Thomson Dam (Minnesota) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Thomson Dam |
|
|---|---|
Downstream face of the main Thomson Dam on the St. Louis River in 2017
|
|
 Location of Thomson Dam in USA Minnesota
|
|
| Location | Carlton County, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 46°39′59.10″N 92°24′25.80″W / 46.6664167°N 92.4071667°W |
| Purpose | Power |
| Status | Operational |
| Construction began | 1905 |
| Opening date | 1907 1914-48 expanded 2012 damaged 2014 reconstructed |
| Owner(s) | Minnesota Power |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Type of dam | Earth Embankment, Concrete Gravity, Arch |
| Impounds | Saint Louis River |
| Height | Main: 15 ft (4.6 m) Canal: 45 ft (14 m) |
| Length | Main: 1,600 ft (490 m) Canal: 3,500 ft (1,100 m) |
| Spillways | 2 |
| Spillway type | gated |
| Spillway capacity | 60,000 cu ft/s (1,700 m3/s) |
| Reservoir | |
| Creates | Thomson Reservoir |
| Total capacity | 4,352 acre⋅ft (5,368,000 m3) |
| Catchment area | 9,154 sq mi (23,710 km2) |
| Surface area | 649 acres (263 ha) |
| Power station | |
| Name | Thomson Hydro |
| Coordinates | 46°39′17.91″N 92°20′1.032″W / 46.6549750°N 92.33362000°W |
| Hydraulic head | 375 ft (114 m) |
| Turbines | 6 |
| Installed capacity | 72 MW |
| Annual generation | 280 GWh |
| Website http://mphydro.com/ |
|
The Thomson Dam is a very important structure in northeastern Minnesota, United States. It is also known as the Thomson Hydro Station or Thomson Water Project. This dam helps control the Saint Louis River near the town of Thomson. It is made up of a main dam and several smaller dams. These structures work together with natural rock formations to create the Thomson Reservoir.
The tallest part of the dam system is about 51.6 feet (16 meters) high. The longest part stretches for 3,500 feet (1,067 meters). The dam uses special buildings called gate houses, a canal, and underground pipes (called penstocks) to send water to a power plant. This hydroelectric plant is about 3 miles away in Jay Cooke State Park. The Thomson project is the biggest hydroelectric power plant in Minnesota. It can produce 72 megawatts of electricity, which is enough to power many homes!
Contents
History
The Thomson Dam was finished in 1907. It was built by a company called Great Northern Power. Over the years, the power plant grew. New power-generating units were added in 1914, 1918, and 1948. Special railroad tracks were even built inside the plant to help install and fix the big machines!
Later, the dam became part of the Saint Louis Power Company. Today, Minnesota Power owns and operates the dam. They are a part of a larger company called Allete, Inc.
Overcoming Challenges: The 2012 Flood and Rebuilding
In June 2012, there were very heavy rains. This caused a huge flood in the region. The water went over the dam and damaged the canal that feeds the power plant. The hydroelectric station was badly hurt.
After the flood, a lot of work was done to fix and improve the dam. This included adding a new emergency spillway. The repairs cost about $90 million. The power plant was back up and running by November 2014. More improvements, like updating old power lines, continued until 2018.
How Thomson Dam Works: A Complex System
The Thomson Dam is more than just one big wall across the river. It is actually a whole system of different dams and control buildings. The main part of the dam is easy to see where it crosses the Saint Louis River.
Over the years, some parts of this system have been rebuilt or joined together. The United States Army Corps of Engineers keeps a list of dams. They count 18 different structures that make up the Thomson Dam complex. These structures work together to manage the water and create electricity.
See also
