Hungry Horse Dam

Hungry Horse Dam
Hungry Horse Dam is located in USA West
Hungry Horse Dam
Location in western United States
Hungry Horse Dam is located in Montana
Hungry Horse Dam
Location in Montana
LocationFlathead County, near Hungry Horse, Montana, U.S.
Coordinates48°20′28″N 114°00′50″W / 48.341°N 114.014°W / 48.341; -114.014
Construction beganApril 21, 1948
(76 years ago)
 (1948-04-21)[1]
Opening dateJuly 18, 1953
(71 years ago)
 (1953-07-18)[2]
Operator(s)U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
Dam and spillways
Type of damConcrete thick arch dam
ImpoundsSouth Fork Flathead River
Height564 ft (172 m)[3]
Length2,115 ft (645 m)[3]
Width (crest)34 feet (10.4 m)[3]
Width (base)320 feet (98 m)[3]
Dam volume2,934,500 cu yd (2,243,600 m3)[3]
Spillway typeGated Morning Glory[3]
Spillway capacity50,000 cu ft/s (1,400 m3/s)[3]
Reservoir
CreatesHungry Horse
Reservoir[3]
Total capacity3,467,179 acre-feet (4.28 km3)[3]
Catchment area1,640 square miles (4,200 km2)[3]
Normal elevation3,560 feet (1,085 m)
above sea level
Power Station
TypeConventional
Hydraulic head520 ft (160 m)[3]
Turbines4 x 107 MW Francis turbines[4]
Installed capacity428 MW[4]
Annual generation1,086,250,400 KWh (2012)[4]

Hungry Horse Dam is an arch dam in the Western United States, on the South Fork Flathead River in the Rocky Mountains of northwest Montana. It is located in Flathead National Forest in Flathead County, about fifteen miles (24 km) south of the west entrance to Glacier National Park, nine miles (14 km) southeast of Columbia Falls, and twenty miles (32 km) northeast of Kalispell. The Hungry Horse project, dam, and powerplant are operated by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. The entrance road leading to the dam is located in Hungry Horse.

The purposes of the Hungry Horse Project authorized by law are irrigation, flood control, navigation, streamflow regulation, hydroelectric generation, and other beneficial uses such as recreation.[2] However, no irrigation facilities were built and the project has no irrigation obligations. Hydroelectric power generation and flood control are the primary purposes of the dam. The dam, reservoir, and surrounding area are used for recreation.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference history was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference project was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Cite error: The named reference dam was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ a b c "Hungry Horse Powerplant". U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 1, 2010.