Kerr Dam
Encyclopedia
Kerr Dam is concrete
gravity-arch dam
located at river mile
72 of the Flathead River
, increasing the size of Flathead Lake
near Polson, Montana
. The dam was designed for hydroelectricity
but also serves recreational uses. The dam is named after Frank Kerr, president of the Montana Power Company
at the time of the dam's completion in 1939.
In 1930, construction began on the dam by Rocky Mountain Power
. A year later in 1931, a lack of funding from the Great Depression
caused construction to halt for five years. In 1936, the Montana Power Company
restarted the project and completed it in 1938. The dam only raised Flathead Lake
by 10 feet so it is not completely responsible for the reservoir. The dam's hydro powerplant
consists of three units that receive water from three different penstocks 1700 feet downstream.
The dam and its related hydroelectric project are located inside the boundaries of the Flathead Indian Reservation
, and operated jointly by PPL Montana, LLC
(the successor to the Montana Power Company
) and the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes
. Today it provides both power for PPL—enough for about 147,000 homes—and over $ 9 million in annual revenue for the tribes. The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes have the option of purchasing and taking over the dam in 2015.
Concrete
Concrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water and chemical admixtures.The word concrete comes from the Latin word...
gravity-arch dam
Dam
A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...
located at river mile
River mile
In the United States, a River mile is a measure of distance in miles along a river from its mouth. River mile numbers begin at zero and increase further upstream. The corresponding metric unit using kilometers is the River kilometer...
72 of the Flathead River
Flathead River
The Flathead River, in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Montana, originates in the Rocky Mountains near Glacier National Park and flows southwest into Flathead Lake, then after a journey of , empties into the Clark Fork. The river is part of the Columbia River drainage basin, as the Clark...
, increasing the size of Flathead Lake
Flathead Lake
Flathead Lake is the largest natural freshwater lake in the western part of the contiguous United States. With a surface area of between and , it is slightly larger than Lake Tahoe. The lake is a remnant of the ancient inland sea, Lake Missoula of the era of the last interglacial. Flathead Lake...
near Polson, Montana
Polson, Montana
Polson is a city in Lake County, Montana, United States, on the southern shore of Flathead Lake. It is also on the Flathead Indian Reservation. The population was 4,041 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Lake County...
. The dam was designed for hydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity
Hydroelectricity is the term referring to electricity generated by hydropower; the production of electrical power through the use of the gravitational force of falling or flowing water. It is the most widely used form of renewable energy...
but also serves recreational uses. The dam is named after Frank Kerr, president of the Montana Power Company
Montana Power Company
The Montana Power Company was an electric utility company based in Butte, Montana which provided electricity to Montana consumers and industry from 1912 to 1997.- History :...
at the time of the dam's completion in 1939.
Construction
PacifiCorp
PacifiCorp is an electric power company in the northwestern United States.PacifiCorp has three primary subsidiaries:# Pacific Power is a regulated electric utility with service territory throughout Oregon, northern California, and southeastern Washington.# Rocky Mountain Power is a regulated...
. A year later in 1931, a lack of funding from the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
caused construction to halt for five years. In 1936, the Montana Power Company
Montana Power Company
The Montana Power Company was an electric utility company based in Butte, Montana which provided electricity to Montana consumers and industry from 1912 to 1997.- History :...
restarted the project and completed it in 1938. The dam only raised Flathead Lake
Flathead Lake
Flathead Lake is the largest natural freshwater lake in the western part of the contiguous United States. With a surface area of between and , it is slightly larger than Lake Tahoe. The lake is a remnant of the ancient inland sea, Lake Missoula of the era of the last interglacial. Flathead Lake...
by 10 feet so it is not completely responsible for the reservoir. The dam's hydro powerplant
PowerPlant
PowerPlant is an object-oriented GUI toolkit, application framework and set of class libraries for Mac OS, created by Metrowerks. The framework was fairly popular at the height of the Classic Mac OS era, and was primarily used with CodeWarrior...
consists of three units that receive water from three different penstocks 1700 feet downstream.
Joint Operation
Flathead Indian Reservation
The Flathead Indian Reservation, located in western Montana on the Flathead River, is home to the Bitterroot Salish, Kootenai, and Pend d'Oreilles Tribes - also known as theConfederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Nation...
, and operated jointly by PPL Montana, LLC
PPL (utility)
PPL, formerly known as PP&L or Pennsylvania Power and Light, is an energy company headquartered in Allentown, Pennsylvania, USA. It currently controls about 19,000 megawatts of electrical generating capacity in the United States, primarily in Pennsylvania and Montana, and delivers electricity to...
(the successor to the Montana Power Company
Montana Power Company
The Montana Power Company was an electric utility company based in Butte, Montana which provided electricity to Montana consumers and industry from 1912 to 1997.- History :...
) and the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes
Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Nation
The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Reservation are the Bitterroot Salish, Kootenai and Pend d'Oreilles Tribes. The Flatheads lived between the Cascade Mountains and Rocky Mountains. The Salish initially lived entirely east of the Continental Divide but established their...
. Today it provides both power for PPL—enough for about 147,000 homes—and over $ 9 million in annual revenue for the tribes. The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes have the option of purchasing and taking over the dam in 2015.