Owyhee Dam
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| Owyhee Dam | |
 View from the north |
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| Impounds | Owyhee River |
|---|---|
| Creates | Owyhee Reservoir |
| Locale | Malheur County, Oregon |
| Maintained by | Owyhee Irrigation District (Operator) |
| Length | 833 feet (254 m) |
| Height | 417 feet (127 m) |
| Width (at base) | 265 feet (base) 30 feet (top) |
| Construction began | 1928 |
| Opening date | 1932 |
| Construction Cost | $6 million |
| Reservoir information | |
| Capacity | 1,183,300 acre-feet |
| Bridge information | |
| Carries | Haystack Rock Road |
| Geographical Data | |
| Coordinates | Coordinates: |
Owyhee Dam is a concrete arch-gravity dam in Eastern Oregon near Adrian, Oregon, United States. Completed in 1932, the dam generates electricity and provides irrigation water for several irrigation districts in Oregon and neighboring Idaho. At the time of completion it was the tallest dam of its type in the world. The dam impounds the Owyhee River to create the Owyhee Reservoir, with storage capacity of nearly 1.2 million acre-feet of water. The more than 400-foot (120 m) tall concrete-arch gravity dam is owned by the United States Bureau of Reclamation. Haystack Rock Road is carried over the 833-foot (254 m) long crest of the dam.
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[edit] History
In August 1927, the United States government authorized the building of a dam in the canyon of the Owyhee River.[1] Construction of the dam began in 1928 to utilize the river for irrigation projects.[2] It was built on a foundation of massive rhyolite, massive pitchstone, and associated pitchstone agglomerate geologic formations adjacent to the Owyhee Mountains.[2] A project of the Bureau of Reclamation, they hired General Construction Company from Seattle to build the dam.[3]
Former Oregonian and then United States President Herbert Hoover dedicated what was then the highest dam of its type in the world on July 17, 1932.[4] Secretary of the Interior Ray Lyman Wilbur delivered Hoover’s message at the dam.[5] Owyhee would serve as a as prototype for the larger Hoover Dam on the Colorado River,[5] including the use of refrigeration to cool the concrete.[6]
The dam cost $6,000,000, with the total reclamation project costing $18,000,000.[7] Owyhee was designed by Frank A. Banks who also designed other dams such as the Grand Coulee Dam on the Columbia River.[8] From 1990 to 1993 the dam was remodeled.[2] In the 1980s, electricity generating capabilities were added to the dam.[9] Built without a fish ladder, the dam closed off the Owyhee Chinook salmon runs that would swim as far upstream as Nevada.[10]
[edit] Operations
Water stored at the reservoir is used to irrigate approximately 120,000 acres (490 km²) for use in farming.[5] Four different irrigation district utilize the water from Owyhee Reservoir. There are three hydro-power generating facilities at the reservoir added between 1985 and 1993,[5] with seven megawatt and five megawatt turbines at the dam and power sold to the Idaho Power Company.[9] Owyhee has a unique spillway located part way up the dam that utilizes a 60-foot (18 m) in diameter tunnel to send excess water to the river below during Spring run-off.[11] The United States Bureau of Reclamation owns the facility, with the Owyhee Irrigation District operating the dam.[2]
[edit] Dimensions
Owyhee is 833 feet (254 m) long at the crest, which is 30 feet (9.1 m) wide.[2] The base of the dam is 265 feet (81 m) wide, with a height of 417 feet (127 m). The crest elevation sits at 2,675 feet (815 m) above sea level and has a hydraulic height of 325 feet (99 m). Total concrete used in this arch gravity style dam was 537,500 cubic yards (410,900 m³).[2]
The dam’s spillway can allow 41,790 cubic feet (1,183 m³) per second of water flow, while its tunnel capacity is 1,100 cubic feet (31 m³) per second.[2] The outlet works can allow up to 2,530 cubic feet (72 m³) per second. If completely full, the reservoir would hold 1,183,300 acre feet (1,459,600,000 m³) of water,[2] and is 53 miles (85 km) long.[12] The total drainage area of the dam and reservoir is 10,900 square miles (28,000 km²) in Eastern Oregon and western Idaho.
[edit] References
- ^ HIGHEST DAM IN THE WORLD: Government Going Ahead With Ambitious Oregon Project. The New York Times, August 7, 1927.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Owyhee Dam. United States Bureau of Reclamation. Retrieved on February 4, 2008.
- ^ Terry, John. Oregon’s Trails: Owyhee once set a record for dams. The Oregonian, June 24, 2007.
- ^ 232 - Message on the Dedication of Owyhee Dam. The American Presidency Project. Retrieved on February 4, 2008.
- ^ a b c d 'Looking Back, Looking Forward' — Owyhee Dam Celebrates its 75th Anniversary. People, Land & Water. Retrieved on February 4, 2008.
- ^ By The Associated Press. Boulder Dam Will Contain Huge Refrigerating System. The New York Times, June 19, 1933.
- ^ HIGHEST DAM IS DEDICATED: Secretary Wilbur Officiates at Ceremony in Owyhee, Ore.. The New York Times, July 18, 1932.
- ^ Neuberger, Richard L. Man's Greatest Structure :Water runs over the Grand Coulee spillway. Its builder, who worked in silence, carries the President's citation: "A fine job well done. The New York Times, August 9, 1942.
- ^ a b Terry, John. Oregon’s Trails: 1920s dam got turbines during 1980s. The Oregonian, August 26, 2007.
- ^ Meehan, Brian T. Lessons of the Past. The Oregonian, October 29, 1995.
- ^ The Glory Hole, Owyhee Dam’s unique spillway. The Oregonian, June 17, 1993.
- ^ Lake Owyhee State Park. Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. Retrieved on February 4, 2008.
