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Boundary Dam prepared to offer stunning tours

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Posted by:  T0SHEA

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Just south of the Canada-US border, this is the third last Hydro Project on the Pend Oreille River. The penultimate and the final are in Canada.

Owned and operated by Seattle City Light, this Hydro Project supplies more than one-third of Seattle City Light's power. Water stored behind its 340 foot high -- 32 foot thick arch dam forms a lake that stretches 17.5 miles upstream to the Box Canyon Dam and contains 40,000 acre feet of water. When completed in 1967 the project utilized four turbines, each producing up to 208,000 kilowatts of electricity. In 1985 two more turbines and generators were added, bringing its total output to 1,024 Megawatts.

This is an interesting project, first because an arch dam was employed instead of a gravity dam, saving gazillions of yards of concrete, and secondly because the powerhouse is nowhere to be seen. Unless, that is, one goes underground. It is within the mountain/hill adjacent to the dam, ensconced within pure bedrock. The site is at a narrow canyon, chosen because it allowed construction of a dam of minimum possible length.

130 miles long, the Pend Oreille rises in the mountains in eastern Idaho. It is a sizeable river by the time it reaches this point. As can be seen in the photo below, the operators must spill a lot of water in the spring when water flow is at its peak.

In fact, the dam spills sufficient water that it has become somewhat of a tourist attraction in the spring when the spill gates are open. See the article below.

Boundary Dam prepared
to offer stunning tours

Posted: May 23, 2014 05:51 PM PDT

METALINE FALLS, Wash. - It's the time of year when a lot of people are headed outside, and with a few snow capped peaks still melting off this late in the season the Pend Oreille river is putting on quite the show at Boundary Dam near Metaline Falls.

The dam is an impressive engineering feat, towering 340 feet from the bedrock. Right now because of the heavy water flow both spill gates are open, creating two waterfalls that combine halfway down.

The dam also offers a tour of their operating facilities, carved right into the side of the mountain. Be prepared for a look at the dam's history, and a view of the huge cavern where the six massive generators produce more than a third of the electricity used by Seattle.

"When people go inside they'll be able to walk into one of the entrances, which is like walking into a cave," said Terry Borden with Seattle City Light.

The forest surrounding the dam offers its own activity options, with fishing, boating and popular campgrounds.

"It beats the heck out of watching television," said outdoor enthusiast Wayne Hitchcock. "You better get up here early on Friday morning otherwise you might not get a spot."

Boundary Dam tours are open Thursday through Monday.
From KXLY TV