Cabinet Gorge Dam
circa 2007
Cabinet Gorge Dam is located in the United States
Cabinet Gorge Dam
Location in the United States
Cabinet Gorge Dam is located in Idaho
Cabinet Gorge Dam
Location in Idaho
LocationBonner County, Idaho, U.S.
Coordinates48°5′12″N 116°3′52″W / 48.08667°N 116.06444°W / 48.08667; -116.06444
Construction beganApril 1951 [1][2][3]
Opening date1952 (1952)[4]
Construction cost$47 million
Operator(s)Avista Corp.
Dam and spillways
ImpoundsClark Fork River
Height208 feet (63 m)[5]
Length600 feet (183 m)[5]
Width (base)40 feet (12 m)[5]
Reservoir
CreatesCabinet Gorge Reservoir
Catchment area22,000 square miles (57,000 km2)[6]
Surface area3,200 acres (12.9 km2)[6]
Normal elevation2,175 feet (663 m)
Power Station
Turbines4 turbines; 1 Kaplan, 1 mixed flow, 2 propellers
Installed capacity230 mw[4]

Cabinet Gorge Dam is a concrete gravity-arch hydroelectric dam in the northwest United States, on the Clark Fork River in northern Idaho. The dam is located just west of the Montana border and the Cabinet Gorge Reservoir extends into Montana, nearly to Noxon Rapids Dam. The purpose of the dam is for hydroelectricity.

Construction

Construction began in 1951 by the Morrison–Knudsen Corporation, with groundbreaking ceremonies on April 1.[1][2][3]

The Clark Fork River had to be diverted with two coffer dams and speed was necessary because spring flooding threatened the river diversion and coffer dam integrity. Thirty-two tons of dynamite was used to blast 50,000 cubic yards (38,000 m3) of rock from the canyon walls in order to prep the construction site. Water was diverted through two 1,000-foot (300 m) tunnels, and a 500,000 cubic yards (380,000 m3) of earth was excavated from the site overall. Construction on the dam was completed in 1952 in half the estimated time.[7]

The dam is currently owned and operated by the power company Avista, formerly Washington Water Power.

On August 13, 2017, a train derailment dumped more than 3,500 tons of coal on the Cabinet Gorge Reservoir riverbank between Noxon and Heron, Montana.[8]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Starmont, Leon (April 2, 1951). "'Boom!' launches Cabinet dam job". Spokesman-Review. p. 1.
  2. 1 2 "Cabinet Gorge ceremony". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (photo). April 2, 1951. p. 1.
  3. 1 2 Coe, Gordon H. (April 2, 1951). "Cabinet Gorge ceremony lauds private enterprise". Spokane Daily Chronicle. p. 6.
  4. 1 2 The State of Idaho (2012). "The Office of the Governor Proclamation" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-01-10. Retrieved 2015-01-11.
  5. 1 2 3 Idaho Public TV. "Cabinet Gorge Dam". Archived from the original on 2016-05-19. Retrieved 2015-01-11.
  6. 1 2 Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks. "PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE FISHERY MANAGEMENT IN CABINET GORGE AND NOXON RAPIDS RESERVOIRS". Retrieved 2015-01-11.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  7. ↑ http://wikimapia.org/1850337/Cabinet-Gorge-Dam Cabinet Gorge Dam
  8. ↑ Briggeman, Kim (2017-09-25). "Coal cleanup underway on Clark Fork weeks after train wreck". Missoulian. Retrieved 2017-09-25.
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