Love Reservoir (Baker) dam
Love Reservoir (Baker)
Love Reservoir in Baker, Oregon is a privately owned dam completed in 1952 for irrigation purposes. With a dam height of 30 feet and a storage capacity of 920 acre-feet, this earth dam serves the Love, Lawrence, East Love, and West rivers and streams. Situated in a remote location with no downstream settlement, the reservoir covers a surface area of 106 acres and has a drainage area of 19.6 square miles.
Managed by the Oregon Water Resources Department, Love Reservoir is regulated, permitted, inspected, and enforced by the state. The dam has a significant hazard potential, but its condition assessment is currently not rated. The last inspection was conducted in May 2020 with an inspection frequency of every three years. While the Emergency Action Plan (EAP) status and risk management measures are not specified, the reservoir meets state guidelines and has not had inundation maps prepared.
Climate and water resource enthusiasts will appreciate Love Reservoir's role in providing irrigation water to the surrounding area and its importance in managing water resources in Baker County, Oregon. The dam's construction, storage capacity, and hazard potential contribute to the region's water infrastructure, highlighting the intersection of human development and environmental stewardship in the arid landscapes of the Pacific Northwest.
Dam data reference
Condition Assessment
- Satisfactory
- No existing or potential dam safety deficiencies are recognized. Acceptable performance is expected under all loading conditions (static, hydrologic, seismic) in accordance with the minimum applicable state or federal regulatory criteria or tolerable risk guidelines.
- Fair
- No existing dam safety deficiencies are recognized for normal operating conditions. Rare or extreme hydrologic and/or seismic events may result in a dam safety deficiency. Risk may be in the range to take further action.
- Poor
- A dam safety deficiency is recognized for normal operating conditions which may realistically occur. Remedial action is necessary. POOR may also be used when uncertainties exist as to critical analysis parameters which identify a potential dam safety deficiency.
- Unsatisfactory
- A dam safety deficiency is recognized that requires immediate or emergency remedial action for problem resolution.
- Not Rated
- The dam has not been inspected, is not under state or federal jurisdiction, or has been inspected but, for whatever reason, has not been rated.
Hazard Potential Classification
- High
- Dams assigned the high hazard potential classification are those where failure or mis-operation will probably cause loss of human life.
- Significant
- Dams assigned the significant hazard potential classification are those dams where failure or mis-operation results in no probable loss of human life but can cause economic loss, environmental damage, disruption of lifeline facilities, or impact other concerns. Significant hazard potential classification dams are often located in predominantly rural or agricultural areas but could be in areas with population and significant infrastructure.
- Low
- Dams assigned the low hazard potential classification are those where failure or mis-operation results in no probable loss of human life and low economic and/or environmental losses. Losses are principally limited to the owner's property.
- Undetermined
- Dams for which a downstream hazard potential has not been designated or is not provided.
Plan around the weather
Same NOAA / yr.no feed Snoflo's iOS app uses. Watch the precipitation column on the meteogram -- rain on the basin upstream typically lifts inflow 24-72 hours later.
Next 5 days, hour by hour
Temperature line with weather symbols on top, snow + rain accumulation as columns, humidity as a dotted line.
5-day forecast table
Every 3 hours, broken out across temperature, snow, rain, humidity, and wind. Each cell is colour-coded relative to the column min/max.
| Time | Condition | Temp (°F) | Snow (in) | Rain (in) | Humidity (%) | Wind (mps) | Wind dir |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loading detailed forecast… | |||||||
15-day temperature & precipitation
Daily temperatures, snow, and rain projected over the next two weeks.
Nearby streamflow gauges
USGS streamgauges around Love Reservoir (Baker) -- inflows here typically show up in storage 24-72 hours later.
| Streamgauge | Discharge | View |
|---|---|---|
| Snake River At Weiser Id | 13,100 cfs | → |
| Weiser River Nr Cambridge Id | 441 cfs | → |
| Crane Creek At Mouth Nr Weiser Id | 2 cfs | → |
| Weiser River Nr Weiser Id | 734 cfs | → |
| Snake River At Hells Canyon Dam Id-Or State Line | 19,200 cfs | → |
| Malheur River Below Nevada Dam Near Vale Or | 16 cfs | → |
Make a day of it
Boat launches, lakeside camping, fishing access, and other reservoirs near Love Reservoir (Baker).
Boat launches
Campgrounds
Paddle runs
- Eagle Cap Wilderness Boundary To Confluence With Eagle Crek
- Headwaters To Eagle Cap Wilderness Boundary
- Headwaters To Confluence With Van Patten Creek
- Hells Canyon (Hells Canyon Dam To Pittsburg Landing)
- Headwaters (Just North Of Confluence Of Mf Five Points Creek) To Wallowa-Whitman Nf Boundary
Track Love Reservoir (Baker) in the Snoflo app
Save this dam as a favorite and get the local NOAA / yr.no forecast plus regional flow context wherever you are.
About Love Reservoir (Baker)
Where does the data for Love Reservoir (Baker) come from?
Structural and regulatory data come from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' National Inventory of Dams (NID). Weather forecast comes from NOAA / yr.no -- the same feed Snoflo's iOS app uses.
How often is the report updated?
NID structural data refreshes annually as the Corps publishes updated assessments. The weather forecast refreshes throughout the day.
What does the Significant hazard rating mean?
The Corps of Engineers' hazard potential classification grades probable consequences if the dam fails: High = probable loss of human life; Significant = no probable loss of human life but possible economic loss / environmental damage; Low = no probable loss of human life, only minor economic / environmental losses. See the Dam Data Reference card above for the full definitions.
What's "% of normal"?
The current storage value compared to the historical average storage on this calendar day. 100% = right on average; values above 100% mean above-normal storage (wet year); values below mean below-normal (dry year or drought).
Can I get alerts when storage crosses a threshold?
Yes -- alerts are managed in the Snoflo iOS app. Favorite this dam, set a threshold, and you'll get a push the moment conditions cross.
Other water bodies near here
Snoflo-tracked reservoirs and dams within driving distance of Love Reservoir (Baker).