Plan-EIS) for the Clear Branch Dam Remedial project within the Hood River watershed near Parkdale, Oregon (Remedial Project). NRCS Oregon and project partners are conducting a supplementary public scoping meeting on Wednesday, July 9, 2025, to obtain feedback from the public. 

Construction of Clear Branch Dam was authorized in a 1962 Watershed Work Plan for the Middle Fork Hood River; construction was completed in 1969 with assistance from NRCS. The dam and reservoir (Laurance Lake) are owned and operated by MFID and are located in the Mt. Hood National Forest near Parkdale, Oregon, providing water to over 400 users to irrigate over 6,300 acres in the Upper Hood River valley. 

The purpose of the Remedial Project is to continue to provide a clean dependable water supply in the Upper Hood River valley. There is a need to remediate Clear Branch Dam to extend its service life and address dam safety and environmental standards for NRCS, Forest Service, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), and other regulatory agencies.  

Under a federal environmental planning process that began in 2016, NRCS, Forest Service, and MFID are evaluating alternatives to extend the service life of Clear Branch Dam and continue to provide a clean dependable water supply. NRCS is proposing to fund the structural remediation of the dam in a manner that will satisfactorily address flood conveyance, seismic hazards, fish passage, and water quality improvements. 

The NRCS and Forest Service published a notice of intent (NOI, original NOI) to prepare a Plan-EIS for the Clear Branch Dam Remedial Project on Sept. 19, 2022. NRCS and the Forest Service are revising the NOI to update the project timeline, preliminary description of the proposed action and alternatives, and expected impacts; and identify the substantive provisions for potential forest plan amendments to the Mt. Hood National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan (1990). The revised NOI also provides an additional 30-day scoping period and the notice of a supplementary public scoping meeting. 

We want to hear from you. You are invited to attend a supplementary public scoping meeting on July 9, 2025, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. NRCS, Forest Service and MFID will provide project updates and be available to answer general questions. Stakeholders and members of the public are invited to provide input that is relevant to the project.  

Supplementary Public Scoping Meeting 
Date: July 9, 2025 
Time: 4:00-6:00 p.m. PT 
Location: Mount Hood Town Hall, 6575 Highway 35, Mount Hood, Parkdale, OR 97041  
Register at: clearbranchdam.com  

 A recording of the meeting will be available afterward on the same website. The meeting location is accessible to persons with disabilities. A request for an interpreter for the hearing impaired or other accommodations for persons with disabilities should be made at least 48 hours before the meeting to Ed Salminen, WPN, at 541-490-6644 or info@clearbranchdam.com. 

Comments may be submitted during the public scoping period starting June 18, 2025, and ending on July 18, 2025. Comments may be emailed to info@clearbranchdam.com or mailed to Ed Salminen, WPN, P.O. Box 8, Mt. Hood, Parkdale, OR 97041. 

Following the public scoping period, NRCS and project partners will develop a draft Plan-EIS. The public will have an opportunity to review the draft Plan-EIS and provide additional input. 

For more information about this project or how to submit comments, visit clearbranchdam.com or the NRCS Oregon public notice webpage.