# Milner Dam

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**Milner Dam** is a [rockfill](/source/Dam#Rock-fill_dams) [dam](/source/Dam) near [Burley](/source/Burley,_Idaho) in south central [Idaho](/source/Idaho). It impounds the [Snake River](/source/Snake_River) in a [reservoir](/source/Reservoir) named Milner Lake. The dam spans the river across two islands, with three embankments.

Milner Dam was authorized for construction as a privately capitalized venture under the 1894 [Carey Act](/source/Carey_Act), a precursor to the 1902 [Reclamation Act](/source/Reclamation_Act).[3] [Ira Burton Perrine](/source/I._B._Perrine), a local rancher, chose the site and recruited financial backers, including [Salt Lake City](/source/Salt_Lake_City) banker Stanley B. Milner and eastern investors [Frank H. Buhl](/source/Frank_H._Buhl) and Peter L. Kimberly. The Buhl-Kimberly Corporation built the dam and the Twin Falls Canal in 1903–1905.[4] Milner Dam's primary purpose is [irrigation](/source/Irrigation) but it also produces [hydroelectricity](/source/Hydroelectricity). It is currently owned and operated by Milner Dam, Inc. The Snake River below Milner Dam is often allowed to run dry during periods of low flow as water is diverted to agricultural uses. [5]

The dam is 73 feet (22 m) high and 2,160 feet (660 m) long. The storage capacity of its reservoir, Milner Lake, is 36,300 acre.ft. The lake covers 4,000 acres (16 km2).

Inspections in 1988 indicated a high risk of dam failure in an earthquake. In order to pay for the $11 million cost of rebuilding the dam, the operating companies contracted with [Idaho Power](/source/Idaho_Power) to build a 57.5 megawatt [hydroelectric](/source/Hydroelectric) powerplant 1.5 miles (2.4 km) downstream from the dam, with Idaho Power in return loaning funds for the dam's reconstruction. The 1992 powerplant has 46 and 11.5 MW generators, with a small 800 KW generator for low-flow conditions. Water for the powerplant is drawn from the Twin Falls Canal during seasons when water is not needed for irrigation.[4]

Milner Dam was placed on the [National Register of Historic Places](/source/National_Register_of_Historic_Places) on July 10, 1986.[1]

## See also

- [Gooding Milner canal](/source/Gooding_Milner_canal)
- [List of dams in the Columbia River watershed](/source/List_of_dams_in_the_Columbia_River_watershed)

## References

1. [Milner Dam](http://npdp.stanford.edu/DamDirectory/DamDetail.jsp?npdp_id=ID00223) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20110716112806/http://npdp.stanford.edu/DamDirectory/DamDetail.jsp?npdp_id=ID00223) 2011-07-16 at the Wayback Machine, NPDP Dam Directory

1. Jackson, Donald C. (1988). [*Great American Bridges and Dams*](https://archive.org/details/greatamericanbri0000jack/page/290). The Preservation Press. pp. [290–291](https://archive.org/details/greatamericanbri0000jack/page/290). ISBN 0-89133-129-8.

1. Yost, Joe. ["Milner Dam"](https://web.archive.org/web/20010408193034/http://tfcanal.com/milner.htm). Twin Falls Canal Company. Archived from [the original](http://www.tfcanal.com/milner.htm) on 8 April 2001. Retrieved 24 May 2011.

1. Snake River Dam [https://www.idahoconservation.org/our-work/snake-river](https://www.idahoconservation.org/our-work/snake-river) access date 25 April 2024

## External links

- [Milner Dam](https://web.archive.org/web/20010408193034/http://tfcanal.com/milner.htm) at the Twin Falls Canal Company

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Milner Dam](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milner_Dam) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milner_Dam?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.