BLACKCANYON POWERPLANT
Black Canyon Dam and Powerplant
Black Canyon Powerplant
| Plant Contact: | Coleman Smith, O&M Technical Services Manager, SRAO West |
| Telephone Numbers: | Phone: (208)
383-2266 Fax: (208) 383-2275 |
| E-Mail Address: | csmith@pn.usbr.gov |
| Reclamation Region: | Pacific Northwest |
| NERC Region: | Western Electricity Coordinating Council, Northwest Power Pool Area |
| PMA Service Area: | Bonneville Power Administration, Southern Idaho Power System |
| Project Authorization: | The Secretary of the Interior authorized construction of the original Boise Project on March 27, 1905, and the Black Canyon Dam on June 26, 1922, under provision of the Reclamation Act of June 17, 1902 (32 Stat. 388). |
| Project Purposes: | The Boise Project furnishes irrigation water to about 225,000 acres of project lands and 165,000 acres under special and Warren Act contracts. The irrigable lands are in southwestern Idaho and eastern Oregon. The 114,000 acres in the Payette Division receive water from the Payette River and surplus drainage from the Arrowrock Division. At Black Canyon Dam, water is diverted into the Black Canyon Canal and then into the distribution system. Storage features are Deadwood Reservoir on Deadwood River and Cascade Reservoir on the North Fork of the Payette. About 20 miles below Black Canyon Dam, a pumping plant lifts water from the main canal into a lateral system serving 26,014 acres. |
| Plant Facts: | Black Canyon Dam is a concrete gravity diversion dam with a structural height of 183 feet and gated ogee overflow spillway. Two direct-connected turbine-driven pumps, located in the powerhouse, serve the Emmett Irrigation District Canal on the north side of the river. The Black Canyon control building (from which Black Canyon Dam and Powerplant, Anderson Ranch Dam and Powerplant, and Deadwood Dam are remotely operated) is next to the powerplant. The powerplant has a capacity of 10,200 kilowatts. The nameplate capacity of 4,000 kW was increased to 5,100 kW for each generator with the installation of forced air cooling in 1972 and a stator rewind/upgrade in 1995. A short transmission line connects the Black Canyon Powerplant with the lines of the Idaho Power Company while another line supplies the "C" Line Canal Pumping Plant. |
| Plant Purpose: | Black Canyon Dam and Power plant is a multiple purpose structure that provides benefits to both irrigation and power. The plant supplies power to irrigation loads in the Boise, Owyhee, and Minidoka Projects as part of Reclamation's Southern Idaho Power System. Surplus power is delivered to the BPA for marketing and distribution to regional industries and municipalities. |
| Plant History: | Agricultural activity in the Boise and Payette River Valleys started in the early 1880’s when settlers began filing on desert lands under private irrigation enterprises. By 1900, about 148,000 acres had been placed under irrigation. It quickly became evident that storage and distribution systems were needed for a dependable water source to serve the lands at high elevations. In response to petitions by local irrigators, the Boise Project was initiated by the Reclamation Service shortly after the passage of the first Reclamation Act of 1902. |
| Present Activities: | The 1925 powerplant was modernized in the early 1980s. The switchyard disconnects and bus were replaced in 1998 and the oil circuit breakers were replaced in Sept-Oct 2002, completing the modernization of the powerplant switchyard. Life Safety Code improvements and modernization of the powerplant crane were completed in 2003. |
| Future Planned Activities: | Plant relaying will be replaced by the end of 2005. Scheduled work includes replacement of the electrical transducers in 2006. Investigation is underway to determine a schedule for overhaul or replacement of the original turbines. |
| Special Issues: | The powerplant is operated as a run-of-the-river plant, although operational releases from upstream reservoirs are coordinated to maximize power generation when possible. Siltation of the reservoir continues to be a long-term concern, but does not currently impact power operations or maintenance. |
| River: | Payette River |
| Plant Type: | Conventional |
| Powerhouse Type: | Above Ground |
| Turbine Type: | Francis |
| Original Nameplate Capacity: | 8,000 kW |
| Installed Capacity: | 10,200 kW |
| Year of Initial Operation: | 1925 |
| Age: | 80 years |
| Net Generation: (FY 2005): |
61,600,400 kWh |
| Rated Head: | 112 feet |
| Plant Factor: (FY 2005) |
69.76 percent |
| Remotely Operated: | Yes |
| Production Mode: | Intermediate |
Click here for graphs and charts of Black Canyon Powerplant performance.
Click here for information on Black Canyon Dam
Click here for information on the Boise Project.
Revised December 23, 2005 Hydropower Site Map Help