Libby Dam 50th anniversary commemoration draws near

Take a walk through 50 years of history on the top of Libby Dam, during the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 50th commemoration celebrations.

This special event, Saturday, Aug. 23, includes a memorial unveiling by Col. Kathryn Sanborn, commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Seattle District. 

The public will also have the opportunity to meet Libby Dam staff and community partners during the open house.

The ceremony will begin at 10 a.m. and run to 1 p.m. Those who plan to attend are asked to arrive no later than 9:30 a.m. and RSVP Nicole L. Celestine, Corps Public Affairs Specialist, at nicole.l.celestine@usace.army.mil by 4 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 21.

Additional information, including parking directions, will be provided when the RSVP is confirmed.

The top of the dam will be open for folks to walk across, just the second time it has been open for civilians since its closure following Sept. 11, 2001, due to security reasons.

Also, the organizing committee approved a commemorative coin that will be available for sale at the dam. It will feature the anniversary logo.

Spanning the Kootenai River 17 miles upstream from the town of Libby in Northwest Montana, Libby Dam was built with 7.6 million tons of concrete, holding back the waters of the Kootenai River with its own massive weight. The dam is 422 feet tall and 3,055 feet long. Lake Koocanusa is 90 miles long with a maximum depth of about 370 feet.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began building the dam in 1966 and completed the structure in 1972, with the first commercial power coming on-line on Aug. 29, 1975.

While Libby Dam’s main purpose is flood risk management (to control the Kootenai River floods and provide 5.8-million-acre feet of storage), the dam and reservoir also serve the multiple purposes of hydropower, recreation, navigation and environmental stewardship.