Big Falls (Missouri River waterfall)
| Big Falls | |
|---|---|
 Big Falls and Ryan Dam | |
  Map of Montana | |
 | |
| Location | Near Great Falls, Montana |
| Coordinates | 47°34′07″N 111°07′27″W / 47.56862°N 111.1241°W |
| Type | Segmented block |
| Total height | 87 ft (27 m) |
| Number of drops | 1 |
| Total width | 900 ft (270 m) |
| Watercourse | Missouri River |
| Average flow rate | 8,500 cu ft/s (240 m3/s) |
Big Falls (also called Great Falls or Roar of Steam[1]) is a major waterfall located on the Missouri River in western Montana in the United States. It is the lowermost and largest of the Great Falls of the Missouri, at 87 feet (27 m) high and up to 900 feet (270 m) wide at peak flow. Although the falls used to flow powerfully year-round, most of the water is now diverted to the 60 megawatt hydroelectric plant of upstream Ryan Dam, reducing it to a trickle in the summer months.[2] Grand Falls was named by William Clark of the Lewis and Clark Expedition in 1805.[citation needed]
References
- ^ "Big Falls". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved January 4, 2017.
- ^ "Ryan Dam". Producing Power. pplmontana.com. Archived from the original on 2010-07-17. Retrieved 2011-01-14.
 | This Montana-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |