Cabinet Gorge Dam is a concrete gravity-arch

hydroelectric Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and ...

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, a ...

in the

northwest The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sep ...

United States, on the

Clark Fork River The Clark Fork, or the Clark Fork of the Columbia River, is a river in the U.S. states of Montana and Idaho, approximately long. The largest river by volume in Montana, it drains an extensive region of the Rocky Mountains in western Montana and ...

northern Northern may refer to the following: Geography * North, a point in direction * Northern Europe, the northern part or region of Europe * Northern Highland, a region of Wisconsin, United States * Northern Province, Sri Lanka * Northern Range, a ra ...

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyom ...

. The dam is located just west of the

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbi ...

border and the Cabinet Gorge Reservoir extends into Montana, nearly to

Noxon Rapids Dam Noxon Rapids Dam is an earthfill gravity-type hydroelectric dam on the Clark Fork river, in the northwest part of the U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a po ...

. The purpose of the dam is for

hydroelectricity Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other Renewabl ...

Construction

Construction began in 1951 by the

Morrison–Knudsen Morrison–Knudsen (MK) was an American civil engineering and construction company, with headquarters in Boise, Idaho. MK designed and constructed major infrastructure throughout the world and was one of the consortium of firms that built Hoover ...

Corporation, with groundbreaking ceremonies on April 1. The Clark Fork River had to be diverted with two coffer

s and speed was necessary because spring flooding threatened the river diversion and coffer dam integrity. Thirty-two tons of

dynamite Dynamite is an explosive made of nitroglycerin, sorbents (such as powdered shells or clay), and Stabilizer (chemistry), stabilizers. It was invented by the Swedish people, Swedish chemist and engineer Alfred Nobel in Geesthacht, Northern Germa ...

was used to blast of rock from the canyon walls in order to prep the construction site. Water was diverted through two tunnels, and a of earth was excavated from the site overall. Construction on the dam was completed in 1952 in half the estimated time. The dam is currently owned and operated by the power company

Avista Avista Corporation is an American energy company which generates and transmits electricity and distributes natural gas to residential, commercial, and industrial customers. Approximately 1,550 employees provide electricity, natural gas, and other ...

, 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 Heron is a census-designated place (CDP) in Sanders County, Montana, named for the village of Heron which is located within it. The population of the entire CDP was 149 at the 2000 census. The town was built in 1883 by the Northern Pacific Rail ...

References

External links

*{{HAER , survey=ID-37-A , id=id0429 , title=Washington Water Power Clark Fork River Cabinet Gorge Hydroelectric Development, Powerhouse, Cabinet, Bonner County, ID , photos=22 , data=18 , cap=3 Buildings and structures in Bonner County, Idaho Dams in Idaho United States power company dams Hydroelectric power plants in Idaho Arch-gravity dams Dams completed in 1952 Dams on the Clark Fork Energy infrastructure completed in 1952 Historic American Engineering Record in Idaho

Construction

See also

References

External links