Santiam, N.

From Portland District Army Corps of Engineers

'During August and September, a contractor will install a rock weir across the entire river about 1000 feet downstream of Big Cliff Dam. The purpose of the weir is to reduce total dissolved gas in the water which will benefit ESA listed fish species. During construction, kayak access to the North Santiam River immediately below Big Cliff Dam will be very limited.

The area around the entrance road to the Big Cliff Powerhouse will be used as a construction staging area, and the entire powerhouse access road will be closed to the public.

Kayakers may still be able to access the river from the far west end of the road pullout downstream from the construction site, but parking will be limited. For their safety, kayakers should not paddle upstream toward the construction site. After construction is completed at the end of October, river access will NOT be permitted above the weir. However, kayakers will still be able to access the river below the weir and use the big road pullout for parking.'

There is a log right after the river narrows at Niagara. Kayaks could probably just roll underneath, but rafts can't, so you will have to pull out on the left and portage - line the boat through

The construction project on the lowhead dam is also underway. This run will probably be closed during the week, but we went on a Saturday and didn't have any problems. I didn't see any signs alerting to the closure.
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EDIT: As of 2014 the log is gone and construction on the dam is complete. ....................................................................................................................................