Dworshak Dam

The Dworshak Dam is a large dam in the northwestern United States. It lies on the North Fork Clearwater River 6 km northwest of Orofino and 76 kilometers east of Lewiston in Clearwater County, Idaho, and serves hydropower generation and flood control. Originally the name of the dam " Bruce Eddy ," but it was renamed in honor of U.S. Senator Henry Dworshak of Idaho.

The shut-off is a gravity dam made ​​of concrete. The dam is the highest straight gravity dam in the Western world. This record comes about because the higher - Grande Dixence dam bent in plan and the Alvaro Obregon - dam is curved. The Dworshak Dam is also the third highest dam in the United States and worldwide, it is currently about to place 27th in the United States only the Oroville Dam and the Hoover Dam are higher, also still the Cypus Dam, but the dam of a settling tank is. The Dworshak Dam contains twice as much concrete as in the Great Pyramid of Cheops in Egypt court would. The cost was $ 312 million.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began in June 1966 with the construction. The main works were completed in 1972. The generators went into operation in 1973. The hydropower plant has three turbines, two with 90 MW and 220 MW with together 380 MW. Other sources speak of a total capacity of 400 MW. The overload capacity is 460 MW. Originally it was planned to install three more large turbines with 220 MW. Base for this was already provided, but in the 1990s, these plans were abandoned. The dam uses only half the capacity that would be possible. The reason is the amount of water that would drain it below the dam. Therefore, a compensatory second dam would be necessary, which was not approved due to civil protests.

There are two spillway closures and two side by side shot gutters approximately in the middle of the dam.

The Dworshak Dam is like the Grand Coulee Dam, part of the dam system of the Columbia River. The reservoir is called " Dworshak Reservoir ". It extends over 85 kilometers upstream to the Bitterroot Mountains. The northern arm of the Clearwater River flows along three kilometers below the dam to the south arm of the Clearwater and forms the Clearwater River, which joins with the Snake River at Lewiston. The reservoir is also used for floating timber.