Bonneville Dam

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Fun Facts: Dam: Bonneville Dam. Columbia River. River Mile 146.1 Constructed: 1938 (second powerhouse completed in 1982) Owner: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Portland District Full Forebay: 77.0 feet Normal Forebay: 71.5 - 76.5 feet First Powerhouse Capacity: Nameplate capacity: 2 @ 43 MW, 8 @ 54 MW, 518 MW total Overload capacity: 2 @ 47 MW, 8 @ 60 MW, 574 MW total Station service units: 1 @ 4 MW, 4 MW total Hydraulic capacity: 136 kcfs Second Powerhouse Capacity: Nameplate capacity: 8 @ 66.5 MW, 532 MW total Overload capacity: 8 @ 76.5 MW, 612 MW total Fishway units capacity: 2 @ 13.1 MW, 26.2 MW total Hydraulic capacity: 152 kcfs Spillway: 1450 feet, 18 gates

More Fun Facts: In 1930 congress authorized building Bonneville dam. The emphasis was on "taming the Columbia".  Located in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area 40 miles east of Portland, Ore., and Vancouver, Wash., Bonneville Lock and Dam spans the Columbia River and links the two states.  The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers operates and maintains Bonneville Lock and Dam for hydropower production, fish and wildlife protection, recreation and navigation. Since 1938, Bonneville Dam has supplied the region with inexpensive electrical power. Bonneville was the first of eight federal lock and dam structures built on the Columbia and Snake rivers, which are now the largest source of electricity on the continent. Construction began as part of the New Deal in 1933, and now energy production at this dam is over 1 million kilowatts, enough to power half a million homes for a year. Much of this power is sold to California utility companies.

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