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| Grand Coulee Dam | |
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| Creates | Franklin Delano Roosevelt Lake Banks Lake |
|---|---|
| Locale | Grand Coulee, Washington |
| Maintained by | U.S. Bureau of Reclamation |
| Length | 5,223 ft (1592 m)Grand Coulee Dam. U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. Retrieved on 2006-11-18. |
| Height | 550 ft (168 m) |
| Opening date | June 1, 1942 |
| Geographical Data | |
| Coordinates | |
For the town, see Coulee Dam, Washington.
Grand Coulee Dam is a hydroelectric gravity dam on the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington. It is the largest electric power producing facilityRenewable Energy Sources: A Consumer\'s Guide. U.S. Department of Energy: Energy Information Administration. Retrieved on 2006-11-18. and the largest concrete structure in the United States.Larsen, Jeff (2002-10-03). Short Trips: Take a step back to take in a concrete wonder. Seattle Post Intelligencer. Retrieved on 2006-11-19.
The reservoir is called Franklin Delano Roosevelt Lake, named after the United States President who presided over the completion of the dam. The foundation was built by the MWAK Company, a joint effort of several contractors united for this purpose. Consolidated Builders Incorporated, including industrialist Henry J. Kaiser, completed the dam. The United States Bureau of Reclamation supervised the contractors and operates the dam. Folk singer Woody Guthrie was commissioned by the Bonneville Power Administration to write songs about the Columbia Basin Project, the song Grand Coulee Dam is one of that series.
The Grand Coulee Dam is almost a mile long. It is taller than the Great Pyramid of Giza; all the pyramids at Giza could fit within its base. It is more than twice as tall as Niagara Falls.
The dam was built as part of the Columbia Basin Project for irrigation of desert areas of the Pacific Northwest and for the production of electricity.Grand Coulee Dam and the Columbia Basin Project (PDF). The World Commission on Dams. Retrieved on 2006-11-19. Excavation of the site began in December of 1933 as a public works project and finished toward the beginning of WWII. The initial construction plan was for a shorter dam with one partial completed powerhouse with available expansion from 6 units to 18. During construction, the design was changed to the higher specification in order to employ more and enlarge the irrigation capacity. Its height is 1330 above sea level at the roadway, the reservoir height is measured when water reaches the top of the drumgates which is 1,290 ft above sea level (10 feet below the roadway).Lake Roosevelt, Administrative History. U.S. National Park Service: Department of the Interior. Retrieved on 2006-11-20.
Construction of the original dam. The left section would be blown up in the late sixties to make way for powerhouse #3
One of six new Francis turbines, rated at nearly one million hp, being installed in powerhouse #3.
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The primary goal of irrigation was postponed as the war time need for electricity increased. Aluminum smelting was vital to the war effort, and to airplane construction in particular. The electricity was also used to power plutonium production reactors and reprocessing facilities at the Hanford Site, which was part of the then-top secret Manhattan Project. The dam was designed by Frank A. Banks.The United Press. Builder of Grand Coulee To Retire and Live Near It. The New York Times, September 12 1950.
Because of the critical importance of the constant supply of electrical power to the Hanford plutonium production facility, a Pumped-storage hydroelectricity capability was added to the dam so that if the main powerhouse were incapacitated (i.e. by enemy attack, such as the Japanese Fire balloon), backup power could be provided by the pump/generators that, instead of pushing water to Banks Lake in pumping from the pump, would reverse and become a generator from the falling water. This function has been used every year when the irrigation reservoir is drawn down in the winter.
The dam was instrumental in the industrial development of the Pacific Northwest.
The original goal of irrigation resumed after the war. A water distribution network was built using the adjacent Grand Coulee to hold the main reservoir now known as Banks Lake. Additional dams, siphons, and canals were constructed, creating a vast irrigation supply network called the Columbia Basin Project. Irrigation began in 1951.
Water is pumped up 280 feet (85 m) from Lake Roosevelt to Banks Lake using twelve 14-foot-wide pipes. Pumped-storage hydroelectricity capability was incorporated into the final six pumps. During low-demand periods, water is pumped into Banks Lake, to be used later during high-demand periods. Water flow is reversed, powering generators as it falls back into Lake Roosevelt. This function is used regularly when irrigation water demand is low and electricity demand is high.
Between 1966 and 1974 the dam was expanded to add the Third Powerhouse. This involved demolishing the Northeast side of the dam and building a new forebay section. The addition made the dam more than a mile long and accommodated six new generators. Original designs for the powerhouse had twelve smaller units but was changed to keep the number one slot. The new turbines and generators, three 600 MW and three 805 MW units, are some of the largest ever produced. The expansion was completed in the early eighties and made the Grand Coulee Dam one of the largest hydroelectric producers in the world.
The expansion of the dam also required the installation of over 20 km of oil-cooled cables. These 6" cables, made in Japan by Sumitomo Electric, are rated to a maximum potential of 525 kV and are connected to powerful pumps which circulate the oil through the cables during normal operation.
The dam had negative consequences for the local Native American tribes whose traditional way of life revolved around salmon. Grand Coulee Dam and nearby Chief Joseph Dam (built in 1953) permanently block anadromous fish,Gulick, Bill (1996). A Traveler\'s History of Washington. Caldwell, Idaho: Caxton Press, 388. removing over a thousand miles of their traditional spawning grounds. The various confederated tribes of the Colville Indian Reservation live along the Columbia River. Grand Coulee Dam flooded over 21,000 acres (85 km²) of prime bottom land where Indians had been living for thousands of years, forcing the relocation of settlements and graveyards.Harden, Blaine (1996). A River Lost: The Life and Death of the Columbia. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 106-107. The ancient and important salmon fishing site at Kettle Falls was inundated. The town of Kettle Falls was relocated. The environmental impact of the dam effectively ended the traditional way of life of the native inhabitants, who sued the government. The government eventually compensated the Colville Indians in the 1990s with a lump settlement of approximately $52 million.
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The visitor center contains many historical photos, geological samples, turbine and dam models, and a well used theater. Since 1989, on summer evenings, The laser light show at Grand Coulee Dam is projected onto the dam\'s wall. The show includes full-size images of battleships and the Statue of Liberty, as well as some environmental comments. Tours of the new Third Powerhouse are available to the public but have been scaled back for security reasons. Visitors are able to ride a glass elevator, on top of the forebay penstocks, 400 feet down to view the generators.
Panoramic view of the dam, looking Southeast. Powerhouse number three, visible at the lower left of the dam, is large enough to hold five football fields end to end.
An 87.5 kg (192.9 lb) nut and bolt, one of sixteen used to join sections of the generator shaft of a 75000 kW generator at Grand Coulee Dam in 1942
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| Hydroelectric dams on the Columbia River |
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| Bonneville • The Dalles • John Day • McNary • Priest Rapids • Wanapum • Rock Island • Rocky Reach • Wells • Chief Joseph • Grand Coulee • Keenleyside • Revelstoke • Mica |
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