| 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 |
 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
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
There is a 100-by-60-foot (30 by 18 m) private heliport, Brownlee Heliport (FAA LID: OR75), located near the dam.
See also
- 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
- 1 2 "Brownlee dam one-third done". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. December 2, 1956. p. 26.
- 1 2 "Brownlee dam base readied". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. December 30, 1956. p. 12.
- 1 2 "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
- 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