American Falls Dam

American Falls Dam
Aerial view of the dam
American Falls Dam is located in the United States
American Falls Dam
Location in the United States
American Falls Dam is located in Idaho
American Falls Dam
Location in Idaho
Official nameAmerican Falls Dam
LocationPower County,
Idaho, U.S.
Coordinates42°46′51″N 112°52′32″W / 42.78083°N 112.87556°W / 42.78083; -112.87556
Construction began1976, 1925
Opening date1978, 1927
Operator(s)United States Bureau of Reclamation
Dam and spillways
ImpoundsSnake River
Height94 ft (29 m)
Length5,277 ft (1,608 m)
Width (base)42.5 ft (13.0 m)
Reservoir
CreatesAmerican Falls Reservoir
Total capacity1,671,300 acre⋅ft (2.0615 km3)[1]
Normal elevation4,354 ft (1,327 m) AMSL
Power Station
Operator(s)Idaho Power Company
Turbines3
Installed capacity112 MW

The American Falls Dam is a concrete gravity-type dam in the western United States, located near American Falls, Idaho, on river mile 714.7 of the Snake River. The dam and reservoir are a part of the Minidoka Project on the Snake River Plain and are used primarily for flood control, irrigation, and recreation. When the original dam was built in the 1920s by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, the residents of American Falls were forced to relocate three-quarters of their town to make room for the reservoir.[2]

A second dam was completed in 1978 and the original structure was demolished. Although the dam itself is located in Power County, its reservoir also stretches northeastward into both Bingham County and Bannock County.

  1. ^ "United States Bureau of Reclamation". Archived from the original on 2006-06-13. Retrieved 2005-11-20.
  2. ^ Macaulay, David (2000). "American Falls Dam". Building Big (Television Program). WGBH Boston. Archived from the original on 2007-09-27. Retrieved 2007-03-30.