The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1948-02-19
Coll For Dom Bids
On Hungry Horse

of Reclamation today called for bid
for the construction of the fourth
largest concrete dam in the world
the multiple-purpose Hungry Hors
Dam in northwestern Montana -
Regional Director r. J. Newell an
Aounced here.
Bids will be opened on April ] il
Bureau headquarters at the dan
site, situated on the South Fork o
the Flathead River, Newell said
The contractor will have 1000 day!
20 complete the work.
The structure will be more thar
$50 feet high, exceeded in heigh
only by Hoover, Grand Coulee, anc
Shasta dams, also constructed by
the Bureau of Reclamation. It vii
contain 100000 cubic yards of con
crete, being exceeded in size only
by these three dams. By compari-
son, Hoover Dam contains 1921 ,l3l
cubic yards of concrete. At the crest
the Hungry Horse arch will be 2,ll5
feet long, and it will have reser-
voir capacity of 100000 cubic feet
A thirty-foot roadway will be con-
Structed across the dam. s
Chief Engineer Walker R. Young
of the Bureaus Denver office ad-
vised Mr.. Newell, the latter said,
that the design of the dam had been
changed from a curved gravity
structure to an arch type concrete
dam. Investigations by Bureau en-
gineers established that the rock
foundation was adequate to permit
the change, thus enabling a saving
of about 100000 cubic yards of
concrete.
To expose the bedrock for the
base and abutments, the contractor
will be required to excavate about
one million cubic yards of earth,
rock, and other material
A reinforced concrete poWerhouse
will be constructed in the river
channel at the downstream toe of
the dam. The Bureau already has
called for bids for the manufacture
of four 5,000-kilowatt generators
and four los, 000-horsepower hydro
electric turbines for the plant. The
four penstocks through which the
water from the reservoir will
plunge into the waterwheels will
each be Is feet 6 inches in diameter.
A glory hole" type spillway will
be utilized to carry the overflow
- OAAA Viz CSNA VIII II WI GOllSlSL Vi
a reinforced concrete-lined vertical
shaft, connecting with a horizontal
tunnel, "a feet inches in diameter,
driven through the abutment, and
have capacity of $1,000 cubit feet
per second. The intake will be stu
ated short distance upstream from
the dam. The new spillway will re-
Semble that of OWyhee Dam of the
OWyhee Project Oregon Idaho)
In addition to the spillway, the
dam will be provided with two &C.
inch diameter reservoir outlets, con-
trolled by hollow-jet valves. These
VIII be used to control the discharge
OF water from the reservoir when
Its elevation falls below the crest of
the glory hole" spillway. The out
lets will supplement powerhouse
discharges.
Specifications further disclose that
the contractor will be called upon
to place 100000 pounds of rein
forcing steel, and in addition to the
100000 cubic yards of concrete in
the dam, 10000 cubic yards of con-
crete in appudtenant structures.
AS an added benefit to the pro-
duction of power at the site, the pro-
ject will increase by $4,000 kilo-
watts the firm power capacities of
existing downstream power plants
at Kerr Dam and Thompson Falls,
Montana, and at Grand Coulee,
Rock Island, and Bonneville dams
on the Columbia River Ultimately
1t would also increase by ATT 900
kilowatts the firm capacities of
other power plants to be installed
downstream as part of the full de-
velopment of the vast Columbia
River system.
Furthermore, the structure will
enhance the prospects of irrigation
near Kalispell, Mon
tana, and provide flood control
benefits as far downstream as Lake
Pend Oreille, Idaho
The dam will be constructed ap-
5 miles above the con-
fluence of the South Fork and Flat
head Rivers, tributaries of the
Clark Fork-Pend Oreille, which
ampties into the Columbia.
Preparations for the calling of
bids today have been underway for
approximately 212 years. Extensive
geological explorations, including
Misunderstanding and seismic ex-
Oloratlon, nave Deen completed, and
a major access road and part of the
government camp have been prac-
-ically completed.
Major contracts now in force on
he project include:
Excavating a 11OO-foot long diver
sion tunnel, by the Guy F. Atkinson
Company of San Francisco, Caifor-
MA, $643, 400.
Clearing 1885 acres Of reservoir
near the dam, by the J. j. Reese
Company of Columbia Falls, Mon
ana, S408,320.
Relocating forest roads, by the
Z. r. Hewitt Company of Spokane,
$632, 428.
Constructing a portion of the gov
eminent camp, by S. Birch and Sons
# Columbia Falls, Montana, $40l,-
M.
Constructing a major access road,
" S. Birch and Sons, Columbia
Falls, Montana; Mclaughlin Com
any, Inc, Columbia Falls; and c.
,. Trucking Company, Butte Mon
ana, $479,494
Constructing a 12,500-volt trans
Mission line and distribution system
~. Tho NM ant n1cOy,