Swan Falls Dam is a concrete gravity type hydroelectric

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 ...

in the

western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

United States, on the Snake River in

southwestern 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 sepa ...

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 Wyomi ...

. At the dam, the river is the border of

Ada Ada may refer to: Places Africa * Ada Foah, a town in Ghana * Ada (Ghana parliament constituency) * Ada, Osun, a town in Nigeria Asia * Ada, Urmia, a village in West Azerbaijan Province, Iran * Ada, Karaman, a village in Karaman Province, ...

and Owyhee counties; it is approximately east of Murphy, the seat of Owyhee County. Built in 1901 to generate power, Swan Falls is the oldest hydroelectric dam on the Snake River. In the 1990s, the original power plant was replaced. The dam was built with fish passage facilities, but they proved to be very poor in performance. For this reason, among others, the C. J. Strike Dam, built upriver from Swan Falls in the early 1950s, was not equipped with fish passage facilities. Thus, the two dams combined to become the first artificial barrier to anadromous fish migration up the Snake River. Today,

Hells Canyon Dam Hells Canyon Dam is a concrete gravity dam in the western United States, on the Snake River in Hells Canyon along the Idaho-Oregon border. At river mile 247, the dam impounds Hells Canyon Reservoir; its spillway elevation is above sea level. It ...

(1967) is the first total barrier to fish migration on the Snake.Middle Snake Subbasin Plan
Northwest Power and Conservation Council Swan Falls Dam and its reservoir lie within the

Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area The Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area has one of the densest populations of nesting raptors. The National Conservation Area (NCA) is located south of Boise, Idaho along of the Snake River, and is managed by the B ...

; the dam and power plant were listed in the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 1976. File:Cassier's magazine (1904) (14582527697).jpg, 1904 File:VIEW SHOWING THE DOWNSTREAM SIDE OF SWAN FALLS DAM AND SPILLWAY, LOOKING UPSTREAM TO EAST - Swan Falls Dam, Snake River, Kuna, Ada County, ID HAER ID,37-KU.V,1-6.tif File:Swan Falls Dam Before Sunrise.jpg, Swan Falls Dam at sunrise

References

(HAER) documentation, filed under Snake River, Kuna, Owyhee County, ID: ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** Dams in Idaho Dams on the Snake River Buildings and structures in Ada County, Idaho Buildings and structures in Owyhee County, Idaho Hydroelectric power plants in Idaho Idaho Power dams Dams completed in 1901 Dams on the National Register of Historic Places in Idaho Industrial buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Idaho Energy infrastructure completed in 1901 Historic American Engineering Record in Idaho National Register of Historic Places in Ada County, Idaho National Register of Historic Places in Owyhee County, Idaho 1901 establishments in Idaho {{OwyheeCountyID-geo-stub

See also

References

Further reading