1991 North Platte Hydrology Study

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PSMBP, Kortes Unit The reinforced - concrete powerhouse occupies the entire width of the canyon at the toe of the dam. The plant has three 18,500- horsepower Francis -type turbines and three 12,000 - kilowatt generators. DEVELOPMENT Early History The North Platte River valley served as a route to the unsettled West for explorers and traders and for emi- grants in search of home sites. The Oregon, California, Mormon, Pony Express, and Overland Trails followed the North Platte and Sweetwater Rivers and crossed the Continental Divide at South Pass. There were numerous trading posts, army forts, and stage stations located along these trails. Fort Laramie, Fort Steele, and Fort Caspar have been restored for their historic value. Settlement in the valley began in the early 1880's. The first irrigation systems were constructed without large storage reservoirs. Kortes Dam is named after the Kortes Ranch, 2 miles downstream from the present dam location. Investigations Investigations for development of a dam and reservoir at the Kortes site were conducted intermittently after 1933. Based on information obtained during these investiga- tions, the Kortes Unit was included in Senate Document 191. Authorization Kortes power development was found feasible by the Secretary of the Interior as a supplement to the Kendrick Project on November 26, 1941, but it was authorized by the Flood Control Act of December 22, 1944, Public Law 534, which approved the general comprehensive plan set forth in Senate Documents 191 and 475, as revised and coordinated by Senate Document 247, 78th Congress, 2d session. Construction Construction of Kortes Dam was started in 1946 and completed in 1951. Because of the enormous increase in power demands in the area and power sales com- mitments, an accelerated power program was developed which consisted of erecting generating equipment and machinery concurrently with the dam and powerhouse construction, placing the generators into service before the powerhouse was completed, construction of tem- porary transmission facilities, and providing temporary protection for the operating equipment during the con- struction period. 3 As a result of this program, two units were placed into service 6 months before the completion of the powerhouse and the dam and 6 months earlier than they would have been without this accelerated program. Operating Agency The Bureau of Reclamation operates and maintains the dam and powerplant. BENEFITS Hydroelectric Power Hydroelectric power from the Kortes Unit is distributed over high - voltage lines for distribution by municipalities, Rural Electric Associations, and private utilities to the consumers. Recreation The Kortes Reservoir receives limited recreational use since Kortes Dam and the steep shoreline restrict access in general to the North Platte River immediately below Seminoe Dam. Trout fishing is the main recreational ac- tivity at the reservoir. Senate Bill 2553 was passed in the 90th Congress authorizing the modification of the opera- tion of Kortes Reservoir to provide a minimum stream - flow of 500 cubic feet per second in the North Platte River between Kortes Reservoir and the normal head- waters of Pathfinder Reservoir. The minimum flow per- mits maintenance of a fishery in a stretch of the North Platte River, commonly referred to as the "Miracle Mile. " PROJECT DATA Facilities in Operation Storage dam ............................ Powerplant ............................. Transmission lines ' Substation .............................. 'Transmission system partly Kendrick Project and partly Pick -Sloan Missouri Basin Program Transmission Division, which were transferred to the Western Area Power Administration, Department of Energy. Power Generation Kortes Fiscal Year Powerplant (kWh) 1968 119,370,000 1969 148,555,000 1970 175,113,000 1971 240,395,000 1972 157,858,000 1973 171,125,000 1974 224,121,000 1975 174,329,000 1976 159,042,000 1977 111,240,000