Oxbow Dam
| Company type | Hydroelectric facility |
|---|---|
| Industry | Energy |
| Founded | 1961 |
| Headquarters | United States |
Area served | Snake River, Idaho and Oregon |
| Products | Hydroelectric power |
| Owner | Idaho Power Company |
Oxbow Dam is a run-of-the-river hydroelectric facility constructed from rockfill, situated on the Snake River within Hells Canyon at river mile 273, straddling the border between Idaho and Oregon in the western region of the United States.
Description
Finished in 1961, this dam is an integral component of the Hells Canyon Project, which also encompasses Hells Canyon Dam and Brownlee Dam. All three structures are built and managed by Idaho Power Company.
The generating station contains four turbines with a total installed capacity of , producing roughly annually. The reservoir created by the dam holds a volume of and spans an area near .
Fish passage facilities are not included in this project, preventing anadromous salmon from migrating upstream beyond Hells Canyon Dam toward Shoshone Falls, thereby restricting their access to the upper Snake River basin.
Heliport
Owned by Idaho Power to support dam operations, Oxbow Heliport (FAA identifier OR83) is a private heliport featuring a turf landing surface ().