A coulee (or coulée) is a deep steep-sided ravine formed by erosion, commonly found in the northwestern United States and southwestern Canada. Most coulees were originally formed during the rapid melting of the glaciers at the end of the last Ice age. Some coulees are dry for most of the year; others may contain small streams.
The word "coulee" comes from the French Canadian coulée, from French word "couler" meaning "to flow".
The term is oten used interchangeably in the Great Plains for any number of water features, from ponds to creeks.
An alternate meaning for this term exists in southern Louisiana where it identifies a large, paved channel for water runoff.
Grand Coulee Dam[kOO´lE] Pronunciation Key, 550 ft (168 m) high and 4,173 ft (1,272 m) long, on the Columbia River, N central Wash., NW of Spokane; built 1933–42 as a key unit in the Columbia basin project of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.
Grand Coulee Dam, one of the world's largest concrete dams, is used for flood control, river navigation, irrigation, and power production that services the varied manufacturing in the area.
The coulee, dammed at each end, is used as a reservoir (Banks Lake); it supplies water to more than 500,000 acres (202,343 hectares) on the plateau and acts as a backup against pump and power failures.
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