Moyie Dam is a dam on the

Moyie River The Moyie River is a long tributary of the Kootenai River (spelled Kootenay River in Canada) in the U.S. state of Idaho and the Canadian province of British Columbia. The Moyie River is part of the Columbia River basin, being a tributary of t ...

Boundary County, Idaho Boundary County is the northernmost county of the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2020 census, the population was 12,056. The county seat and largest city is Bonners Ferry. Boundary County was created by the Idaho Legislature on January 23, 1 ...

. The current high concrete gravity dam was built in 1950, and is owned and operated by the city of

Bonners Ferry, Idaho Bonners Ferry (Kutenai language: ʔaq̓anqmi) is the largest city and the county seat of Boundary County, Idaho, United States. The population was 2,543 at the 2010 census. History When gold was discovered in the East Kootenays of British ...

. The city acquired its own hydroelectric facilities in 1921 and expanded several times; three powerhouses about downstream were built in 1921, 1941, and 1982, and their combined output totals just under 4 megawatts. As of 1984 Bonners Ferry was one of only three Idaho cities with its own municipally owned hydropower source, and the city ran it at a small profit returned to its general fund. The dam creates a small, unnamed riverine reservoir on the Moyie, holding about .

Eileen Dam

The ruins of the 1923 version of the dam, the Old Eileen Dam , stands five miles upstream. It's noted as one of the few concrete single-angle thin-arch dams to be breached, although it was not a structural failure. A sudden flood in 1925 overtopped the dam, washed out the left embankment, and left the dam shell intact. There were no casualties. The shell and rusting powerhouse equipment remain, posing an obstacle, and mystery, for white-water rafters.

References

{{authority control Dams in Idaho Reservoirs in Idaho United States local public utility dams Buildings and structures in Boundary County, Idaho Gravity dams Hydroelectric power plants in Idaho Dams completed in 1950 Energy infrastructure completed in 1921 Energy infrastructure completed in 1941 Energy infrastructure completed in 1982 Lakes of Boundary County, Idaho 1921 establishments in Idaho