In March 1906, the Utah Fire Proofing Company began work on the Boise River Diversion Dam with the provision that the structure would be completed within one year. It soon became apparent that the dam would not be finished on time. With little experience in such endeavors, Utah Fire Proofing failed to provide adequate foremen for the project.[citation needed] At least nineteen superintendents worked on the dam and their incompetence led to an extraordinary turnover in labor.[citation needed]
Inclement weather and flooding caused at least two months' worth of delays and forced the crews to rebuild part of the structure. By April 16, 1907, the dam was only 41% complete. It took another year and a half before the diversion works were ready to unload into the New York Canal.
The company eventually lost $90,000 on the contract. And to make matters worse in March 1909, a log foreman "maliciously" removed the boom above the dam and allowed timber roll over the embankment causing $73,000 worth of damage. Yet when the structure was completed it worked famously. The Diversion Dam is 68 feet (21 m) high and five hundred feet (152 m) in length, with an overall capacity of 42,815 cubic feet per second (1,212 m3/s).
Powerhouseedit
To provide power for the construction of Arrowrock Dam upstream, Reclamation retrofitted the Diversion Dam with a small powerhouse.[3] Finished in 1912, the plant's three generators produced 1,500 kilowatts of electricity for Arrowrock's camp, sawmills, and giant cement mixers. The Allis-Chalmers 725 horsepower (541 kW) turbines were the first in the world to be built with a vertical shaft design. Along with the power lines, government forces hung a two-way phone cable to connect Arrowrock with the outside world; the dam was completed in 1915.
In 1976, the power plant was added to the National Register of Historic Places. After being refurbished by the Bonneville Power Administration in 2002, it is now on ready reserve status and occasionally provides surplus power during times of peak demand. Special care was made to maintain the historic qualities of the powerhouse. The original governors, slate control panels, transformers, overhead crane, and generator housings, although no longer functional, were retained for historic purposes.
View from upstream
Referencesedit
^"Boise River Diversion Dam". U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. Retrieved 29 July 2011.
^. U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. Archived from the original on 20 September 2012. Retrieved 29 July 2011.
^hmdb.org - Diversion Dam - Idaho #343 - accessed 2011-12-05
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Boise River Diversion Dam.
Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) No. ID-17-A, "Boise Project, Boise River Diversion Dam, Across Boise River, Boise vicinity, Ada County, ID"
Hydroworld.com - Modernizing a powerhouse while preserving historic qualities - Boise River Diversion Dam
YouTube.com - video of Diversion Dam - 2010-05-15
- photos - Boise River Diversion Dam - 2007
May 12, 2024
boise, river, diversion, diversion, western, united, states, boise, river, southwestern, idaho, seven, miles, southeast, upstream, boise, county, completed, years, 1909, operated, bureau, reclamation, location, united, statesshow, united, stateslocation, idaho. The Boise River Diversion Dam is a diversion dam in the western United States on the Boise River in southwestern Idaho Seven miles 11 km southeast and upstream of Boise in Ada County it was completed 115 years ago in 1909 and is operated by the U S Bureau of Reclamation Boise River Diversion DamLocation in the United StatesShow map of the United StatesLocation in IdahoShow map of IdahoCountryUnited StatesLocationAda County IdahoCoordinates43 32 15 N 116 05 36 W 43 53750 N 116 09333 W 43 53750 116 09333StatusOperationalConstruction began1906Opening date1909 115 years ago 1909 Owner s U S Bureau of ReclamationDam and spillwaysImpoundsBoise RiverHeight68 ft 21 m Length500 ft 152 m Elevation at crest2 829 ft 862 m Width crest 12 ft 3 7 m Width base 100 ft 30 m Spillway capacity37 700 cu ft s 1 070 m3 s ReservoirCreates1 200 acre ft 1 480 200 m3 1 Power StationCommission date1912 112 years ago 1912 Turbines3 x Francis turbinesInstalled capacity3 45 MW 2 The diverted water fills the concrete New York Canal the primary irrigation channel for Ada and Canyon counties in the Treasure Valley Several miles upstream of the Diversion Dam is Lucky Peak Dam Completed in 1955 it was built and is operated by the U S Army Corps of Engineers Contents 1 Construction 1 1 Powerhouse 2 References 3 External linksConstruction editIn March 1906 the Utah Fire Proofing Company began work on the Boise River Diversion Dam with the provision that the structure would be completed within one year It soon became apparent that the dam would not be finished on time With little experience in such endeavors Utah Fire Proofing failed to provide adequate foremen for the project citation needed At least nineteen superintendents worked on the dam and their incompetence led to an extraordinary turnover in labor citation needed Inclement weather and flooding caused at least two months worth of delays and forced the crews to rebuild part of the structure By April 16 1907 the dam was only 41 complete It took another year and a half before the diversion works were ready to unload into the New York Canal The company eventually lost 90 000 on the contract And to make matters worse in March 1909 a log foreman maliciously removed the boom above the dam and allowed timber roll over the embankment causing 73 000 worth of damage Yet when the structure was completed it worked famously The Diversion Dam is 68 feet 21 m high and five hundred feet 152 m in length with an overall capacity of 42 815 cubic feet per second 1 212 m3 s Powerhouse edit To provide power for the construction of Arrowrock Dam upstream Reclamation retrofitted the Diversion Dam with a small powerhouse 3 Finished in 1912 the plant s three generators produced 1 500 kilowatts of electricity for Arrowrock s camp sawmills and giant cement mixers The Allis Chalmers 725 horsepower 541 kW turbines were the first in the world to be built with a vertical shaft design Along with the power lines government forces hung a two way phone cable to connect Arrowrock with the outside world the dam was completed in 1915 In 1976 the power plant was added to the National Register of Historic Places After being refurbished by the Bonneville Power Administration in 2002 it is now on ready reserve status and occasionally provides surplus power during times of peak demand Special care was made to maintain the historic qualities of the powerhouse The original governors slate control panels transformers overhead crane and generator housings although no longer functional were retained for historic purposes nbsp View from upstreamReferences edit Boise River Diversion Dam U S Bureau of Reclamation Retrieved 29 July 2011 Boise River Diversion Powerplant U S Bureau of Reclamation Archived from the original on 20 September 2012 Retrieved 29 July 2011 hmdb org Diversion Dam Idaho 343 accessed 2011 12 05External links edit nbsp Water portal nbsp Renewable energy portal nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Boise River Diversion Dam Historic American Engineering Record HAER No ID 17 A Boise Project Boise River Diversion Dam Across Boise River Boise vicinity Ada County ID Hydroworld com Modernizing a powerhouse while preserving historic qualities Boise River Diversion Dam YouTube com video of Diversion Dam 2010 05 15 Panaramio com photos Boise River Diversion Dam 2007 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Boise River Diversion Dam amp oldid 1128647364, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
