Island Park Dam facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Island Park Dam |
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 Location of Island Park Dam in Idaho
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| Location | Fremont County, Idaho, near Island Park, Idaho |
| Coordinates | 44°25′06.92″N 111°23′47.50″W / 44.4185889°N 111.3965278°W |
| Construction began | 1937 |
| Opening date | 1939 |
| Operator(s) | U.S. Bureau of Reclamation |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Type of dam | Zoned earthfill dam |
| Impounds | Henrys Fork |
| Height | 94 ft (29 m) |
| Length | 9,500 ft (2,900 m) |
| Spillway type | Ungated bathtub |
| Reservoir | |
| Creates | Island Park Reservoir |
| Total capacity | 135,205 acre-feet (0.166773 km3) |
| Catchment area | 482 sq mi (1,250 km2) |
The Island Park Dam is a large dam located in Fremont County, Idaho, in the United States. It's found near the town of Island Park, Idaho, within the beautiful Targhee National Forest. This important dam helps manage water for farms in Idaho.
What is the Island Park Dam?
The Island Park Dam is operated by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. This government agency manages water resources. The dam is a type called a "zoned earthfill dam". This means it's built mostly from layers of earth and rock.
The dam was built between 1937 and 1939. It is part of a bigger plan called the Minidoka Project. This project helps bring water to farms in Idaho's Snake River Plain.
Why was the Dam Built?
The main job of the Island Park Dam is to store water. It can hold about 135,000 acre-feet (0.167 km3) of water. This stored water is then sent through the Cross Cut Canal. It goes to farms in Fremont and Madison counties in Idaho. It also helps farms in Teton County in Wyoming.
The Island Park Dam and the Grassy Lake Dam were built for a special reason. They were created as an alternative to a much larger project. That larger project would have flooded parts of the Falls River area. This area is inside Yellowstone National Park. Building these two dams helped protect the park.
Weather at Island Park Dam
The area around Island Park Dam in Idaho is known for its cold weather. It holds the record for the coldest temperature ever recorded in Idaho. This temperature was a very chilly −60 °F (−51 °C). It's also the eighth-coldest temperature ever recorded in the entire United States!
| Climate data for Island Park Dam, Idaho | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 49 (9) |
55 (13) |
62 (17) |
76 (24) |
84 (29) |
91 (33) |
97 (36) |
96 (36) |
91 (33) |
82 (28) |
68 (20) |
56 (13) |
97 (36) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 26.5 (−3.1) |
31.6 (−0.2) |
38.5 (3.6) |
48.4 (9.1) |
59.8 (15.4) |
68.8 (20.4) |
79.0 (26.1) |
78.5 (25.8) |
68.7 (20.4) |
54.9 (12.7) |
37.2 (2.9) |
27.6 (−2.4) |
51.6 (10.9) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 3.0 (−16.1) |
4.8 (−15.1) |
10.5 (−11.9) |
21.5 (−5.8) |
31.1 (−0.5) |
37.7 (3.2) |
42.9 (6.1) |
40.7 (4.8) |
32.8 (0.4) |
25.1 (−3.8) |
14.9 (−9.5) |
5.6 (−14.7) |
22.6 (−5.2) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −60 (−51) |
−47 (−44) |
−36 (−38) |
−18 (−28) |
7 (−14) |
20 (−7) |
25 (−4) |
17 (−8) |
8 (−13) |
−6 (−21) |
−34 (−37) |
−51 (−46) |
−60 (−51) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 3.80 (97) |
2.93 (74) |
2.48 (63) |
2.03 (52) |
2.49 (63) |
2.71 (69) |
1.25 (32) |
1.45 (37) |
1.50 (38) |
1.89 (48) |
2.56 (65) |
3.55 (90) |
28.65 (728) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 48.6 (123) |
37.5 (95) |
29.3 (74) |
13.9 (35) |
4.1 (10) |
0.4 (1.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.1 (0.25) |
1.0 (2.5) |
6.6 (17) |
25.3 (64) |
47.9 (122) |
214.8 (546) |
| Average precipitation days | 15 | 12 | 11 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 10 | 13 | 116 |
| Source: Western Regional Climate Center | |||||||||||||
