A much loved recreational site in Lane County will be undergoing some big changes.
Bureau of Land Management project managers are seeking public comment as they prepare to remove the Hult Dam north of the town of Horton.
Some are unhappy about the landscape change but BLM says it's just too dangerous to keep up.
"The dam itself is an aging structure that we really cant afford to maintain at the level we need to,"
The Hult Dam is well over 70 years old. A dam of this structure usually has a lifespan of only 50 years.
"The chances of it failing and the consequences of what would happen if it would fail are just too much," says Cheryl Adcock with BLM.
Those consequences could be deadly.
When it rains and water levels rise, it could put pressure on the dam.
If the dam were to burst, the water would rush out into the town of Horton and onto Highway 36.
"Hopefully we wouldn't have that, but even if it does go, we won't have a say in what we do afterwards, we'll have a mess out there."
Adcock says if they can get ahead of that mess they can preserve recreational activities.
She says the dam removal is still a few years off.
Could something happen between now and then?
"We hope not," she tells us. "That's why we inspect it monthly and year-round. We inspect it daily. Sometimes multiple times per day during the rainy season."
Along with daily inspections, BLM is looking to the community for help in planning what the future of the area will look like.
But the community may have pushback.
Lane County Commissioner Jay Bozievich tells us everyone he's talked to says they're disappointed.
"It's such an important feature to that small rural community," Bozievich says.
We explained that Adcock said they're committed to preserving water recreation in the area.
Bozievich's reply?
"Basically it would be another creek out in the woods. It won't be the same. What I'm disappointed in is they haven't fully explored a jurisdictional transfer."
He told us he wanted BLM to consider getting help from other agencies and finding other solutions that would not result in removal of the dam.
If people are upset by this, Bozievich suggests they contact Congressman Peter DeFazio.
Additionally, Adcock says she wants to hear from the community.
"People say they want public input," she explains. "We really want public input. We're taking it very seriously. We don't have a lot of alternatives. We're early in the process."