At 422 feet (129 m) in height and a length of 3,055 feet (931 m), Libby Dam created Lake Koocanusa, a reservoir which extends ninety miles (140 km) upriver with a maximum depth of about 370 feet (110 m). Forty-two miles (68 km) of it are in Canada in southeastern British Columbia.
Map highlighting major dams and reservoirs in the Kootenai River watershed and surrounds
Lake Koocanusa was named for the treaty that was developed between the Kootenai Indians, the Canadian government, and the U.S. government to build the dam and form the reservoir.[4] It was the fourth dam constructed under the Columbia River Treaty. The Kootenai River is the third largest tributary to the Columbia River, contributing almost twenty percent of the total water in the lower Columbia. Libby Dam has the capacity to hold back 4,980,000 acre-feet (6.14 km3) of water.[5]
The consulting architect for the project was Paul Thiry of Seattle, and the commission for its large granite bas-relief was awarded to sculptor Albert Wein by competition.
In order to make way for the dam, the town of Rexford was relocated and a new Flathead Railroad Tunnelwas dug.[4] Construction began in 1966,[6] and the reservoir was available for filling in mid-1973.[4]
The dam is operated by the U.S. ArmyCorps of Engineers and at full capacity, it can pass over 160,000 cubic feet per second (4,500 m3/s) of water. The dam is designed with a selective withdrawal system that allows water passage from various levels of Lake Koocanusa, which allows the operators to moderate water temperatures downstream.[7] The river continues northwest into Idaho, past Bonners Ferry, to Kootenay Lake in Canada and joins the Columbia River.
Libby Dam's powerhouse contains five turbines and is capable of generating 600 megawatts. The electricity is managed by the Bonneville Power Administration and services eight states: Montana, Idaho, Washington, Wyoming, California, Utah, Oregon, and Nevada. The money earned from electricity sales goes to the United States Treasury to repay the cost of building and operating Libby Dam.[7]
libby, concrete, gravity, northwestern, united, states, kootenai, river, northwestern, montana, dedicated, august, 1975, west, continental, divide, seventeen, miles, upstream, from, town, libby, aerial, view, from, southwest, 1986location, show, montana, unite. Libby Dam is a concrete gravity dam in the northwestern United States on the Kootenai River in northwestern Montana Dedicated on August 24 1975 2 3 4 it is west of the continental divide seventeen miles 27 km upstream from the town of Libby Libby DamAerial view from southwest in 1986Location of Libby DamShow map of MontanaLibby Dam the United States Show map of the United StatesCountryUnited StatesLocationLincoln County MontanaCoordinates48 24 36 N 115 18 50 W 48 41 N 115 314 W 48 41 115 314Opening dateAugust 24 1975Owner s U S ArmyCorps of EngineersDam and spillwaysType of damConcrete gravityImpoundsKootenai RiverHeight422 ft 129 m Length3 055 ft 931 m SpillwaysGated overflowSpillway capacity160 000 cu ft s 4 500 m3 s ReservoirCreatesLake KoocanusaTotal capacity6 027 000 acre ft 7 434 km3 Catchment area8 985 sq mi 23 270 km2 Surface area46 700 acres 18 900 ha Power StationTurbines5Installed capacity600 MWAnnual generation1 574 4 GWh 1 WebsiteU S Army Corps of Engineers Libby DamAt 422 feet 129 m in height and a length of 3 055 feet 931 m Libby Dam created Lake Koocanusa a reservoir which extends ninety miles 140 km upriver with a maximum depth of about 370 feet 110 m Forty two miles 68 km of it are in Canada in southeastern British Columbia Map highlighting major dams and reservoirs in the Kootenai River watershed and surroundsLake Koocanusa was named for the treaty that was developed between the Kootenai Indians the Canadian government and the U S government to build the dam and form the reservoir 4 It was the fourth dam constructed under the Columbia River Treaty The Kootenai River is the third largest tributary to the Columbia River contributing almost twenty percent of the total water in the lower Columbia Libby Dam has the capacity to hold back 4 980 000 acre feet 6 14 km3 of water 5 The consulting architect for the project was Paul Thiry of Seattle and the commission for its large granite bas relief was awarded to sculptor Albert Wein by competition In order to make way for the dam the town of Rexford was relocated and a new Flathead Railroad Tunnel was dug 4 Construction began in 1966 6 and the reservoir was available for filling in mid 1973 4 The dam is operated by the U S Army Corps of Engineers and at full capacity it can pass over 160 000 cubic feet per second 4 500 m3 s of water The dam is designed with a selective withdrawal system that allows water passage from various levels of Lake Koocanusa which allows the operators to moderate water temperatures downstream 7 The river continues northwest into Idaho past Bonners Ferry to Kootenay Lake in Canada and joins the Columbia River Libby Dam s powerhouse contains five turbines and is capable of generating 600 megawatts The electricity is managed by the Bonneville Power Administration and services eight states Montana Idaho Washington Wyoming California Utah Oregon and Nevada The money earned from electricity sales goes to the United States Treasury to repay the cost of building and operating Libby Dam 7 President Gerald Ford was among the five thousand in attendance at the opening in 1975 along with Senator Mike Mansfield the majority leader and Governor Thomas Judge 3 At his first official event after a two week vacation in Vail Colorado 2 Ford threw the switch with Donald Macdonald Canadian minister of energy 3 4 See also edit nbsp Water portal nbsp Renewable energy portalList of dams in the Columbia River watershedReferences edit Carbon Monitoring for Action a b Ford heads to Libby Montana Lewiston Morning Tribune Idaho Associated Press August 24 1975 p 2A a b c Swigard Kent August 25 1975 Ford switches on Libby Dam Spokesman Review Spokane Washington p 1 a b c d e Floyd Doug August 25 1975 Dam gets Ford s praise but it s not energy key Spokane Daily Chronicle Washington pp 1 3 Libby Dam and Lake Koocanusa Frohnen Richard June 20 1965 Libby Dam planner on job Spokesman Review Spokane Washington p 15 a b Libby Dam Virtual Tour US Army Corps of Engineers Archived from the original on 19 July 2009 Retrieved 14 March 2011 External links editLibby Dam Home Page Official Web Site Libby Dam United States Army Corps of Engineers Libby Dam United States Army Corps of Engineers U S Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System Libby Dam Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Libby Dam amp oldid 1161130859, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
