PacifiCorp, the electric power company which has operated the Bigfork Hydroelectric Project since 1954, has begun the process to remove the dam from its generation portfolio.

“More rigid federal dam safety criteria for extreme floods would require significant investment that makes the Bigfork Project cost prohibitive for our customers” wrote PacifiCorp in an FAQ sheet posted to its website. “Phasing out the project and getting energy from other sources will be more cost-effective for our customers.” 

PacifiCorp Communications Specialist Drew Marine emphasized that PacifiCorp is in the very early stages of the process to dispose of the project, which could take up to five years. An agreement to sell the dam could be closed in 12 to 16 months if the company finds a qualified buyer, Marine clarified.

Any major changes will have to be approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Committee, the federal entity which licenses the dam, and PacifiCorp will continue to operate the dam as normal in the meantime. 

At this stage, PacifiCorp is exploring interest from other power companies that might want to buy the project and continue to operate it as a dam. 

This disposition process will begin with a request for interest looking for potential buyers for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission-licensed hydroelectric project and lands, explained Marine. 

If PacifiCorp is unable to find another energy company interested in taking over operations, it will consider decommissioning the dam and selling the land. Decommissioning would require extensive conversations with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and opportunities for public comment would be provided at that point. If the dam is decommissioned and the land is sold, it is possible that the dam could be removed, according to Marine.

“A big thing that we wanted to clear up was right now the request for interest for sellers is still a business decision that doesn't require public comment at this point,” said Marine. “Let’s consider if we haven’t found a buyer. Of course, we will be sure then that the public has a chance to come out.” 

The Bigfork dam is a small hydroelectric dam on the Swan River. While at one time the dam served the Flathead Valley, today PacifiCorp does not have any customers in Montana. Two Bigfork-based PacifiCorp employees operate the dam, and Marine said they would be offered other positions within the company. PacifiCorp is headquartered in Oregon. 

SEVERAL BIGFORK organizations expressed concerns over the potential loss of the dam, which they fear could bring substantial changes to Bigfork.  

The Bigfork Whitewater Festival, which has marked the beginning of summer in Bigfork for more than 50 years, is dependent on the dam.  

Furthermore, PacifiCorp owns land around the dam and Swan River, including Sliter Park and portions of the Swan River Nature Trail. PacifiCorp has kept those lands accessible to the public, and there are concerns about what would happen to those green spaces when the dam is sold to another entity or decommissioned.  

“There's a potential of losing Whitewater Festival, and the same thing goes for the bay. Those two feel like the heart of Bigfork, and if those are changed in the ways that we're thinking are possibilities, it would be drastic change for us. I think a lot of people would be very heartbroken to see those changes, including myself,” said Megan Shoultz, President of Community Foundation for a Better Bigfork. 

Bigfork Bay, the body of water where the Swan River meets Flathead, is downstream from the dam, and in the event the dam was removed, water levels in the bay would drop drastically, according to Shoultz.  

There are further concerns about how dam removal would impact the ecology of Swan River. For more than 100 years, the dam has acted as a barrier to species in Flathead Lake.  

Ashley Atkins, one of the Bigfork residents behind the newly formed Bigfork Community Alliance, expressed disappointment over the way PacifiCorp made the announcement.  

“They never really provided a notice,” Atkins said. “They quietly uploaded the frequently asked questions, and because Bigfork is a really small community, and everyone knows everyone for the most part, it was pretty quick for some of us to find out about it. It’s really sad to think about what may disappear because of this decommissioning that we weren’t even thinking about being an option.” 

The Bigfork Hydroelectric Project was constructed more than a century ago in 1900 by Lafayette Tinkel who, along with his employees, hand dug a canal that diverted water from the Swan River to a wooden flume and ditch that carried water more than a mile away to a powerhouse. By 1902, the facility was producing power, bringing electricity to Bigfork just a year after its founding. 

Electric Avenue in downtown Bigfork draws its name from the dam and the electric power lines that ran above the main thoroughfare. In a 2021 article for the Bigfork Eagle, Kyle Stetler wrote, “It’s hard to overstate just how rare electrification was at the turn of the century. In fact, even 30 years later, in 1932, 90% of rural America was still without electricity, lighting their homes with gas flames and coal oil lamps.” 

Reporter Elsa Ericksen can be reached at 406-758-4459 or [email protected]. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at dailyinterlake.com/support.