John C. Boyle Dam

John C. Boyle Dam

Company type	Hydroelectric dam
Industry	Energy, Hydroelectric power
Founded	1958
Defunct	2024
Headquarters	Klamath County , United States
Products	Electricity
Parent	California Oregon Power Company (COPCO)

The John C. Boyle Dam was a hydroelectric dam situated in southern Oregon along the upper reaches of the Klamath River, approximately north of the California state line. Initially called Big Bend, the dam was later renamed to commemorate John C. Boyle (1899–1979), a trailblazing hydroelectric engineer who served as chief engineer and executive at the California Oregon Power Company (COPCO), which provided power to southern Oregon and northern California.

This dam structure consisted of multiple components, including earth-fill, concrete gravity sections, as well as intake and spillway areas, extending to a total crest length of and reaching a height of . The concrete spillway featured three gates that created the John C. Boyle Reservoir, equipped with fish ladders and fish screens to support aquatic life.

Electricity generation occurred intermittently, aligning with times of peak energy demand; water was released back into the river at varying rates, resulting in a distinctive "bathtub" ring effect downstream.

John C. Boyle Dam was among four dams on the Klamath River designated for removal under the Klamath Economic Restoration Act. By February 2016, officials from Oregon and California, dam operators, federal agencies, and other stakeholders reached consensus to dismantle all four dams by 2020, contingent upon approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). Although negotiations had stalled by October 2020, FERC issued its final Environmental Impact Statement in February 2022. The dam’s removal was completed in 2024, marking the culmination of over twenty years of social efforts aimed at rehabilitating the Klamath River's ecosystem.

See also

• List of lakes in Oregon
• Klamath River
• Boyle Powerhouse to Copco Reservoir – American Whitewater