Blanchard Dam
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| Blanchard Dam | |
|---|---|
| Location | Morrison County, Minnesota, USA |
| Coordinates | 45°51′38″N 94°21′36″W / 45.86056°N 94.36°WCoordinates: 45°51′38″N 94°21′36″W / 45.86056°N 94.36°W |
| Opening date | 1925 |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Height | 46 ft |
| Impounds | Mississippi River |
Blanchard Dam is a dam across the Mississippi River near the city of Royalton, Minnesota, United States.[1] Blanchard is a hydroelectric station owned and operated by Minnesota Power. The dam sits slightly upriver from the former Soo Line rail bridge over the Mississippi. The bridge now carries a recreational trail.
Blanchard Dam is the tallest dam on the Mississippi River at 47 feet of water head. The upper St. Anthony Falls is second at 44 feet of water head. However, its claim to be a tall dam is severely discounted by the fact that it is not really a dam, just the impounding of water around a naturally occurring waterfall. The third highest dam is in Keokuk, Iowa, with 42 feet. The Mississippi River Museum at Davenport, Iowa states that Keokuk is the tallest, but they ignore the entire headwaters region (above Minneapolis) because it's not navigable.
Because of the design of Blanchard Dam, it provides the most accurate water flow statistics of the Mississippi in central Minnesota. Daily, monthly, yearly, and statistical data in cfs (cubic feet per second) since 1924 are available at the USGS website (insert link).
Blanchard Dam is also one of only 3 known places on earth that the rock Staurolite can be found.
[edit] References
- ^ Waters, Thomas (1977). Streams and Rivers of Minnesota. University of Minnesota. ISBN 0-8166-0960-8. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=aYHPnbeOAqoC&pg=PA212&dq=%22Blanchard+Dam%22&hl=en&ei=ctOyTIrBDsqGswaZ1-jBDQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=8&ved=0CEYQ6AEwBw#v=onepage&q=%22Blanchard%20Dam%22&f=false. Retrieved 2010-10-11.
| Upstream: Little Falls Dam |
Locks and dams on the Mississippi River | Downstream: Sartell Dam |
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