List of dam removals in Idaho
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This is a list of dams in Idaho that have been removed as physical impediments to free-flowing rivers or streams.
Removals by watershed
Clearwater River
The Grangeville Dam was a 440 ft (130 m) long arched concrete hydroelectric dam on the South Fork Clearwater River. The dam was removed in the interest of fish passage and since the hydropower facilities had become obsolete. It was destroyed by dynamite at 6:35 PM on August 19, 1963, following two prior detonations that day which had failed to collapse the structure.[1] At the time, the dam was the largest ever to be removed, a record which stood for decades.[2]
Built in 1927, the 45 ft (14 m) tall Lewiston Dam on the main Clearwater River was demolished in 1973 to make way for Lower Granite Lake, the slack water pool behind Lower Granite Dam.[3]
Completed removals
| Dam[4] | Height | Year removed | Location | Watercourse | Watershed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cove Dam | 26 ft (7.9 m) | 2006 | Grace 42.532°N 111.796°W |
Bear River | Bear River |
| Dip Creek Dam | Ketchum 43.754°N 114.382°W |
Dip Creek | Big Wood River | ||
| Lindernam Dam | 26 ft (7.9 m) | Fremont County 43.7622°N 116.46°W |
Milk Creek | Boise River | |
| Lewiston Dam | 45 ft (14 m) | 1973 | Lewiston 46.4335°N 116.959°W |
Clearwater River | Clearwater River |
| Grangeville Dam (Harpster Dam) | 56 ft (17 m) | 1963 | Idaho County 45.9089°N 116.0080°W |
South Fork Clearwater River | |
| Dutch Flat Dam | 10 ft (3.0 m) | 2013 | Troy 46.7428°N 116.785°W |
West Fork Little Bear Creek | |
| Unnamed ford (Road 5440) | 2009 | Clearwater National Forest 46.7633°N 115.087°W |
Independence Creek | ||
| Lane Dam | Boundary County 48.6632°N 116.297°W |
Elkhorn Gulch | Kootenai River | ||
| Timber Creek Dam | 1970 | Salmon–Challis National Forest 44.5805°N 113.4665°W |
Middle Fork Little Timber Creek | Lemhi River | |
| Pancheri Diversion Dam | 2010 | Howe 44.1194°N 113.247°W |
Little Lost River | Little Lost River | |
| High Plains Estates | 16 ft (4.9 m) | 2013 | Eagle 43.7691°N 116.4593°W |
Tributary to Farmers Union Canal | Payette River |
| Browns Pond - Cruzen | 25 ft (7.6 m) | McCall 44.9144°N 115.9799°W |
Lake Fork | ||
| Malony Lake Dam | 1986 | Payette National Forest 44.8753°N 115.9025°W |
South Fork Lake Fork | ||
| Colburn Mill Pond Dam | 12 ft (3.7 m) | 1999 | Sandpoint 48.4068°N 116.529°W |
Colburn Creek | Pend Oreille River |
| Red Ives Dam | 5 ft (1.5 m) | 2021 | Shoshone County 47.0577°N 115.3421°W |
Red Ives Creek | Saint Joe River |
| Buster Lake Dam | 29 ft (8.8 m) | Challis 44.4387°N 114.417°W |
Garden Creek | Salmon River | |
| Sunbeam Dam | 1931 | Sawtooth National Forest 44.2706°N 114.7362°W |
Salmon River | ||
| Kshmitter Dam | 1988 | Tributary to John Day Creek | |||
| Hoffman Duffy Dam | 9.5 ft (2.9 m) | 2014 | Mountain Home 43.1865°N 115.589°W |
Tributary to Rattlesnake Creek | Snake River |
| Kunkel Dam | 1994 | Twin Falls 42.2266°N 114.5241°W |
Soldier Creek | ||
| Watts Lake Dam | Nez Perce County 43.9277°N 111.3859°W |
Hatwai Creek | Teton River | ||
| Packsaddle Dam | 40 ft (12 m) | 1916 | Tetonia 43.7704°N 111.3394°W |
North Fork Packsaddle Creek |