Plenty in the works at Libby Dam, Kootenai River

While many are looking back in time at the circumstances that led to the construction of Libby Dam, 2025 has seen a number of projects that will help shape the future of the region.

Chief among them is a new generator that will increase the amount of hydropower the dam generates. 

Since 1985, Libby Dam has had five generating units, but its powerhouse was originally designed for eight generators. 

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recently awarded a $34.8 million contract to install a sixth unit, which will add flexibility to plant operations and improve the dam's overall electrical reliability.

Installation is expected to be completed April 2027.

“The new unit will allow us to maintain the five existing units more frequently, and ensure we remain a good steward of the environment and equipment entrusted to us,” said Ayden Capps, electrical engineer with Libby Dam.

In addition to the installation project, the Corps of Engineers is upgrading the selective withdrawal system at Libby Dam, to improve the ability to manage river temperatures downstream of the dam. 

“It’s critical for aquatic ecosystem, including resident trout species, threatened bull trout and endangered Kootenai River white sturgeon,” Libby Dam Natural Resource Manager Tana Wilson said during a recent interview with The Western News. “The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Biological Opinion for Kootenai River white sturgeon requires that five generating units be available for the annual sturgeon pulse. In addition to this requirement, having five units available during the spring reservoir refill period allows us to more consistently provide flood risk management downstream of Libby Dam.”

But it’s not the only project that is in the works.

The Corps is working with the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation on a 200-acre timber management project near the Dunn Creek Flats Campground.

When the Dunn Right Fire broke out in the late-afternoon hours of June 9, Hall was initially dismayed that the area of the logging job might go up in flames.

“I thought, ‘really, there, now?’” Hall recalled. 

But the typical fast response of the Libby Volunteer Fire Department and state crews brought the blaze to an end before much of the mature timber was damaged.

“Working with the state, we determined it was a high danger zone with its proximity to the campground and boat launch,” Hall said.

Hall said workers opened up an old rail trail in the area and graded it to improve access for the work, which will occur between the campground and the primitive boat launch downstream.

A $13.6 million project to improve the intake crane began the week of April 7. The project, which features an additional 30% loading capacity, is designed to be aesthetically similar to the original crane, to reflect the architectural influence of Paul Thiry (1904-1993), who consulted for the project. 

The crane intake improvement project is expected to be completed July 22, 2025, and it looks to correct a long-ago flaw that was discovered in recent testing. 

“The new crane has to look like the old one due to its historical status,” Capps said. “When it was built, the proper math wasn’t used for emergency situations and it didn’t pass testing.”

Last, but not least, is the ongoing fish habitat project. Because the dam prevents large logs from entering the river and creating fish habitat, the Corps has released three batches of logs.

“Since the dam’s construction in the early 1970s, no wood has come into the river from the reservoir, and we’re seeing the effects of the dam’s presence on its biodiversity,” said Greg Hoffman, the district’s senior fishery biologist at Libby Dam. “We’re working to restore the river’s ecosystem capability, by adding large wood into the river in a less invasive, more cost-effective way.”

The Howard A. Hanson Dam large wood project on the Green River in  King County, Washington inspired the Libby Dam team to develop a similar one in the area. The Hanson Dam project, launched in 2003, has placed 174 total logjams on the Green River by 2020.

Hall said the Kootenai River project placed 28 large logs in the river in 2023 and is currently up to 82.