List of dam removals in Idaho
This is a list of dams in Idaho that have been removed as physical impediments to free-flowing rivers or streams.
Removals by watershed
[edit]Clearwater River
[edit]The Grangeville Dam was a 440 ft (130 m) long arched concrete hydroelectric dam on the South Fork Clearwater River. The dam was removed in the interest of fish passage and since the hydropower facilities had become obsolete. It was destroyed by dynamite at 6:35 PM on August 19, 1963, following two prior detonations that day which had failed to collapse the structure.[1] At the time, the dam was the largest ever to be removed, a record which stood for decades.[2]
Built in 1927, the 45 ft (14 m) tall Lewiston Dam on the main Clearwater River was demolished in 1973 to make way for Lower Granite Lake, the slack water pool behind Lower Granite Dam.[3]
Completed removals
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Winter, Brian D. (April 1990). "A Brief Review of Dam Removal Efforts in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and California" (PDF). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
- ^ McCully, Patrick (1996). "Getting Old: Dam Aging and Decommissioning". International Rivers. Zed Books. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
- ^ "Dams: impacts on salmon and steelhead". www.nwcouncil.org. Northwest Power and Conservation Council. Retrieved July 30, 2025.
- ^ Rivers, American (February 13, 2023). "American Rivers Dam Removal Database". Figshare. American Rivers. doi:10.6084/m9.figshare.5234068.v10. Retrieved August 25, 2023.