History
In 1992 construction was completed on the dam modification (which raised the dam 25 feet), the new power plant, and the visitor's center.
Floodwaters of the Shoshone River are stored in Buffalo Bill Reservoir for later release for irrigation and power generation. Power is developed at the Buffalo Bill, Spirit Mountain, Shoshone and Heart Mountain Power plants. The system is interconnected with the West Division of the Pick-Sloan Missouri Basin Program.
The Secretary of the Interior authorized the Shoshone Project on February 10, 1904, under authority of the Reclamation Act of June 17, 1902, and authorized Heart Mountain power development on June 19, 1945, under the provisions of the Reclamation Project Act of 1939.
Plan
Power produced on the project is fed into a grid system, which serves an area extending into three States. Buffalo Bill Dam began storing water in 1910. The dam and reservoir are located in a rugged scenic canyon adjacent to a main highway which leads into Yellowstone National Park. A contract was completed in FY 2003 to furnish and install a new 15 kV vacuum circuit breaker to replace a failed and disconnected switch on the power transformer ring bus. In 1992 construction was completed on the dam modification (which raised the dam 25 feet), the new power plant, and the visitor's center.
