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Photo Courtesy of Idaho Tourism Shoshone Falls
PHOTO COURTESY OF IDAHO TOURISM SHOSHONE FALLS Located at the edge of Twin Falls, Shoshone Falls is a natural beauty on the Snake River. At 212 feet, the falls are higher than Niagara and put on a show in spring and early summer, when water flows are at their peak PHOTO COURTESY OF IDAHO TOURISM after winter snowmelt. During high water years, the falls attract thousands of out-of-town spectators who KNOW BEFORE come to witness nature’s awesome power. YOU GO: Shoshone Falls access Even when the falls aren’t at their peak, they’re still an is available from 7 a.m. to dusk. Entry fees are inspirational sight. Make a day — or even a weekend! $3 per car and $20 per — of it by taking advantage of the hiking trails, tour bus. Season passes are $25 and can be playgrounds, picnic areas, boat ramps, and swimming purchased at the holes that surround the falls. You can rent a stand-up park entrance. paddleboard from the AWOL Dive & Kayak stand and get an up-close view of Shoshone Falls from below — an experience that visitors say they’ll never forget. VISITSOUTHIDAHO.COM TWIN FALLS ©BLIPPRINTERS The city of Twin Falls took its name from these two waterfalls in the Snake River Canyon. So why is only one waterfall visible today? A dam along the Snake River, which uses water for hydroelectricity throughout the year, diverted water away from the second KNOW BEFORE waterfall. However, Twin Falls still remains a beautiful YOU GO: The best time to see landmark in spring and early summer, when thousands Twin Falls is from March upon thousands of gallons of water plummet 125 feet through early June, to the river below. -
Geologic Map of the Twin Falls 30 X 60 Minute Quadrangle, Idaho
Geologic Map of the Twin Falls 30 x 60 Minute Quadrangle, Idaho Compiled and Mapped by Kurt L. Othberg, John D. Kauffman, Virginia S. Gillerman, and Dean L. Garwood 2012 Idaho Geological Survey Third Floor, Morrill Hall University of Idaho Geologic Map 49 Moscow, Idaho 83843-3014 2012 Geologic Map of the Twin Falls 30 x 60 Minute Quadrangle, Idaho Compiled and Mapped by Kurt L. Othberg, John D. Kauffman, Virginia S. Gillerman, and Dean L. Garwood INTRODUCTION 43˚ 115˚ The geology in the 1:100,000-scale Twin Falls 30 x 23 13 18 7 8 25 60 minute quadrangle is based on field work conduct- ed by the authors from 2002 through 2005, previous 24 17 14 16 19 20 26 1:24,000-scale maps published by the Idaho Geological Survey, mapping by other researchers, and compilation 11 10 from previous work. Mapping sources are identified 9 15 12 6 in Figures 1 and 2. The geologic mapping was funded in part by the STATEMAP and EDMAP components 5 1 2 22 21 of the U.S. Geological Survey’s National Cooperative 4 3 42˚ 30' Geologic Mapping Program (Figure 1). We recognize 114˚ that small map units in the Snake River Canyon are dif- 1. Bonnichsen and Godchaux, 1995a 15. Kauffman and Othberg, 2005a ficult to identify at this map scale and we direct readers 2. Bonnichsen and Godchaux, 16. Kauffman and Othberg, 2005b to the 1:24,000-scale geologic maps shown in Figure 1. 1995b; Othberg and others, 2005 17. Kauffman and others, 2005a 3. -
Minidoka Powerplant Unit 7 Structure Maintenance and Rehabilitation Minidoka County, Idaho
Finding of No Significant Impact Final Environmental Assessment Minidoka Powerplant Unit 7 Structure Maintenance and Rehabilitation Minidoka County, Idaho U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Reclamation Pacific Northwest Region Snake River Area Office PN FONSI # 18-11 Introduction The Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) has prepared this Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) to comply with the Council of Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations for implementing procedural provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). This document briefly describes the proposed action, other alternatives considered, the scoping process, Reclamation’s consultation and coordination activities, mitigation and Reclamation’s finding. The Final Environmental Assessment (EA) fully documents the analyses of the potential environmental effects of implementing the changes proposed. Location and Background The Minidoka Project, one of the earliest federal Reclamation projects in Idaho, comprises multiple facilities including Minidoka Dam, the reservoir it impounds (Lake Walcott), and Minidoka Powerplant. The Minidoka Project serves lands north and south of the Snake River. Minidoka Dam and Lake Walcott are located in south-central Idaho on the Snake River Plain, north of the junction of Interstate 84/86, east of the town of Rupert, Idaho. Minidoka Dam supplies irrigation water, provides irrigation water storage, and generates power via Minidoka Powerplant that is delivered to the Bonneville Power Administration for marketing (Hess et al. 2002). The original Minidoka Powerplant (Units 1 through 5), completed in 1910, had a total generation capacity of 7.5 megawatts. To meet increased power production needs of the Minidoka Project, as well as to keep pace with the growing market for power in nearby towns, Minidoka Powerplant’s Unit 6 was installed in 1927, and Unit 7 was installed in 1942. -
Southern Idaho Fast Facts
Southern Idaho Fast Facts Location: Contact: Located in south-central Idaho, the mighty Snake River and its magnificent canyon etch the Lisa Buddecke boundary of Southern Idaho’s numerous cities. Boise, the state capital, is about a 1.5 hour drive [email protected] 208-731-9996 Office west and Pocatello, the state’s third largest city, is a 1.5 hour drive east. Salt Lake City is about 3 southernidaho.org hours southeast and northern Nevada is less than 1 hour south. Ideal interstate availability, local goods and products are only one day via truck to Oregon, Washington (and their seaports), Utah and Nevada, and two days to California, Colorado and Arizona. The topographic, geographic location, and seasonal variation in climate create a unique and varied natural Important Facts: environment which ranges from the scenic high alpine country in the north to the desolate lava • Southern Idaho was designated as a Top plains and desert mountains in the south, including world-famous ski resort, Sun Valley. U.S. Manufacturing Community by the U.S. Department of Commerce – one of four U.S. regions in the Food Manufacturing category (July 2015) Population: • Southern Idaho leads the state’s Twin Falls Jerome Burley/Cassia Rupert/Minidoka agribusiness industry by contributing well City 45,981 11,038 10,456 5,617 over half of the state’s nearly $9.7 billion County 80,914 22,514 23,540 20,323 agriculture receipts for 2014. Glenns Ferry/Elmore Wendell/Gooding • Idaho Power customers pay some of City 1,600 3,475 the lowest prices in the country for County 26,187 15,291 electricity – second lowest in the Pacific Northwest. -
STEEL BRIDGES of EASTERN IDAHO ITD Key #12479/Project #A012(479)
STEEL BRIDGES OF EASTERN IDAHO ITD Key #12479/Project #A012(479) Prepared for IDAHO TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT By PRESERVATION SOLUTIONS LLC May 2018 TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements ....................................................................................................................................... 1 Introduction & Certification of Results ........................................................................................................... 2 Project Description ........................................................................................................................................ 3 Methodology .................................................................................................................................................. 6 Glossary ........................................................................................................................................................ 9 Survey Findings .......................................................................................................................................... 11 Historic Contexts ......................................................................................................................................... 22 Selected Bibliography ................................................................................................................................. 58 Appendix A: NRHP Evaluation Criteria ...................................................................................................... -
The Twin Falls Water Story: More Growth, Less Use
The Twin Falls Water Story: More Growth, Less Use In 1746 among the pages of Poor Richard’s Almanac, Benjamin Franklin noted astutely, “When the well is dry, we know the worth of water.” Those who are intimately involved in city planning can agree it’s best to not wait until the well is dry before understanding the many ways water sustains industry, commerce and the well-being of a population. The City of Twin Falls, Idaho, has made water management a priority for decades. As a result, groundwater consumption has gone down even as their population growth continues at a steady pace. The History of Twin Falls Water When exploring the dozens of waterfalls in the Magic Valley including the sprawling, thundering Shoshone Falls, it’s difficult to imagine the area as a parched desert. “The building of Milner Dam around 1900 is really what brought the City of Twin Falls to life,” said Brian Olmstead, general manager of the Twin Falls Canal Company. “It turned what was once a desert into the rich farmland that it is now.” The implementation of the Milner Dam and the subsequent canal system were an early result of the Carey Act of 1894. Also known as the Federal Desert Land Act, the act promoted cooperative ventures with private companies to establish irrigation systems that would allow large areas of semi-arid federal land to become agriculturally productive. The Milner Dam project provided water to nearly 200,000 acres on the south side of the Snake River. “The initial setup included irrigation shares and ditches that flowed to nearly every lot in town until about the 1960s,” Olmstead said. -
Twin Falls-Jerome Bridge HAER ID-3 Spanning Snake River on US
Twin Falls-Jerome Bridge HAER ID-3 Spanning Snake River on U.S. Highway 93 Twin Falls Twin Falls County | T^ lldaho PHOTOGRAPHS WRITTEN HISTORICAL AND DESCRIPTIVE DATA Historic American Engineering Record National Park Service Department of the Interior Washington, D.C. 20240 HISTORIC AMERICAN ENGINEERING RECORD TWIN FALLS-JEROME BRIDGE (Perrine Bridge) HAER ID-3 DATE: 1926-1927 LOCATION: Spanning Snake River on U.S. Highway 93 DESIGNED BY: R. M. Murray, demolished c .1946 OWNER: State of Idaho SIGNIFICANCE: The bridge was built by The Union Bridge Company of Portland, Oregon. It is a cantilever deck truss that rises 550 feet above the height of the River. At the time of construction it was reportedly the "highest" bridge in the world. HISTORIAN: Idaho Department of Transportation, 1977 TRANSMITTED BY: Gary Arabak, 1983 • Twin Falls-Jerome Bridge HAER ID-3 Page 2 PERRINE BRIDGE An unusual obstacle to travel disrupts communication across an otherwise open portion of the Snake river plains of southern Idaho. Immediately below Milner, the river descends into a narrow gorge that reaches a maximum depth of about 600 feet below Shoshone falls. Here the stream bec®mes unnavigable. Worse yet, roads and trails can cross the river at very few convenient spots. Travellers in the valley can come almost to the edge of the gorge without noticing that a large river is anywhere in the area. But aside from a spot above Murtaugh, no fairly easy grade could be constructed down both sides of the canyon to a bridge site for forty miles or more below Milner. -
Draft Environmental Impact Statement, Minidoka Dam Spillway
Draft Environmental Impact Statement Minidoka Dam Spillway Replacement Minidoka Project, Idaho U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Reclamation Pacific Northwest Region Snake River Area Office Boise, Idaho December 2009 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR The mission of the Department of the Interior is to protect and provide access to our Nation’s natural and cultural heritage and honor our trust responsibilities to Indian tribes and our commitments to island communities. MISSION OF THE BUREAU OF RECLAMATION The mission of the Bureau of Reclamation is to manage, develop, and protect water and related resources in an environmentally and economically sound manner in the interest of the American public. Draft Environmental Impact Statement Minidoka Dam Spillway Replacement Minidoka Project, Idaho U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Reclamation Pacific Northwest Region Snake River Area Office Boise, Idaho December 2009 Draft Environmental Impact Statement Minidoka Dam Spillway Replacement Minidoka County, Idaho Lead Agency: For further information contact: U.S. Department of the Interior Allyn Meuleman Bureau of Reclamation Snake River Area Office Pacific Northwest Region 230 Collins Road Boise, ID 83702-4520 (208) 383-2258 Cooperating Agency: U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Idaho Fish and Wildlife Office Abstract: This Draft Environmental Impact Statement (Draft EIS) examines alternatives to correcting structural problems at the Minidoka Dam Spillway and associated facilities on Lake Walcott, Idaho. Alternatives considered in the Draft EIS are the No Action, as required under the National Environmental Policy Act; total replacement of the spillway and headgate structures; and replacement of just the spillway. -
Boise Caldwell Nampa Idaho Falls Pocatello Twin Falls
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Bureau of :Reclama\.Ion
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT . OF THE IBTERIOR . GEOLOGICAL SUR'V'EY WATER :RESOURCES DIVISION GROUND WA'l;'ER :BRANCH PBELIMI:B'ARY ImPORT O!l GBOUID WATER IN THE :SOliABZA LAD AliEAv. POWEll .A:RD !LAINE COUNTIES, IDAHO B7 Harold Meisler Open-file r~rt. SnbJect to revision. Preparecl for the 11. s. :Bureau of :Reclama\.ion Boise, I4abo August 1958 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR GEOLOGICAL SURVEY WATER RESOURCES D!VI SION GROUND WATER BRANCH PRBILIMINARY :REPORT ON GROUID WATER IN THE :BONANZA L.AXE AREA 9 POWER ADD l3LAINE COUNTIES~ IDAHO ~ »y Harold Meisler OF 58-G7 9pen-file r~ort$ Snbject to revision. Prepared for the Uo S. !ureau of Bselamation Boise, Idaho August 1958 '· ·-. CONTENTS P~e Abstract . .. " . l Introduction . " .. • • 0 2 Purpose and scope of report . 2 Location and extent of area . 3 Methods of investigation . 3 Well-numbering s,ystem 5 ~ • 0 6 Geographic setting . o- "-• «> •~•• Geologie formations and their water-bearing Qba.racteristics g Ground water • . • • • • • 0 • . 13 Occurrence and sources • • 0 • • • . 13' 14 Direction of ground-water movement . ~ " Ground-water discharge • • " . • . • q • 14 Relation betw,een the regional water tabl·e and the Snake Riv .er • . • • • . • • • • • .. 10· • .. • • .. • • 16 Conclusions . Logs of wells and core holes . .. 21 References . • • • • • • .. • • . 28 ILLUSTRATION'S Plate 1 . Map of the :Bonanza Lake area showing well locations and water-table contour • • .. • • • • • • • • • ., Pocket Figure 1 • . Index map of southern I d.aho showillg area cover.ed , by this r .eport • • • • • . • . • • • • • • • • • 4 ILLUSTRATIONs--Continued Page Figure 4. Schematic diagram Showing possible relation of . ,_ ,· ground water to Snake River in area from American Falls Reservoir to Lake Walcott • • • 20 TABLES Table 1. -
County Comprehensive Plan
JEROME COUNTY COMPREHENSIVE PLAN TABLE OF CONTENTS Revised 11/13/2015 Section Page I. Introduction ...................................................................................................................................1 A. Setting ................................................................................................................................1 B. Purpose and Scope .............................................................................................................2 C. Private Property Rights ......................................................................................................4 D. Plan Structure ....................................................................................................................6 E. Plan Adoption and Review ................................................................................................8 II. Population ....................................................................................................................................9 A. Existing Conditions ...........................................................................................................9 1. 1990 Census Characteristics ...................................................................................10 a. Geographic Distribution ..............................................................................10 b. Age ..............................................................................................................10 c. Race and Hispanic Origin ...........................................................................12 -
American Falls Reservoir Is the Largest Reservoir of the Project
Finding of No Significant Impact Final Environmental Assessment Maintenance and Rehabilitation of Spillway and Dam Structures at American Falls Dam, Minidoka Project, Power County, Idaho U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Reclamation Pacific Northwest Region Snake River Area Office PN FONSI # 19-4 Introduction The Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) has prepared this Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) to comply with the Council of Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations for implementing procedural provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). This document briefly describes the proposed action, other alternatives considered, the scoping process, Reclamation’s consultation and coordination activities, mitigation, and Reclamation’s finding. The Final Environmental Assessment (EA) fully documents the analyses of the potential environmental effects of implementing the changes proposed. Location and Background The Minidoka Project (Project) was authorized by the Secretary of the Interior in 1904 and was the first Reclamation project constructed in Idaho. It is located in the Snake River Basin in the southeastern part of the state. American Falls Dam, completed in 1927, is a 94-foot-high composite concrete and earth gravity-type dam on river mile 714.7 of the Snake River near American Falls, Idaho. With a storage capacity of 1,700,000 acre-feet, American Falls Reservoir is the largest reservoir of the Project. The dam itself is located in Power County, Idaho, but the reservoir stretches northeast into both Bingham and Bannock Counties. American Falls Dam and Reservoir comprise a multi-purpose facility from which principle benefits include irrigation, power generation (through a powerplant owned and operated by Idaho Power), flood control, fish and wildlife resources, and recreation.