Paradise Dam (Montana)
Encyclopedia
Paradise Dam was a proposed dam on the Clark Fork River in Montana
. It was proposed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as an alternative to the construction of Glacier View Dam
on the western boundary of Glacier National Park, to capture the flow of the Flathead River
. The earth embankment dam was planned to be about 250 feet (76.2 m) high, impounding a reservoir of 4080000 acre.ft. While it was viewed as a desirable power generation and water storage project by the Corps of Engineers, it was opposed by those it would displace from towns and productive agricultural lands, and was never built.
and conservation organizations as an intrusion into national park lands.It would have inundated 9000 acres (3,642.2 ha) of already-irrigated and farmed lands, with the reservoir extending 49 miles (78.9 km) up the Clark Fork and 72 miles (115.9 km) up the Flathead to the base of Kerr Dam
. The project required the relocation of roads, rail lines and houses and businesses in several communities. The cost in 1950 was estimated at $265,569,000.
Alternative sites at The Plains, five miles downstream from Plains, Montana
, and the Weeks site, three miles downstream from the Plains site, were examined but rejected on grounds of poor foundation conditions. Three other sites, Knowles (river mile 4), Perma (river mile 11) and Oxbow (river mile 41) were rejected on similar grounds.
was considered likely. As a result, planning was not pursued and the project remained an alternative to other project farther upstream. In the event, none of the proposed reservoirs in the area were built, apart from Hungry Horse Reservoir
.
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
. It was proposed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as an alternative to the construction of Glacier View Dam
Glacier View Dam
Glacier View Dam was proposed in 1943 on the North Fork of the Flathead River, on the western border of Glacier National Park in Montana. The tall dam, to be designed and constructed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the canyon between Huckleberry Mountain and Glacier View Mountain, would...
on the western boundary of Glacier National Park, to capture the flow 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...
. The earth embankment dam was planned to be about 250 feet (76.2 m) high, impounding a reservoir of 4080000 acre.ft. While it was viewed as a desirable power generation and water storage project by the Corps of Engineers, it was opposed by those it would displace from towns and productive agricultural lands, and was never built.
Proposal
The dam was proposed in the 1940s as an alternative to the controversial Glacier View Dam, which was strenuously opposed by the National Park ServiceNational Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
and conservation organizations as an intrusion into national park lands.It would have inundated 9000 acres (3,642.2 ha) of already-irrigated and farmed lands, with the reservoir extending 49 miles (78.9 km) up the Clark Fork and 72 miles (115.9 km) up the Flathead to the base of Kerr Dam
Kerr Dam
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 project required the relocation of roads, rail lines and houses and businesses in several communities. The cost in 1950 was estimated at $265,569,000.
Alternative sites at The Plains, five miles downstream from Plains, Montana
Plains, Montana
Plains is a town in Sanders County, Montana, United States. The population was 1,126 at the 2000 census. It was originally founded as Horse Plains. The name was later shortened to Plains when the US Postal Service established a presence in 1905.-Geography:...
, and the Weeks site, three miles downstream from the Plains site, were examined but rejected on grounds of poor foundation conditions. Three other sites, Knowles (river mile 4), Perma (river mile 11) and Oxbow (river mile 41) were rejected on similar grounds.
Reception
While the project was supported by some local organizations, local opposition was intense, focusing on displacement of productive agriculture and populations and intrusion on Indian rights. Land replacement compensation for the National Bison RangeNational Bison Range
The National Bison Range is a National Wildlife Refuge located in western Montana established in 1908 to provide a sanctuary for the American bison. The NBR is one of the oldest National Wildlife Refuges in the United States. The size of the bison herd at the NBR is relatively small, numbering...
was considered likely. As a result, planning was not pursued and the project remained an alternative to other project farther upstream. In the event, none of the proposed reservoirs in the area were built, apart from Hungry Horse Reservoir
Hungry Horse Dam
Hungry Horse Dam is an arch dam on the South Fork Flathead River in the Rocky Mountains of the U.S. state of Montana. It is located in Flathead National Forest, in Flathead County, about south of the west entrance to Glacier National Park, southeast of Columbia Falls, and northeast of Kalispell...
.