Oxbow Dam is a hydroelectric run-of-the-river rockfill dam in the western United States, on the Snake River in Hells Canyon (river mile 273) along the Idaho-Oregon border.
| Oxbow Dam | |
|---|---|
 | |
  Location in the United States  Location in Idaho | |
| Official name | Oxbow Dam |
| Country | United States |
| Location | Hells Canyon, Adams County, Idaho / Baker County, Oregon |
| Coordinates | 44°58′15″N 116°50′04″W / 44.97083°N 116.83444°W |
| Opening date | 1961[1] |
| Operator(s) | Idaho Power Company |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Impounds | Snake River |
| Height | 175 feet (53 m) |
| Reservoir | |
| Creates | Oxbow Reservoir |
| Total capacity | 58,200 acre-feet (71,800,000 m3) |
| Catchment area | 73,300 square miles (190,000 km2) |
| Surface area | 1,150 acres (470 ha) |
| Power Station | |
| Installed capacity | 190 megawatts (250,000 hp) |
| Annual generation | 1,047 gigawatt-hours (3,770 TJ) |
 | |
Description
editCompleted 63 years ago in 1961,[1] the dam is part of the Hells Canyon Project that also includes Hells Canyon Dam and Brownlee Dam, all built and operated by Idaho Power Company.
The dam's powerhouse contains four generating units with a total nameplate capacity of 190 megawatts (250,000 hp).
Lacking passage for migrating salmon, the three Hells Canyon Project dams blocked access by anadromous salmonids to a stretch of the Snake River drainage basin from Hells Canyon Dam up to Shoshone Falls, which naturally prevents any upstream fish passage to the upper Snake River basin.
Heliport
editOxbow Heliport (FAA LID: OR83) is a private 100-by-100-foot (30 by 30 m), turf heliport owned by Idaho Power.[2]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "Oxbow completed (photo)". Lewiston Morning Tribune. November 30, 1961. p. 1, section 2.
- ^ FAA 5010 for OR83
External links
edit- Oxbow Dam, Columbia Basin Research
- Oxbow Dam, Northwest Power and Conservation Council
- Oxbow Dam, Idaho Power
- Resources for this airport:
- FAA airport information for OR83
- AirNav airport information for OR83
- FlightAware airport information and live flight tracker
- SkyVector aeronautical chart for OR83