Moyie Dam facts for kids
The Moyie Dam is a large structure built across the Moyie River in Boundary County, Idaho. Its main job is to help the city of Bonners Ferry, Idaho create electricity from the river's water.
What is the Moyie Dam?
The Moyie Dam is a concrete dam that stands about 92 feet (28 m) (or 28 meters) tall. It was finished in 1950. The city of Bonners Ferry owns and runs this dam. They started making their own electricity using water power in 1921.
Over the years, the city added more powerhouses. These are buildings where machines turn the force of the water into electricity. Three powerhouses were built near the dam in 1921, 1941, and 1982. Together, they can produce almost 4 megawatts of power. This is enough electricity for many homes and businesses.
In 1984, Bonners Ferry was one of only three cities in Idaho that owned its own way of making hydroelectric power. This means they didn't have to buy electricity from big companies. They even made a small profit from selling the power, which helped the city's budget.
The dam creates a small, unnamed lake on the Moyie River. This lake holds about 540 acre-feet (670,000 m3) of water.
The Old Eileen Dam
About five miles upstream from the Moyie Dam, you can find the ruins of an older dam called the Old Eileen Dam 48°46′32″N 116°09′19″W / 48.77550°N 116.15514°W. This dam was built in 1923.
It's known as one of the few concrete dams that broke, but it wasn't because the dam itself was poorly built. In 1925, a sudden flood caused the river to rise so high that it flowed over the top of the 52-foot (16 m) dam. This powerful water washed away the ground next to the dam on the left side.
The main part of the dam stayed standing, even though the water broke through. Luckily, no one was hurt during this flood. Today, the old dam's shell and some rusty powerhouse equipment are still there. They can be a bit of an obstacle, and a mystery, for people who enjoy white-water rafting on the river.
