Hungry Horse Dam

Hungry Horse Dam
Location in western United States Show map of USA West Location in Montana Show map of Montana
Location	Flathead County, near Hungry Horse, Montana, U.S.
Coordinates	48°20′28″N 114°00′50″W / 48.341°N 114.014°W / 48.341; -114.014
Construction began	April 21, 1948 (76 years ago) (1948-04-21)[1]
Opening date	July 18, 1953 (70 years ago) (1953-07-18)[2]
Operator(s)	U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
Dam and spillways
Type of dam	Concrete thick arch dam
Impounds	South Fork Flathead River
Height	564 ft (172 m)[3]
Length	2,115 ft (645 m)[3]
Width (crest)	34 feet (10.4 m)[3]
Width (base)	320 feet (98 m)[3]
Dam volume	2,934,500 cu yd (2,243,600 m3)[3]
Spillway type	Gated Morning Glory[3]
Spillway capacity	50,000 cu ft/s (1,400 m3/s)[3]
Reservoir
Creates	Hungry Horse Reservoir[3]
Total capacity	3,467,179 acre-feet (4.28 km3)[3]
Catchment area	1,640 square miles (4,200 km2)[3]
Normal elevation	3,560 feet (1,085 m) above sea level
Power Station
Type	Conventional
Hydraulic head	520 ft (160 m)[3]
Turbines	4 x 107 MW Francis turbines[4]
Installed capacity	428 MW[4]
Annual generation	1,086,250,400 KWh (2012)[4]

Hungry Horse Dam is an arch dam in the Western United States, on the South Fork Flathead River in the Rocky Mountains of northwest Montana. It is located in Flathead National Forest in Flathead County, about fifteen miles (24 km) south of the west entrance to Glacier National Park, nine miles (14 km) southeast of Columbia Falls, and twenty miles (32 km) northeast of Kalispell. The Hungry Horse project, dam, and powerplant are operated by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. The entrance road leading to the dam is located in Hungry Horse.

The purposes of the Hungry Horse Project authorized by law are irrigation, flood control, navigation, streamflow regulation, hydroelectric generation, and other beneficial uses such as recreation.^[2] However, no irrigation facilities were built and the project has no irrigation obligations. Hydroelectric power generation and flood control are the primary purposes of the dam. The dam, reservoir, and surrounding area are used for recreation.