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.
| Brownlee Dam | |
|---|---|
 View from northeast | |
  Location in Idaho  Location in the United States | |
| Official name | Brownlee Dam |
| Country | United States |
| Location | Hells Canyon, Baker Co., Oregon / Washington Co., Idaho |
| Coordinates | 44°50′10″N 116°54′00″W / 44.836°N 116.9°W |
| Construction began | 1955[1][2] |
| Opening date | May 9, 1958 [3][4] |
| Operator(s) | Idaho Power Company |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Impounds | Snake River |
| Height | 420 feet (128 m) |
| Reservoir | |
| Creates | Brownlee Reservoir |
| Total capacity | 1,426,700 acre-feet (1.7598 km3) |
| Catchment area | 72,590 square miles (188,000 km2) |
| Surface area | 15,000 acres (61 km2) |
| Normal elevation | 2,070 feet (630 m) |
| Power Station | |
| Installed capacity | 585.4 MW |
| Annual generation | 2,406.8 GWh |
 | |
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Description
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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,[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
editThere is a 100-by-60-foot (30 by 18 m) private heliport, Brownlee Heliport (FAA LID: OR75), located near the dam.
See also
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- Brownlee, Oregon, the dam's namesake, was located about two miles upstream.
- List of dams in the Columbia River watershed
- List of dams and reservoirs in Idaho
- List of lakes of Oregon
References
edit- ^ a b "Brownlee dam one-third done". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. December 2, 1956. p. 26.
- ^ a b "Brownlee dam base readied". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. December 30, 1956. p. 12.
- ^ a b "Idaho Power shuts gates of big dam". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. May 10, 1958. p. 2.
- ^ "New dam goes into operation on Snake River". Florence Times. Alabama. Associated Press. May 10, 1958. p. 7.
- ^ "Idaho Power Co. diverts river through tunnel at Brownlee". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. October 12, 1956. p. 3.
- ^ "Brownlee dam excavation job more than half done". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. April 21, 1957. p. 20.
- ^ "Fence of voltage herds fish near Brownlee Dam". Spokane Daily Chronicle. November 29, 1957. p. 15.
External links
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- Brownlee Dam, Columbia Basin Research
- Brownlee Dam, Northwest Power and Conservation Council
- Brownlee Dam, Idaho Power
- Resources for this airport:
- FAA airport information for OR75
- AirNav airport information for OR75
- FlightAware airport information and live flight tracker
- SkyVector aeronautical chart for OR75