Coeur d'Alene Lake
| Coeur d'Alene Lake Hydroelectric Power Station Post Falls |
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| Coordinates | 47 ° 32 '0 " N , 116 ° 48' 33" W | ||||||||
| Data on the structure | |||||||||
| Lock type: | 3 concrete gravity dams | ||||||||
| Construction time: | until 1906 | ||||||||
| Power plant output: | 14.75 MW | ||||||||
| Operator: | Avista Corporation | ||||||||
| Data on the reservoir | |||||||||
| Altitude (at congestion destination ) | 649 m | ||||||||
| Water surface | 164 km² | ||||||||
| Reservoir length | 48 km | ||||||||
| Reservoir width | 5 km | ||||||||
| Maximum depth | 67 m | ||||||||
| Total storage space : | 275 million m³ | ||||||||
The Coeur d'Alene Lake (more commonly: Lake Coeur d'Alene ) is a 48 km long, between one and a half and five kilometers wide lake with about 175 km of shore in the north of the US state Idaho . The lake is fed by the Coeur d'Alene River and Saint Joe River and is popular with anglers and paddlers. The outflow of the lake, which is 649 m above sea level, is the Spokane River .
The lake is of glacial origin. At the beginning of the 20th century, the water level of the lake was raised by the construction of a dam on the Spokane River and the area of the lake increased. When the logging industry took off, the lake was a major route for hauling timber in Kootenai County . Until a fire in 1917, Harrison was to become the county seat as the rapidly growing logging town was conveniently located at the confluence of the St. Joe River and Coeur d'Alene River. After the fire, most of the sawmills moved to the town of Coeur d'Alene , which eventually became a county seat.
There are some Ford Model T vehicles lying on the bottom of the lake , as in the early 1900s people drove over the ice of the lake in winter to save a long detour outside. Sometimes the ice broke under the vehicles, which then sank. Also on the bottom of the lake are some steam boats that were set on fire when the ferrymen around the lake no longer needed them. Both types of wrecks are a frequent destination for divers.
Lake Coeur d'Alene is a popular vacation spot during the summer. It is possible to spot bald eagles hunting sockeye salmon on the lake.
Attempts have been made by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to relieve the lake of heavy metal pollution caused by decades of mining above the lake. Local politicians and other influences have so far prevented these efforts. Experts therefore advise not to eat fish from the lake and to take a long shower after swimming in it. In the southern third of the east bank, part of the disused railway line and today's State Park Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes leads along, whose railway structure, which is also contaminated with heavy metals, has been removed from environmental influences by the asphalt bike path. Heyburn State Park is on the south bank .
The Coeur d'Alene tribe own a third of Lake Coeur d'Alene. In the Idaho vs. United States , the United States Supreme Court ruled in favor of an Executive Order issued by Ulysses S. Grant in 1873 that transferred ownership to the tribe. While the court's decision had no impact on use and access, the EPA ruled that the tribe could determine the water quality requirements in their part of the body of water themselves.
Post Falls hydropower station
15 kilometers west of the lake, its outlet, the Spokane River, splits into three channels. At the beginning of the 20th century, three concrete gravity dams were built at this point. The power plant located on the central canal with a current output of 14.75 MW was put into operation in July 1906. The fall height is 15 m. The average annual output is 88,500 MWh. The flow rate is 153 m³ / s. The storage space is 275 million m³.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Coeur d'Alene Lake in the Geographic Names Information System of the United States Geological Survey
- ↑ FindLaw.com: IDAHO vs. UNITED STATES et al.
- ↑ EPA says Coeur d'Alene Tribe can develop water quality standards ( Memento of the original of July 15, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ a b c d e Michele M. Drake: Hydro Review: Post Falls: Powering Northern Idaho for More than a Century . www.hydroworld.com. November 1, 2008. Retrieved September 14, 2017.
