Great Falls (Missouri River waterfall)

Great Falls
Great Falls and Ryan Dam
Map of Montana
Location	Near Great Falls, Montana
Coordinates	47°34′07″N 111°07′27″W / 47.56862°N 111.1241°WCoordinates: 47°34′07″N 111°07′27″W / 47.56862°N 111.1241°W
Type	Segmented block
Total height	87 ft (27 m)
Number of drops	1
Total width	900 ft (270 m)
Watercourse	Missouri River
Average flow rate	8,500 cu ft/s (240 m^3/s)

Great Falls (also called Grand Falls or Big Falls^[1]) is a major waterfall located on the Missouri River in western Montana in the United States. It is the lowermost and largest of the eponymous Great Falls of the Missouri, at 87 feet (27 m) high and up to 900 feet (270 m) wide at peak flow. Although the falls used to flow powerfully year-round, most of the water is now diverted to the 60 megawatt hydroelectric plant of upstream Ryan Dam, reducing it to a trickle in the summer months.^[2] Grand Falls was named by William Clark of the Lewis and Clark Expedition in 1805.

References

1. "Great Falls of the Missouri". Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology. Retrieved 2012-01-14.
2. "Ryan Dam". Producing Power. pplmontana.com. Retrieved 2011-01-14.