Brownlee Dam

Dam on the Idaho-Oregon border
Dam in Oregon / Washington Co., Idaho
44°50′10″N 116°54′00″W / 44.836°N 116.9°W / 44.836; -116.9Construction began1955[1][2]Opening dateMay 9, 1958;
65 years ago (1958-05-09) [3][4]Operator(s)Idaho Power CompanyDam and spillwaysImpoundsSnake RiverHeight420 feet (128 m)ReservoirCreatesBrownlee ReservoirTotal capacity1,426,700 acre-feet (1.7598 km3)Catchment area72,590 square miles (188,000 km2)Surface area15,000 acres (61 km2)Normal elevation2,070 feet (630 m)Power StationInstalled capacity585.4 MWAnnual generation2,406.8 GWh
Columbia River Basin
Columbia River Basin

Brownlee Dam is a hydroelectric earth fill embankment dam in the western United States, on the Snake River along the Idaho-Oregon border (Washington County, Idaho in and Baker County in Oregon). In Hells Canyon at river mile 285, it impounds the Snake River in the 58-mile-long (93 km) Brownlee Reservoir.

Description

Namesake of the Brownlee Dam & Reservoir, July 2008

The dam is part of the Hells Canyon Project that also includes Hells Canyon Dam and Oxbow Dam, all built and operated by Idaho Power Company. The first and upper-most of the three dams,[5] its contractor was Morrison-Knudsen of Boise.[1][2][6] Filling started 66 years ago on May 9, 1958 (1958-05-09),[3] flooding the community of Robinette, Oregon.

The dam's powerhouse contains five generating units with a total nameplate capacity of 585.4 megawatts.

Lacking passage for migrating salmon, the three Hells Canyon Project dams blocked access by anadromous salmonids to a stretch of the Snake River drainage basin from Hells Canyon Dam up to Shoshone Falls, which naturally prevents any upstream fish passage to the upper Snake River basin.[7]

Heliport

There is a 100-by-60-foot (30 by 18 m) private heliport, Brownlee Heliport (FAA LID: OR75), located near the dam.

See also

  • iconWater portal
  • iconRenewable energy portal
  • flagIdaho portal
  • flagOregon portal

References

  1. ^ a b "Brownlee dam one-third done". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. December 2, 1956. p. 26.
  2. ^ a b "Brownlee dam base readied". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. December 30, 1956. p. 12.
  3. ^ a b "Idaho Power shuts gates of big dam". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. May 10, 1958. p. 2.
  4. ^ "New dam goes into operation on Snake River". Florence Times. Alabama. Associated Press. May 10, 1958. p. 7.
  5. ^ "Idaho Power Co. diverts river through tunnel at Brownlee". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. October 12, 1956. p. 3.
  6. ^ "Brownlee dam excavation job more than half done". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. April 21, 1957. p. 20.
  7. ^ "Fence of voltage herds fish near Brownlee Dam". Spokane Daily Chronicle. November 29, 1957. p. 15.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Brownlee Dam.


  • v
  • t
  • e