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Hydroelectric dams on the Columbia River
Columbia River
The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains in British Columbia, Canada, flows northwest and then south into the U.S. state of Washington, then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and the state...

in North America

North America

North America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and in the western hemisphere. It is bordered on the north by the Arctic Ocean, on the east by the North Atlantic Ocean, on the southeast by the Caribbean Sea, and on the west by the North Pacific...

.

(Listed in order from the headwaters, to the Pacific Ocean

Pacific Ocean

The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. Its name is derived from the Latin name Tepre Pacificum, "peaceful sea", bestowed upon it by the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan. It extends from the Arctic in the north to Antarctica in the south, bounded by Asia and...

)

Mainstem Columbia dams

Name	Capacity (MW)	Rank	Location	Date authorized	Date completed	Lake formed
Mica Dam Mica Dam Mica Dam is a hydroelectric dam spanning the Columbia River 135 kilometres north of Revelstoke, British Columbia, Canada. Completed in 1973 under the terms of the 1964 Columbia River Treaty, the Mica powerhouse has a generating capacity of 1805 megawatts . The dam is operated by BC Hydro...	1,805	5	British Columbia British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is famed for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . In 1871, it became the sixth province of Canada.The capital of British Columbia is Victoria, the 15th largest metropolitan region in Canada... , Canada Canada Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean...	1964	1973	Kinbasket Lake Kinbasket Lake Kinbasket Lake is a reservoir on the Columbia River in southeast British Columbia, north of the town of Revelstoke and Golden. To the north it almost reaches the town of Valemount in an impoundment of the Canoe River...
Revelstoke Dam Revelstoke Dam Revelstoke Dam, also known as Revelstoke Canyon Dam, is a hydroelectric dam spanning the Columbia River, 5 km north of Revelstoke, British Columbia, Canada. The powerhouse was completed in 1984 and has a generating capacity of 1980 MW. Four generating units were installed initially, with room for...	1,980	4	B.C.	1964	1984	Revelstoke Lake Revelstoke Lake Lake Revelstoke or Revelstoke Lake or Revelstoke Lake Reservoir is an artificial lake on the Columbia River, north of the town of Revelstoke, British Columbia and south of Mica Creek...
Keenleyside Dam Keenleyside Dam Hugh Keenleyside Dam is a hydroelectric dam spanning the Columbia River, 12 km upstream of the city of Castlegar, British Columbia, Canada....	185	14	B.C.	1964	1968	Arrow Lakes Arrow Lakes The Arrow Lakes in British Columbia, Canada, divided into Upper Arrow Lake and Lower Arrow Lake, are widenings of the Columbia River. The lakes are situated between the Selkirk Mountains to the east and the Monashee Mountains to the west. Beachland is fairly rare, and is interspersed with rocky...
Grand Coulee Dam Grand Coulee Dam Grand Coulee Dam is a hydroelectric gravity dam on the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington. In the United States, it is the largest electric power-producing facility and the largest concrete structure...	6,809	1	Washington Washington Washington is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. Washington was carved out of the western part of Washington Territory which had been ceded by Britain in 1846 by the Oregon Treaty as settlement of the Oregon Boundary Dispute. It was admitted to the Union as the... , USA United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...	1933	1951	Franklin D. Roosevelt Lake Franklin D. Roosevelt Lake Franklin D. Roosevelt Lake is the reservoir created in 1941 by the impoundment of the Columbia River by the Grand Coulee Dam in Washington state. It is named for Franklin D. Roosevelt, who was President during the construction of the dam... , Banks Lake Banks Lake Banks Lake is a 27 mile long reservoir in central Washington in the United States.Part of the Columbia Basin Project, Banks Lake occupies the northern portion of the Grand Coulee, a formerly dry coulee near the Columbia River, formed by the Missoula Floods during the Pleistocene epoch...
Chief Joseph Dam Chief Joseph Dam Chief Joseph Dam is a 5,962 foot long hydroelectric dam spanning the Columbia River, upriver from Bridgeport, Washington, USA. The dam was authorized as Foster Creek Dam and Powerhouse for power generation and irrigation by the River and Harbor Act of 1946...	2,620	2	WA	1946	1955	Rufus Woods Lake Rufus Woods Lake Rufus Woods Lake is a reservoir on the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington. It was created in 1955 with the construction of Chief Joseph Dam....
Wells Dam Wells Dam Wells Dam is a hydroelectric dam located on the Columbia River, downstream from the confluence of the Okanogan River, Methow River, and the Columbia River in Washington State. The dam, associated structures, and machinery make up the Wells Hydroelectric Project. It is owned and operated by...	840	12	WA		1967	Lake Pateros Lake Pateros Lake Pateros is a reservoir on the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington. It was created in 1967 with the construction of Wells Dam. Towns on Lake Pateros include Pateros and Brewster, Washington....
Rocky Reach Dam Rocky Reach Dam Rocky Reach Dam is a hydroelectric dam in the U.S. state of Washington. Chelan County Public Utility District's Rocky Reach Dam and Hydro Project is located in north central Washington state, USA on the Columbia River, about seven miles upstream from the city of Wenatchee...	1,287	7	WA	1956	1961	Lake Entiat Lake Entiat Lake Entiat is a reservoir in Chelan County in North Central Washington that is formed above Rocky Reach Dam , a hydroelectric dam on the Columbia River. The reservoir is north of Wenatchee....
Rock Island Dam Rock Island Dam Rock Island Dam is a hydroelectric dam on the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington. Chelan County Public Utility District's Rock Island Dam and Hydro Project was the first dam to span the Columbia. It is located near the geographical center of Washington, about 12 miles downstream from...	660	13	WA	1929	1953	Rock Island Pool Rock Island Pool Rock Island Pool is a reservoir on the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington. It was created in 1933 with the construction of Rock Island Dam....
Wanapum Dam Wanapum Dam Wanapum Dam is a hydroelectric project located on the Columbia River downstream from Vantage, Washington where Interstate 90 crosses the Columbia from Grant County into Kittitas County. It is owned by the Grant County Public Utility District...	1,038	9	WA			Lake Wanapum Lake Wanapum Wanapum Lake is a reservoir on the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington. It was created in 1963 with the construction of Wanapum Dam....
Priest Rapids Dam Priest Rapids Dam Priest Rapids Dam is a hydroelectric, concrete gravity dam; located on the Columbia River, between the Yakima Firing Range and the Hanford Nuclear Reservation, and bridges Yakima County and Grant County, in the U.S. state of Washington. The dam is 24 miles south of the town of Vantage, and 47 miles...	955	11	WA	1950	1961	Priest Rapids Lake Priest Rapids Lake Priest Rapids Lake is a reservoir on the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington. It was created in 1959 with the construction of Priest Rapids Dam....
McNary Dam McNary Dam McNary Dam is a 1.4 mile long hydroelectric dam which spans the Columbia River. It joins Umatilla County, Oregon with Benton County, Washington, 292 miles upriver from the mouth of the Columbia at Astoria, Oregon. It is operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' McNary Lock and Dam office...	980	10	between WA and Oregon Oregon Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...	1941	1954	Lake Wallula Lake Wallula Lake Wallula is an reservoir on the Columbia River in the United States, between the U.S. states of Washington and Oregon. It was created in 1954 with the construction of McNary Dam. It reaches from McNary Dam near the city of Umatilla, Oregon, to the Tri-Cities of Washington....
John Day Dam John Day Dam John Day Dam is a hydroelectric dam spanning the Columbia River in the northwestern United States. The dam features a navigation lock plus fish ladders on both sides. The John Day Lock has the highest lift of any U.S. lock...	2,160	3	between WA and OR	1958	1971	Lake Umatilla Lake Umatilla Lake Umatilla is a long reservoir on the Columbia River in the United States, between the U.S. states of Washington and Oregon. It was created in 1971 with the construction of John Day Dam....
The Dalles Dam The Dalles Dam The Dalles Dam is a hydroelectric dam spanning the Columbia River, two-miles east of the city of The Dalles, Oregon, United States. It joins Wasco County, Oregon with Klickitat County, Washington, 192 miles upriver from the mouth of the Columbia near Astoria, Oregon...	1,780	6	between WA and OR		1960	Lake Celilo Lake Celilo Lake Celilo is a long reservoir on the Columbia River in the United States, between the U.S. states of Washington and Oregon. It was created in 1957 with the construction of The Dalles Dam near the The Dalles, Oregon. Its filling drowned the former site of Celilo Falls and the neighboring fishing...
Bonneville Dam Bonneville Dam Bonneville Lock and Dam consists of several dam structures that together complete a span of the Columbia River between the U.S. states of Oregon and Washington at River Mile 146.1. The dam is located east of Portland, Oregon, in the Columbia River Gorge. The primary functions of Bonneville Lock...	1,050	8	between WA and OR		1937	Lake Bonneville Lake Bonneville (Oregon) Lake Bonneville is a reservoir on the Columbia River in the U.S. states of Oregon and Washington. It was created in 1937 with the construction of Bonneville Dam....
Total	24,149

Snake River

Name	Purpose(s)	Capacity (MW)	Year	Owner name	Reservoir name	Comments
Ice Harbor Ice Harbor Lock and Dam Ice Harbor Lock and Dam is a hydroelectric, concrete, gravity dam on the Snake River in Walla Walla and Franklin counties in the U.S. state of Washington. The dam is located 8 miles northeast of the town of Burbank and 12 miles east of Pasco, river mile 9.2...	Navigation, hydroelectric	603	1962	USACE United States Army Corps of Engineers The United States Army Corps of Engineers is a federal agency and a major Army command made up of some 34,600 civilian and 650 military personnel, making it the world's largest public engineering, design and construction management agency...	Lake Sacajawea Lake Sacajawea (Washington) Lake Sacajawea is formed by the Ice Harbor dam. It is named for Sacajawea, a Shoshone woman who accompanied Meriwether Lewis and William Clark during their exploration of the American West....
Lower Monumental Lower Monumental Lock and Dam Lower Monumental Lock and Dam is a hydroelectric, concrete, gravity dam on the Snake River, and bridges Franklin County and Walla Walla County, in the state of Washington. The dam is located six miles south of the town of Kahlotus, and 43 miles north of the town of Walla Walla.Construction began...	Navigation, hydroelectric	810	1969	USACE United States Army Corps of Engineers The United States Army Corps of Engineers is a federal agency and a major Army command made up of some 34,600 civilian and 650 military personnel, making it the world's largest public engineering, design and construction management agency...	Lake Herbert G. West Lake Herbert G. West Lake Herbert G. West is a reservoir formed by the Lower Monumental Dam. It extends up the Snake River for 28 miles to the tailwater of Little Goose Dam...
Little Goose Little Goose Lock and Dam Little Goose Lock and Dam is a hydroelectric, concrete, gravity dam in Columbia and Whitman counties in the state of Washington, on the Snake River. The dam is located northeast of the town of Starbuck, and north of Dayton....	Navigation, hydroelectric	810	1970	USACE United States Army Corps of Engineers The United States Army Corps of Engineers is a federal agency and a major Army command made up of some 34,600 civilian and 650 military personnel, making it the world's largest public engineering, design and construction management agency...	Lake Bryan
Lower Granite Lower Granite Lock and Dam Lower Granite Lock and Dam is a hydroelectric concrete gravity dam on the Snake River, and bridges Whitman County and Garfield County, in the U.S. state of Washington. The dam is located 22 miles south of the town of Colfax, and 35 miles north of Pomeroy.Construction began in July 1965...	Navigation, hydroelectric	810	1972	USACE United States Army Corps of Engineers The United States Army Corps of Engineers is a federal agency and a major Army command made up of some 34,600 civilian and 650 military personnel, making it the world's largest public engineering, design and construction management agency...	Lower Granite Lake
Hells Canyon Hells Canyon Dam Hells Canyon Dam is a concrete gravity dam on the Snake River in Hells Canyon on the Idaho-Oregon border. The dam impounds the Snake River in Hells Canyon Reservoir; its spillway elevation is 1680 feet above sea level....	Hydroelectric	391	1967	Idaho Power Company Idaho Power Company Idaho Power Company is a regulated electrical power utility. its business involves the purchase, sale, generation, transmission and distribution of electricity in Oregon and Idaho. It is a subsidiary of IDACORP, Inc...	Hells Canyon Reservoir	No fish passage.
Oxbow Oxbow Dam Oxbow Dam is a hydroelectric run-of-the-river rockfill dam on the Snake River on the Idaho-Oregon border, in Hells Canyon . It is part of the Hells Canyon Project that also includes Hells Canyon Dam and Brownlee Dam, built and operated by Idaho Power Company.The dam's powerhouse contains four...	Hydroelectric	190	1961	Idaho Power Company Idaho Power Company Idaho Power Company is a regulated electrical power utility. its business involves the purchase, sale, generation, transmission and distribution of electricity in Oregon and Idaho. It is a subsidiary of IDACORP, Inc...	Oxbow Reservoir
Brownlee Brownlee Dam Brownlee Dam is a hydroelectric run-of-the-river earth fill dam on the Snake River on the Idaho-Oregon border, in Hells Canyon . It impounds the Snake River in the long Brownlee Reservoir...	Hydroelectric	585.4	1958	Idaho Power Company Idaho Power Company Idaho Power Company is a regulated electrical power utility. its business involves the purchase, sale, generation, transmission and distribution of electricity in Oregon and Idaho. It is a subsidiary of IDACORP, Inc...	Brownlee Reservoir
Swan Falls Swan Falls Dam Swan Falls Dam is a concrete gravity type hydroelectric dam on the Snake River, in the U.S. state of Idaho. It is located near Murphy, Idaho....	Hydroelectric		1901	Idaho Power Company Idaho Power Company Idaho Power Company is a regulated electrical power utility. its business involves the purchase, sale, generation, transmission and distribution of electricity in Oregon and Idaho. It is a subsidiary of IDACORP, Inc...
C. J. Strike C. J. Strike Dam C. J. Strike Dam is an earth-fill type hydroelectric dam on the Snake River, just below the Bruneau River confluence, in the U.S. state of Idaho. Its location is near Grand View, Idaho. Its impoundment extends up the Snake River and 12 miles up the Bruneau River.The dam's powerplant has a...	Hydroelectric	82.8	1952	Idaho Power Company Idaho Power Company Idaho Power Company is a regulated electrical power utility. its business involves the purchase, sale, generation, transmission and distribution of electricity in Oregon and Idaho. It is a subsidiary of IDACORP, Inc...	C. J. Strike Reservoir C. J. Strike Reservoir C.J. Strike Reservoir is a reservoir located in south western Idaho. Its main recreational features include the C. J. Strike Dam and its reservoir, an impoundment of the Snake River and Bruneau River...
Bliss Bliss Dam Bliss Dam is a concrete gravity-type hydroelectric dam on the Snake River, in the U.S. state of Idaho. The dam is located near Bliss, Idaho.Along with the Upper Salmon Falls and Lower Salmon Falls dam projects, Bliss Dam is part of Idaho Power Company's Mid-Snake Projects. The Mid-Snake Projects in...	Hydroelectric		1950	Idaho Power Company Idaho Power Company Idaho Power Company is a regulated electrical power utility. its business involves the purchase, sale, generation, transmission and distribution of electricity in Oregon and Idaho. It is a subsidiary of IDACORP, Inc...		Mid-Snake Project.
Milner Milner Dam Milner Dam is a rockfill dam near Burley in south central Idaho. It impounds the Snake River in a reservoir named Milner Lake.Its construction was completed in 1905. Its primary purpose is irrigation but it also produces hydroelectricity. It is currently owned and operated by Milner Dam, Inc.The...	Irrigation, hydroelectric		1905	Milner Dam, Inc.	Milner Lake
Minidoka Minidoka Dam The Minidoka Dam is an earthfill dam on the Snake River in south central Idaho. The dam, originally completed in 1906, is east of Rupert on county highway 400; it is 86 feet high and nearly a mile in length....	Irrigation, hydroelectric		1906	Bureau of Reclamation United States Bureau of Reclamation The Bureau of Reclamation is an agency under the U.S. Department of the Interior and oversees water resource management, specifically as it applies to the oversight and/or operation of numerous water diversion, delivery, and storage and hydroelectric power generation projects it built throughout...	Lake Walcott Lake Walcott Lake Walcott is a reservoir in south central Idaho in the northwestern United States. The damming of the Snake River by the Minidoka irrigation project formed the 11,000 acre lake beginning in 1909. "Bird Island" is an island in the lake. Lake Walcott is used for water-sports and fishing; although...	Minidoka Project.
American Falls American Falls Dam The American Falls Dam is a concrete gravity-type dam located near the town of American Falls, Idaho, on the Snake River. The dam and reservoir are a part of the Minidoka Irrigation Project on the Snake River Plain and are used primarily for flood control, irrigation, and recreation...	Irrigation		1927, replaced 1978	Bureau of Reclamation United States Bureau of Reclamation The Bureau of Reclamation is an agency under the U.S. Department of the Interior and oversees water resource management, specifically as it applies to the oversight and/or operation of numerous water diversion, delivery, and storage and hydroelectric power generation projects it built throughout...	American Falls Reservoir	Minidoka Project.
Gem State Gem State Dam Gem State Dam is a concrete and rock-fill gravity dam on the Snake River, in the U.S. state of Idaho. Its location is near Idaho Falls, Idaho. The dam's primary purpose is to generate hydroelectricity, but it also provides water for irrigation agriculture....	Hydroelectric, irrigation		1988	City of Idaho Falls Idaho Falls, Idaho Idaho Falls is the county seat and largest city of Bonneville County, Idaho, United States. As of the 2000 census, the population of Idaho Falls was 50,730, with a 2008 metro population of 122,995.Idaho Falls is the largest city in the Eastern Idaho region...
Jackson Lake Jackson Lake Dam Jackson Lake Dam is a concrete and earth-fill dam at the outlet of Jackson Lake in northwestern Wyoming, USA. The lake and dam are situated within Grand Teton National Park in Teton County. The Snake River emerges from the dam and flows about through Wyoming, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington to its...	Irrigation		1916, upgraded 1989	Bureau of Reclamation United States Bureau of Reclamation The Bureau of Reclamation is an agency under the U.S. Department of the Interior and oversees water resource management, specifically as it applies to the oversight and/or operation of numerous water diversion, delivery, and storage and hydroelectric power generation projects it built throughout...	Jackson Lake Jackson Lake Jackson Lake is a lake located in north western Wyoming in Grand Teton National Park. The lake is natural, except for the top 33 feet , which is due to the construction of Jackson Lake Dam, built in 1911. This top level of the lake is utilized by farmers in Idaho for irrigation purposes...	Minidoka Project.

Hydroelectric dams on the Columbia River

Mainstem Columbia dams

Snake River

See also