Willamette Falls Locks Authority Holds First Meeting Wednesday

OREGON CITY, OR — It's been 11 years since the Willamette Falls Locks were last open. It's been 11 years since boats were able to move from the lower Falls to the upper Falls.

All of that may be changing.

On Wednesday, the Willamette Falls Locks Authority will hold their first meeting. The authority is tasked with coming up with a plan for life after the locks reopen.

Governor Brown created the authority with 11 voting members including representatives from the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde and the Confederated Tribes of the Siletz Indians as well as representatives of Wilsonville and West Linn.

The locks opened on New Year's Day in 1873 and went through several owners before the Army Corps of Engineers purchased them for $375,000 from Portland Railway Light and Power Company in 1915.

The Corps ran them until December 2015 when they closed them because of safety concerns.

In recent years, the state and federal governments have contributed millions to getting the locks repaired.

A study by ECONorthwest in 2018 determined that if the locks were fully functional they could contribute around $100 million to the area's tourism and transportation industries.

The meeting on Wednesday begins at 1 p.m. and is scheduled to last until 4:30 p.m.

Members of the public won't be able to ask questions at the meeting but can submit comments ahead of time. The meeting will be available via Zoom.