- Chief Joseph Dam
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Chief Joseph Dam 
Location Douglas and Okanogan counties,
United StatesCoordinates 47°59′43″N 119°38′00″W / 47.99528°N 119.6333333°WCoordinates: 47°59′43″N 119°38′00″W / 47.99528°N 119.6333333°W Construction began 1949 Opening date 1979 Dam and spillways Type of dam Concrete-gravity, run-of-the-river Height 236 ft (72 m) Length 5,962 ft (1,817 m) Base width 164 ft (50 m) Crest:22 ft (7 m) Impounds Columbia River Type of spillway Service, gate-controlled Spillway capacity 6,030 m3/s (212,947 cu ft/s) Reservoir Creates Rufus Woods Lake Capacity 516,000 acre foot (636,000,000 m3) Catchment area 75,400 sq mi (195,285 km2) Surface area 13.1 sq mi (34 km2) Power station Operator(s) USACE Type Yes Turbines 27 x Francis turbines Installed capacity 2,620 MW The Chief Joseph Dam is a concrete gravity dam on the Columbia River, 2.4 km (1.5 mi) 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. The River and Harbor Act of 1948 renamed the project Chief Joseph Dam in honor of the Nez Perce chief who spent his last years in exile on the Colville Indian Reservation. Like the nearby Grand Coulee Dam, Chief Joseph Dam completely blocks salmon migration on the upper Columbia River[citation needed].
Construction began in 1949, with the main dam and intake structure completed in 1955. Installation of the initial generating units was completed in 1958. Eleven additional turbines were installed between 1973 and 1979, and the dam and lake were raised 3 m (10 ft), boosting the capacity to 2,620 MW, making Chief Joseph Dam the second largest hydroelectric power producer in the United States.[1]
The dam is 877 km (545 mi) upriver from the mouth of the Columbia at Astoria, Oregon. It is operated by the USACE Chief Joseph Dam Project Office, and the electricity is marketed by the Bonneville Power Administration.
Contents
Type
Chief Joseph Dam is a run-of-the-river dam which means the lake behind the dam is not able to store large amounts of water. Water flowing to Chief Joseph Dam from Grand Coulee Dam must be passed on to Wells Dam at approximately the same rate. With 27 main generators in the powerhouse, it has the hydraulic capacity of 6,030 m3/s (213,000 cu ft/s).
In the event more water flows to Chief Joseph Dam than could be used for power generation, the spillway gates would be opened to pass the excess water. With an average annual flow rate of 3,058 m3/s (107,992 cu ft/s), the Columbia River seldom exceeds the powerplant’s capability to pass water, and spilling of water is infrequent at Chief Joseph Dam.
Reservoir
The reservoir behind the dam is named Rufus Woods Lake, and runs 82 km (51 mi) up the river channel. Bridgeport State Park, on the lake, is adjacent to the dam.
See also
- Hydroelectric dams on the Columbia River
- List of power stations in Washington
References
- ^ Chief Joseph Dam, US Army Corps of Engineers
External links
Hydroelectric dams on the Columbia River Bonneville · The Dalles · John Day · McNary · Priest Rapids · Wanapum · Rock Island · Rocky Reach · Wells · Chief Joseph · Grand Coulee · Keenleyside · Revelstoke · Mica
Crossings of the Columbia River Upstream
Grand Coulee BridgeChief Joseph Dam Downstream
Bridgeport BridgeCategories:- Dams on the Columbia River
- Dams in Washington (state)
- Buildings and structures in Douglas County, Washington
- Hydroelectric power plants in Washington (state)
- Buildings and structures in Okanogan County, Washington
- Run-of-the-river power stations
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