Delays, closures possible depending on work schedules

PPL Montana will keep open the road that provides access to Madison Dam and Bear Trap Canyon as much as reasonably possible, but reminds the public that it may be subject to closure or delay depending on construction vehicles that use the road.

“The safety of the public and our employees is our top priority as we work to remove a boulder that fell from the canyon wall Aug. 30 onto the top of the western crest of the dam,” said David Hoffman, director of External Affairs for PPL Montana.

Hoffman said the work at Madison Dam will require large equipment to use the bridge and road, and the use of barges in Ennis Lake. “We will have staff at the site to direct the public and provide information,” he said.

Repairs to Madison Dam should be completed by the end of the year. Damaged equipment on the dam includes three spill gates, walkways and wooden flashboards that sit atop the dam to raise the level of water it is able to hold back.

Madison Dam is a four-unit hydroelectric plant on the Madison River at the head of Bear Trap Canyon about 10 miles north of Ennis. The units have a total generating capacity of 9 megawatts. Madison Dam is 257 feet long and 35 feet high.

PPL has 500 employees in Montana who generate and sell electricity. PPL Montana operates coal-fired power plants at Colstrip and Billings, as well as 11 hydroelectric power plants along Rosebud Creek and the Missouri, Madison, Clark Fork and Flathead rivers. It has a combined generating capacity of about 1,200 megawatts and has offices in Billings, Butte and Helena. PPL EnergyPlus operates a trading floor in Butte that markets and sells power in the wholesale and retail energy market. PPL Montana and PPL EnergyPlus are subsidiaries of PPL Corporation (NYSE: PPL).