Thompson Falls Dam

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Thompson Falls Dam is a dam in Sanders County, Montana, in the northwestern part of the state.

A complex of four hydropower dams stand on the Clark Fork River in downtown Thompson Falls, Montana:

  • the Main Channel Dam (ID # MT00224), 54 feet high
  • the Dry Channel Dam (ID # MT83013), 38 feet high
  • Intake Dam A (ID # MT83014), 53 feet high
  • Intake Dam B (ID # MT83015), 110 feet high

Operations here began in 1915 with original construction on a set of natural falls. Today, the four dams together impound an upstream reservoir, with a water storage capacity of 8300 acre-feet, and a seven-unit hydroelectric generation capacity of 94 megawatts.[1]

Montana Power Company originally built the dam, PPL Corporation purchased it in 1997 and sold it to NorthWestern Corporation in 2014. The island between the dams contains a public park with hiking trails, picnic tables, and scenic overlooks.[2] The site and adjacent buildings comprise the Thompson Falls Hydroelectric Dam Historic District, on the National Register of Historic Places.

References[]

  1. ^ http://www.pplmontana.com/producing+power/power+plants/Thompson+Falls+Dam.htm
  2. ^ "Exploring Montana; Thompson Dam".

Coordinates: 47°35′29″N 115°21′01″W / 47.59149°N 115.35020°W / 47.59149; -115.35020

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