The Eugene Water and Electric Board harnessed the power of the McKenzie River by building the Leaburg Power Plant. First, they dammed the river and created the 40-acre Leaburg lake which is still popular for boating and fishing. Then they diverted some of the river into the four-mile-long Leaburg canal to flow down the penstocks to the art-deco powerhouse you still see today. The river still generates enough electricity to power 8,000 houses along the river.