Boise River Diversion Dam
Encyclopedia
The Boise River Diversion Dam is a diversion dam
on the Boise River
in Idaho
.
In March, 1906 the Utah Fire Proofing Company began work on the Boise River
Diversion Dam with the provision that the structure would be completed within one year. It soon became apparent that the dam would not be finished on time. With little experience in such endeavors, Utah Fire Proofing failed to provide adequate foremen for the project. At least nineteen superintendents worked on the dam and their incompetence led to an extraordinary turnover in labor. Inclement weather and flooding caused at least two months worth of delays and forced the crews to rebuild part of the structure. By April 16, 1907, the dam was only 41% complete. It would take another year and a half before the diversion works were ready to unload into the New York Canal. The company eventually lost $90,000 on the contract. And to make matters worse in March 1909, a log foreman “maliciously” removed the boom above the dam and allowed timber roll over the embankment causing $73,000 worth of damage. Yet when the structure was completed it worked famously. The Diversion Dam is sixty-eight feet high and 500 feet (152.4 m) in length with an overall capacity of 42,815 cubic feet per second.
To provide power for the Arrowrock Dam
, Reclamation retrofitted The Boise River Diversion Dam with a small powerhouse. Finished in 1912, the plant’s three generators produced 1,500 kilowatts of electricity for Arrowrock’s camp, sawmills, and giant cement mixers. The German made Allis-Chalmers 725 horsepower turbines were the first in the world to be built with a vertical shaft design. Along with the power lines, government forces hung a two way phone cable to connect Arrowrock with the outside world. In 1976, the power plant was added to the National Register of Historic Places
. After being refurbished by the Bonneville Power Administration
in 2002, it is now on ready reserve status and occasionally provides surplus power during times of peak demand. Special care was made to maintain the historic qualities of the powerhouse. The original governors, slate control panels, transformers, overhead crane, and generator housings, although no longer functional, were retained for historic purposes.
Diversion dam
A diversion dam is the term for a dam that diverts all or a portion of the flow of a river from its natural course. Diversion dams do not generally impound water in a reservoir...
on the Boise River
Boise River
The Boise River is a tributary of the Snake River in the northwestern United States. It drains a rugged portion of the Sawtooth Range in southwestern Idaho northeast of Boise, as well as part of the western Snake River Plain...
in Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
.
In March, 1906 the Utah Fire Proofing Company began work on the Boise River
Boise River
The Boise River is a tributary of the Snake River in the northwestern United States. It drains a rugged portion of the Sawtooth Range in southwestern Idaho northeast of Boise, as well as part of the western Snake River Plain...
Diversion Dam with the provision that the structure would be completed within one year. It soon became apparent that the dam would not be finished on time. With little experience in such endeavors, Utah Fire Proofing failed to provide adequate foremen for the project. At least nineteen superintendents worked on the dam and their incompetence led to an extraordinary turnover in labor. Inclement weather and flooding caused at least two months worth of delays and forced the crews to rebuild part of the structure. By April 16, 1907, the dam was only 41% complete. It would take another year and a half before the diversion works were ready to unload into the New York Canal. The company eventually lost $90,000 on the contract. And to make matters worse in March 1909, a log foreman “maliciously” removed the boom above the dam and allowed timber roll over the embankment causing $73,000 worth of damage. Yet when the structure was completed it worked famously. The Diversion Dam is sixty-eight feet high and 500 feet (152.4 m) in length with an overall capacity of 42,815 cubic feet per second.
To provide power for the Arrowrock Dam
Arrowrock Dam
Arrowrock Dam is a concrete arch type dam on the Boise River, in Idaho, U.S.A. It opened in 1915 and is located on the border between Boise County and Elmore County, upstream of the Lucky Peak Dam and reservoir...
, Reclamation retrofitted The Boise River Diversion Dam with a small powerhouse. Finished in 1912, the plant’s three generators produced 1,500 kilowatts of electricity for Arrowrock’s camp, sawmills, and giant cement mixers. The German made Allis-Chalmers 725 horsepower turbines were the first in the world to be built with a vertical shaft design. Along with the power lines, government forces hung a two way phone cable to connect Arrowrock with the outside world. In 1976, the power plant was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
. After being refurbished by the Bonneville Power Administration
Bonneville Power Administration
The Bonneville Power Administration is an American federal agency based in the Pacific Northwest. BPA was created by an act of Congress in 1937 to market electric power from the Bonneville Dam located on the Columbia River and to construct facilities necessary to transmit that power...
in 2002, it is now on ready reserve status and occasionally provides surplus power during times of peak demand. Special care was made to maintain the historic qualities of the powerhouse. The original governors, slate control panels, transformers, overhead crane, and generator housings, although no longer functional, were retained for historic purposes.