Tribes of Grand Ronde in August 2019. Ecology and post-industrial history The industrialization of the area led to diminishing salmon and steelhead runs, prompting the construction of a fish ladder in 1882. A new fish ladder, built in 1971, is currently operated by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. The estimated spring chinook salmon run for 2007 is 52,000. The industrialization has also precluded public access to the base of the waterfall for well over a century, but as of 2017 a process to redevelop the Blue Heron Paper Mill site and provide public access to the area, including a river walk, is underway. Description and access The falls is a horseshoe shaped block waterfall caused by a basalt shelf in the river floor. The 40 ft (12 m) high and 1500 ft (457 m) wide falls occur 26 river miles (42 km) upstream from the Willamette's confluence with the Columbia River. Operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the lock was a four lock canal and was the oldest continuous operating, multiple lift navigation canal in the United States. The public can view the falls from viewpoints on the bluffs of Oregon City, from a signed viewpoint along Highway 99E, from the Oregon City Bridge, from a viewpoint on northbound I-205, or from boats in the river. Gallery See also List of waterfalls by flow rate References External links Willamette Falls Heritage Foundation - Partners, stewards and advocates of the culture and heritage at Willamette Falls Waterfalls Northwest: Willamette Falls Willamette Falls Legacy Project, redevelopment of the Blue Heron Paper Mill site The Hidden World Of Oregon's Overlooked Falls Documentary produced by Oregon Public Broadcasting Waterfalls of Oregon Willamette River Willamette Valley West Linn, Oregon Landforms of Clackamas County, Oregon Block waterfalls Waterfalls of Clackamas County, Oregon