Grand Coulee Dam
Link title
Creates	Franklin Delano Roosevelt Lake
Locale	Grand Coulee, Washington
Maintained by	U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
Length	5,223 ft (1592 m)[1]
Height	550 ft (168 m)
Opening date	June 1, 1942
Geographical Data
Coordinates	47°57.4′N 118°59′WCoordinates: 47°57.4′N 118°59′W
Coordinates	47°57′26″N 118°58′30″W / 47.95727, -118.97503

Grand Coulee Dam is a hydroelectric gravity dam on the Columbia River in Washington. It is the largest electric power producing facility in the United States,^[3] and the largest concrete structure in the U.S.^[4] Download high resolution version (1024x825, 149 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Franklin D. Roosevelt Lake is the lake created by the Grand Coulee Dam. ... Grand Coulee is a city located in Grant County, Washington. ... The United States Bureau of Reclamation (Formerly the United States Reclamation Service) is a division of the U.S. Department of the Interior which oversees water development projects in the western United States. ... This article is about a foot as a unit of length. ... June 1 is the 152nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (153rd in leap years), with 213 days remaining. ... 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1942 calendar). ... Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ... Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ... Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ... Coulee Dam is a town located in Washington. ... Hydroelectric dam diagram The waters of Llyn Stwlan, the upper reservoir of the Ffestiniog Pumped-Storage Scheme in north Wales, can just be glimpsed on the right. ... dam stands for dekametre. ... The Columbia River (French: fleuve Columbia) is a river situated in British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest of the United States. ... Official language(s) English Capital Olympia Largest city Seattle Area  Ranked 18th  - Total 71,342 sq mi (184,827 km²)  - Width 240 miles (385 km)  - Length 360 miles (580 km)  - % water 6. ... For delivered electrical power, see Electrical power industry. ...

The reservoir it backs up 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) and Consolidated Builders Incorporated completed it, including industrialist Henry J. Kaiser. The United States Bureau of Reclamation supervised the contractors and operates the dam. The dam is almost a mile long and is taller than the Great Pyramid of Giza. In fact, all the pyramids at Giza could fit within the base of the Grand Coulee Dam. It is more than twice as tall as Niagara Falls. The Ashokan Reservoir, located in Ulster County, New York, USA. It is one of 19 that supplies New York City with drinking water. ... Franklin D. Roosevelt Lake (also called Lake Roosevelt) is the lake created by the Grand Coulee Dam in Washington state. ... Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882–April 12, 1945), 32nd President of the United States, the longest-serving holder of the office and the only man to be elected President more than twice, was one of the central figures of 20th century history. ... Henry J. Kaiser perches above HawaiÊ»i Kai in April 1963, his suburban development in Honolulu. ... The United States Bureau of Reclamation (Formerly the United States Reclamation Service) is a division of the U.S. Department of the Interior which oversees water development projects in the western United States. ... The Great Pyramid of Giza is the oldest and the largest of the three pyramids in the Giza Necropolis bordering what is now Cairo, Egypt in Africa ( ). The oldest and only remaining member of the Seven Wonders of the World, it is believed to have been constructed over a 20... Pyramids of Giza in 1960s Egypt: Site of Giza or Al Jizah (top center). ... For other uses, see Niagara Falls (disambiguation). ...

History

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.

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.^[5] 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.^[6] Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Download high resolution version (800x702, 99 KB)A water turbine at the Grand Coulee Dam. ... Download high resolution version (800x702, 99 KB)A water turbine at the Grand Coulee Dam. ... Francis turbine (courtsey Voith-Siemens). ... hp, see HP (disambiguation) The horsepower (hp) is the name of several non-metric units of power. ... The Columbia Basin Irrigation Project The Columbia Basin Project is an irrigation project Central Washington State, USA. It provides water for over 600,000 acres (2,400 km of agriculture. ... High-altitude aerial view of irrigation in the Heart of the Sahara ( ) Irrigation is the replacement or supplementation of rainfall with water from another source in order to grow crops or plants. ... This article is about arid terrain. ... The Pacific Northwest from space This page is about the region that includes parts of Canada and the United States. ... Lightning strikes during a night-time thunderstorm. ... The Public Works Administration of 1933 (PWA) was a part of the first New Deal agency that made contracts with private firms for construction of public works. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000...

Original construction

The primary goal of irrigation was postponed as the war time need for electricity increased. Aluminum smelting was vital to the war effort, airplane construction in particular. The electricity was also used to power plutonium production reactors and reprocessing facilities at the Hanford Site as part of the top secret Manhattan Project. 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 form the pump would reverse and become a generator from the falling water. This function has been used every year when the irrigation reservior is drawn down in the winter. The dam was instrumental in the industrial development of the Pacific Northwest. Aluminum is a soft and lightweight metal with a dull silvery appearance, due to a thin layer of oxidation that forms quickly when it is exposed to air. ... General Name, Symbol, Number plutonium, Pu, 94 Chemical series actinides Group, Period, Block n/a, 7, f Appearance silvery white Standard atomic weight (244) g·mol−1 Electron configuration [Rn] 5f6 7s2 Electrons per shell 2, 8, 18, 32, 24, 8, 2 Physical properties Phase solid Density (near r. ... Hanford Site plutonium production reactors along the Columbia River during the Manhattan Project. ... The Manhattan Project resulted in nuclear weapons, and the first-ever nuclear detonation, at the Trinity test of July 16, 1945. ... Pumped storage hydroelectricity is a method of storing and producing electricity to supply high peak demands by moving water between reservoirs at different elevations. ... Shotdown fire balloon reinflated by Americans in California The term fire balloon can mean a small unmanned hot air balloon for festivities; this is also called a sky lantern. ... The Pacific Northwest from space This page is about the region that includes parts of Canada and the United States. ...

The original goal of irrigation resumed after the war. A distribution network for water was built using the Grand Coulee, a dry canyon-like former Columbia River bed coulee whose rim is 1,600 feet (200 m) above the undammed height of the Columbia river, as the main reservoir. Additional dams, siphons, and canals were constructed, creating a vast irrigation supply network called the Columbia Basin Project. The water-filled lake in Grand Coulee is called Banks Lake. The Grand Coulee The Grand Coulee is an ancient river bed in the U.S. state of Washington. ... A coulee (or coulée) is a deep steep-sided ravine formed by erosion, commonly found in the northwestern United States and southwestern Canada. ... The Columbia Basin Irrigation Project The Columbia Basin Project is an irrigation project Central Washington State, USA. It provides water for over 600,000 acres (2,400 km of agriculture. ... Banks Lake is a 27 mile long reservoir in central Washington in the United States. ...

Irrigation began in 1951.^[6] 1951 (MCMLI) was a common year starting on Monday; see its calendar. ...

Expansion

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. 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1966 calendar). ... 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ...

Environmental consequences

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,^[7] 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 of prime bottom land where Indians had been living for thousands of years, forcing the relocation of settlements and graveyards.^[8] 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. Native Americans are the indigenous peoples from the regions of North America now encompassed by the continental United States, including parts of Alaska. ... Illustration of a male Coho Salmon The Chinook or King Salmon is the largest salmon in North America and can grow to 1. ... Chief Joseph Dam is a 5,962 foot (1,817. ... Many types of fish undertake migrations on a regular basis, on time scales ranging from daily to annual, and with distances ranging from a few meters to thousands of kilometers. ... The Colville Indian Reservation is an Indian reservation in eastern Washington State, inhabited and managed by Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, which is recognized by the United States of America as an American Indian Tribe. ... Kettle Falls is a city located in Stevens County, Washington. ... The Colville Indian Reservation is a confederation of twelve American Indian tribes located in Washington. ...

Touring the dam

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. 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The laser light show at Grand Coulee Dam The laser light show at Grand Coulee Dam, which began in 1989, is one of the largest light shows in the U.S.. The 35 minute show runs daily from Memorial Day through September 30. ... Liberty Enlightening the World (French: La liberté éclairant le monde), known more commonly as the Statue of Liberty (Statue de la Liberté), is a colossal statue given to the United States by France in 1886, standing at Liberty Island, in the mouth of the Hudson River in New York Harbor...

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.

Download high resolution version (2017x594, 281 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Download high resolution version (2017x594, 281 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... United States simply as football, is a competitive team sport that is both fast-paced and strategic. ...

Facts

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

• Largest concrete dam in North America, largest concrete structure in the United States with 11,975,521 yd³ (9,155,94 2 m³) used^{[citation needed]}
• Hydraulic Height: 380 ft (116 m)
• Height of Dam from Bedrock: 550ft
• Reservoir Lake Roosevelt stretches for 151 mi
• Average release: 110,000 ft³/s (3,100 m³/s)
• 4 power plants, 33 generators
• Installed generating capacity: 6809 MW ^[10]

Download high resolution version (625x796, 47 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Download high resolution version (625x796, 47 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... The cubic yard (symbols yd³, cu. ...

References

For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... November 18 is the 322nd day of the year (323rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... November 18 is the 322nd day of the year (323rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... November 18 is the 322nd day of the year (323rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The daily Seattle Post-Intelligencer is the second leading newspaper in Seattle, Washington, United States. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... November 19 is the 323rd day of the year (324th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... PDF is an abbreviation with several meanings: Portable Document Format Post-doctoral fellowship Probability density function There also is an electronic design automation company named PDF Solutions. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... November 19 is the 323rd day of the year (324th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... November 20 is the 324th day of the year (325th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... November 19 is the 323rd day of the year (324th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini era. ... January 15 is the 15th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Bibliography

• Paul C. Pitzer: Grand Coulee: Harnessing a Dream (Pullman: Washington State UP, 1994).
• Richard White: The Organic Machine: The Remaking of the Columbia River (New York: Hill and Wang, 1995)

External links

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Grand Coulee Dam

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Grand Coulee Dam

• Official web site - U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
• GrandCouleeDam.org Informational web site
• Historical site
• University of Washington Libraries Digital Collections – Grand Coulee Dam Photographs and pamphlets of the construction of the the dam. Includes information about the recommendations for and against building the dam as well as images of land clearing activities by the Public Works Administration.