Midway Nursery dam
Midway Nursery
Midway Nursery, located in Washington County, Oregon, plays a crucial role in irrigation for its surrounding agricultural lands. This private earth dam was completed in 1992 and stands at a height of 31 feet, providing a storage capacity of 55 acre-feet for water from the unnamed tributary of McFee Creek. With a surface area of 4.9 acres and a drainage area of 0.5 square miles, Midway Nursery serves as a vital water resource for enhancing crop yields and sustaining the local ecosystem.
Managed by the Oregon Water Resources Department, Midway Nursery is subject to state regulations, inspections, and enforcement to ensure its structural integrity and compliance with safety standards. Despite being classified as having a low hazard potential, regular inspections are conducted every six years to assess the dam's condition and safety measures. While the dam's condition is currently marked as "Not Rated," its role in supporting irrigation activities underscores the importance of maintaining and monitoring this essential water infrastructure in the face of changing climate patterns.
As climate change continues to impact water resources and agricultural practices, the significance of structures like Midway Nursery in sustaining water availability for irrigation becomes increasingly evident. With its strategic location and capacity to store water for agricultural use, this earth dam serves as a testament to the intersection of water resource management, climate resilience, and agricultural sustainability in the Pacific Northwest region. The coordination between private ownership, state regulations, and environmental considerations highlights the complex interplay involved in managing water resources in a changing climate landscape.
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 Midway Nursery -- inflows here typically show up in storage 24-72 hours later.
| Streamgauge | Discharge | View |
|---|---|---|
| Willamette River At Newberg | 10,700 cfs | → |
| Tualatin River Near Dilley | 96 cfs | → |
| Fanno Creek At Durham | 8 cfs | → |
| Fanno Creek At 56th Ave | 0 cfs | → |
| Tryon Creek Blw Nettle Creek | 1 cfs | → |
| Tualatin River At West Linn | 333 cfs | → |
Make a day of it
Boat launches, lakeside camping, fishing access, and other reservoirs near Midway Nursery.
Boat launches
- Crescent Park Greenway Hillsboro
- Cook Park
- Tualatin Community Park
- Wilsonville Memorial Park
- San Salvador Access
- Dayton Boat Ramp
Campgrounds
Track Midway Nursery 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 Midway Nursery
Where does the data for Midway Nursery 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 Low 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 Midway Nursery.