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Cabinet Gorge
Location: ID
Operator: Avista Corp
Configuration: 2 X 72 MW, 2 X 59 MW propeller
Operation: 1952-1953
T/G supplier: BLH, WH
EPC: Ebasco, Morrison Knudsen
Quick facts: Cabinet Gorge was built to help solve the critical Northwest
energy shortage of the late 1940s and early 1950s. The concrete arch dam was
completed in only 21mos by 1,700 men and women working around the clock to
excavate 785,000ydsł cubic yards of rock and pour 240,000ydsł of
concrete. The dam is 208ft high and 600ft long and cost $47mn. Although the
dam and powerhouse are located in northeastern Idaho, most of the reservoir
lies in Montana and Avista has developed recreational sites the area around
the reservoir in cooperation with the U.S. Forest Service and Montana Fish,
Wildlife, and Parks. In 1985, Avista, Bonneville Power Administration, and
the Idaho Dept of Fish and Game constructed the Cabinet Gorge Fish Hatchery
(which primarily produces Kokanee salmon) about 1mi downstream.
Photograph courtesy of Avista Corp
Posted 13 Oct 2007 |
Dworshak Dam
Location: ID
Operator: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Configuration: 2 X 90 MW, 1 X 220 MW Kaplan
Operation: 1974-1975
T/G supplier: AC
Quick facts: Three additional 220-MW units were planned but not
completed. The project cost $302mn.
Photograph courtesy of USACE
Posted 18 May 2002 |
Hells Canyon
Location: ID
Operator: Idaho Power Co
Configuration: 3 X 130.5 MW Francis
Operation: 1967-1968
T/G supplier: Newport News, WH
EPC: Morrison Knudsen
Quick facts: In 1947, Idaho Power applied for a license to develop the
Hells Canyon Complex on the Snake River. In Aug 1955, the FPC issued Idaho
Power a license to build the Brownlee, Oxbow and Hells Canyon power plants.
Hells Canyon is the deepest canyon in North America and the dam is at one of
the narrowest points in the gorge. A 23mi access road was required to
access the construction site and helicopters helped move tools and equipment
and were used to erect transmission towers. Hells Canyon Dam was built to
full height in only six months.
Photograph courtesy of U.S. Bureau of Land Management
Posted 7 Oct 2007 |
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Lucky Peak
Location: ID
Operator: Seattle City Light
Configuration: 2 X 45 MW, 1 X 11 MW Kaplan
Operation: 1988
T/G supplier: Voith, Fuji
Quick facts: Project construction began in Nov 1949 and the dam became
operational in Mar 1955. The rolled
earth-fill dam is 340ft high and 1,700ft long at the crest. Under an
agreement dating to May 1984, a powerhouse was constructed by the Boise
Board of Control, a consortium of local irrigation districts. Seattle City
Light runs the hydro plant and buys the output. Photograph courtesy of USACE
Posted 10 Apr 2005 |
Palisades Dam
Location: ID
Operator: U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
Configuration: 4 X 44 MW impulse
Operation: 1957-1958
T/G supplier: SMS, Oerlikon
Quick facts: At completion, Palisades Dam on the Snake River had the
largest volume of material placed in a dam by USBR. It is a zoned earthfill
structure with a crest length of 2,100ft and containing 13.6mn cu yds of material. The power plant was uprated in 1994
when all four units were
rewound. Photograph courtesy of USBR
Posted 29 Dec 2004
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Post Falls
Location: ID
Operator: Avista Corp
Configuration: 5 X 2.3-MW, 1 X 3.5-MW Francis
Operation: 1952-1953
T/G supplier: Platt Iron Works, AC, GE
Quick facts: Post Falls was constructed at an area where the Spokane
River branches into three separate channels. The development includes
includes three dams (north channel, middle channel, and south channel dams,
which connect two islands to each other and the shorelines), spillways along
the top of the north and south channel dams, a powerhouse integral to the
middle channel dam, and various other structures. The North and South
channel dams are spillway dams only and the Middle Channel Dam has the
powerhouse.
Photograph courtesy of Avista Corp
Posted 13 Oct 2007 |
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Swan Falls Rebuild
Location: ID
Operator: Idaho Power Co
Configuration: 2 X 12.5 MW pit
Operation: 1994
T/G supplier: Voest, GEC-Alstom
EPC: Morrison Knudsen, Al Johnson Construction
Quick facts: This was the first hydro plant on the Snake River and was
built in 1901 to power nearby mines. The old plant had ten turbines with
about 10-MW of installed capacity. Idaho Power acquired Swan Falls in 1916.
The original equipment was retired in 1994 and replaced by new units and the
old powerhouse was made into a museum. Photograph courtesy of
Idaho Power Co
Posted 7 Jun 2006 |
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