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Lucky Peak Dam, June 2021
Photos by: Lucky Peak Project
The Lucky Peak project includes the dam, Lucky Peak Lake, federally owned lands managed by the Corps, and operational and recreational facilities. The project provides flood control, fish and wildlife habitat, irrigation and recreation. Since 1961, more than $2.37 billion in potential flood damages have been prevented.
View of the "Rooster Tail", Lucky Peak Dam, May 25, 2008, Boise, Idaho. A popular springtime attraction is the "Rooster Tail" which results from the discharge of water through the original release structures of the dam under pressure from the lake above. Using a "flip bucket" to direct the spray high into the air, the erosive, scouring force of the water is greatly dissipated as it rises, rests and slowly falls back to the stream channel. The Rooster Tail only uses water from large releases required for flood risk management that exceed powerhouse capacity, thus no water is wasted for the display. It occurred daily until 1986 when construction of the Lucky Peak Power Plant Project started.
Lucky Peak Dam was authorized by the Flood Control Act of 1946. Construction of Lucky Peak Dam began in 1949. It was dedicated June 23, 1955. The dam is a rolled earthfill dam about 250 feet above the streambed and 1,700 feet long at the crest. Located just 15 minutes from Boise’s greater urban area, Lucky Peak Lake hosts about a million visits every year. It’s recreation areas offer a variety of recreation opportunities such as fishing, swimming, picnicking, boating, hiking and camping.
The Federal Power Act of 1920 authorized the use of federal lands by non-federal entities to construct hydropower facilities. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issued a license to the Boise-Kuna Irrigation District to construct a 100-megawatt facility in June, 1980. After reconstruction of the primary outlet and construction a of new secondary outlet, the plant went online in 1988. The powerhouse is owned and operated by four irrigation districts within the Boise Project Board of Control and the power purchaser is Seattle City Light. At peak generation, Lucky Peak Dam's three turbine units produce 101 megawatts of electricity – enough power for about 100,000 homes.
The reservoir provides a total storage capacity of 264,400 acre-feet. Flood risk management and irrigation storage is jointly coordinated between USACE and the Bureau of Reclamation, which operates two upstream dams, Arrowrock Dam (opened in 1915) and Anderson Ranch Dam (opened in 1950). Together, this three-dam system stores approximately 1,000,000 acre-feet when full. There are 4,288 acres of federally owned public lands surrounding Lucky Peak Lake that are managed by USACE, as well as easement lands to which USACE has specific rights to flood. Since 1961, more than $2.37 billion in potential flood damages have been prevented.
Water quality is monitored and managed consistent with Clean Water Act and state standards for the health of aquatic species.
There are 4,079 acres of USACE-managed lands that are used for public recreation, wildlife habitat and operations purposes. Lucky Peak Lake bisects Idaho Fish and Game’s Boise River Wildlife Management Area, a major winter range in the state for deer and elk. The Idaho State Parks operates Lucky Peak State Park Units at three locations on Lucky Peak Lake. Ada County Parks and Waterways provides over 500 public-use floating dock sections. USACE recreation facilities at Lucky Peak Lake consist of seven park areas, four boat launch ramps, and 80 dispersed recreation sites accessible only by boat. The fiscal year 2020 public visitation to all areas was approximately 950,000 visits.
Lucky Peak Reservoir is primarily stocked with Rainbow Trout and Kokanee Salmon. The Idaho Department of Fish and Game routinely supplements the reservoir with catchable-sized rainbow trout (typically 10 to 12 inches) in the spring and fall. Lucky Peak Lake provides habitat for deer and elk herds of the Boise River Wildlife Management Area, managed by Idaho Department of Fish and Game.
While trout and kokanee are the main stocked species, the reservoir and the river section below also feature a variety of other popular game and naturally reproducing fish including Smallmouth Bass, Yellow Perch, and Salmon/Trout varieties such as the Chinook salmon, Brown trout, and Bull trout. A few commonly sighted species may include: coyotes, bobcats, yellow-bellied marmots, porcupines, beavers, antelope, a variety of hawks, golden and bald eagles, great blue herons, killdeer, and many others.