Lake Billy Chinook
| Lake Billy Chinook | |||||||
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| Coordinates | 44 ° 36 '12 " N , 121 ° 16' 40" W | ||||||
| Data on the structure | |||||||
| Height of the barrier structure : | 134 m | ||||||
| Crown length: | 402 m | ||||||
| Crown width: | 13 m | ||||||
| Base width: | 762 m | ||||||
| Power plant output: | 3 MW | ||||||
| Data on the reservoir | |||||||
| Water surface | 16 km² | ||||||
| Reservoir length | 45 km | ||||||
The Lake Billy Chinook is a reservoir in the US state of Oregon . The reservoir was created by the Portland General Electric utility company to generate electricity and dams the Deschutes River , the Metolius River and the Crooked River .
geography
The three-armed reservoir fills a canyon surrounded by steep basalt columns ; the Metolius River for over 17 kilometers, the Deschutes River for almost thirteen kilometers and the Crooked River for over nine kilometers. The lake is 45 kilometers long, has a size of over 16 square kilometers and has almost 116 kilometers of shore length. The average depth is 31 meters, the deepest point in front of the dam is 120 meters. The Cove Palisades State Park is located on part of the lake, and the Warm Springs Indian Reservation is north of the lake . Lake Simtustus joins directly downstream .
dam
The Round Butte Dam, a rock rubble dam , is 134 meters high, 402 meters long and measures 762 meters at the base and 13 meters at the top. 10 million tons of earth were moved for the construction, the construction cost 62 million US dollars. Construction began in March 1961. The original three turbines were supplied by Allis-Chalmers . The first generator went online on August 7, 1964.
The dam's hydropower plant has three 1000-kilowatt generators and is the largest hydropower plant entirely located in Oregon. The power station is operated by Portland General Electric .
history
The reservoir was named after the Wasco Indian Billy Chinook, who served as a scout for the explorer and US officer John C. Frémont in 1843 .
Permission from the tribes of the Warm Springs Indian Reservation to build the dam was obtained in 1959 for an annual payment of $ 220,000. The tribes also acquired the right to sell fishing licenses in the reservoir. In 2002 the tribes became co-owners of the power plant. The dam was completed in 1964. The engineers had calculated that it would take about a year to fill the reservoir, but due to melting snow and heavy rains, the lake was full after a week.
Ecological consequences
The dam cut off many species of fish from their spawning areas in the upper reaches of the Deschutes and Crooked Rivers . Although fish ladders were built during the construction, the dam is insurmountable for several species such as king salmon .
Web links
- Lake Billy Chinook on the sides of the Deschutes National Forest
- Portland General Electric: Deschutes River with information on hydropower use
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b The Bulletin of August 8, 1964: First generator goes on line at Round Butte
- ^ The Milwaukee Journal of July 14, 1961: Allis-Chalmers Gets Order for Turbines
- ^ Hydro Plants and Fish Facilities. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on June 9, 2012 ; Retrieved April 1, 2011 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
