Soda Dam

For the Soda Dam hot spring in New Mexico, see Soda Dam Hot Spring.
Soda Dam
Soda Dam is located in Idaho
Soda Dam
Location in Idaho
Soda Dam is located in the United States
Soda Dam
Location in United States
CountryUnited States
LocationCaribou County, Idaho
Coordinates42°38′41″N 111°41′47″W / 42.64466°N 111.69635°W / 42.64466; -111.69635
Purposehydroelectric power
Opening date1925
Operator(s)PacifiCorp
Dam and spillways
ImpoundsBear River
Height94 ft (29 m)
Length492 ft (150 m)
Reservoir
CreatesAlexander Reservoir
Total capacity15,760 acre⋅ft (0.01944 km3)
Active capacity15,200 acre⋅ft (0.0187 km3)
Surface area1.9 sq mi (4.9 km2)
Normal elevation5,722 ft (1,744 m)[1]

Soda Dam, also known as Alexander Dam (National Inventory of Dams ID ID00060), is a dam in Caribou County, Idaho, directly west of the town of Soda Springs.

The concrete dam was originally constructed in 1925, with a current height of 94 feet (29 m) and a length of 492 feet (150 m) at its crest, since a 1991 re-construction.[2][3] It impounds Bear River for hydroelectric power, one of the hydropower facilities owned and operated by the electric utility PacifiCorp.

The reservoir it creates, Alexander Reservoir, has a normal water surface of 1.9 square miles (4.9 km2), a maximum capacity of 15,760 acre-feet, and a normal capacity of 15,200 acre-feet.[2] Recreation includes fishing, canoeing, and birdwatching.[4]

References

  1. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Soda Dam
  2. ^ a b "Soda". Archived from the original on 2012-11-06. Retrieved 2012-09-21.
  3. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-03-05. Retrieved 2012-09-21.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. ^ "Idaho Birding Trail". 8 April 2020.