Thompson Falls Dam
Thompson Falls Dam is a dam in Sanders County, Montana, in the northwestern part of the state.
A complex of four hydropower dams stand on the Clark Fork River in downtown Thompson Falls, Montana:
- the Main Channel Dam (ID # MT00224), 54 feet high
- the Dry Channel Dam (ID # MT83013), 38 feet high
- Intake Dam A (ID # MT83014), 53 feet high
- Intake Dam B (ID # MT83015), 110 feet high
Operations here began in 1915 with original construction on a set of natural falls. Today, the four dams together impound an upstream reservoir, with a water storage capacity of 8300 acre-feet, and a seven-unit hydroelectric generation capacity of 94 megawatts.[1]
Montana Power Company originally built the dam, PPL Corporation purchased it in 1997 and sold it to NorthWestern Corporation in 2014. The island between the dams contains a public park with hiking trails, picnic tables, and scenic overlooks.[2]