Bonneville Dam facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Bonneville Locks and Dam |
|
|---|---|
Spillway structure
|
|
| Location | Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, Multnomah County, Oregon / Skamania County, Washington, United States |
| Coordinates | 45°38′39″N 121°56′26″W / 45.64417°N 121.94056°W |
| Construction began | 1934 (First Powerhouse) 1974 (Second Powerhouse) |
| Opening date | 1937 (First Powerhouse) 1981 (Second Powerhouse) |
| Construction cost | $88.4 million (First Powerhouse, Spillway, Lock and Fish structures) $664 million (Second Powerhouse) |
| Owner(s) | US Army Corps of Engineers (Operator) Bonneville Power Administration (Marketer) |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Type of dam | Concrete gravity, run-of-the-river |
| Impounds | Columbia River |
| Height | 171 ft (52 m) |
| Length | 2,690 ft (820 m) |
| Width (base) | 132 ft (40 m) (Spillway) |
| Spillway type | Service, gate-controlled |
| Reservoir | |
| Creates | Lake Bonneville |
| Total capacity | 537,000 acre⋅ft (0.662 km3) |
| Catchment area | 240,000 sq mi (620,000 km2) |
| Power station | |
| Turbines | 20 and unit 0 |
| Installed capacity | 1242 MW |
| Annual generation | 4,466 GWh (2009) |
|
Bonneville Dam Historic District
|
|
| Location | Bonneville, Oregon |
| Built | 1934–1943 |
| Architect | Claussen and Claussen |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 86000727 (original) 86003598 (increase) |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | April 9, 1986 |
| Boundary increase | March 26, 1987 |
| Designated NHLD | June 30, 1987 |
The Bonneville Lock and Dam is a huge structure built across the Columbia River. It connects the states of Oregon and Washington. This dam is about 40 miles (64 km) east of Portland, Oregon, in a beautiful area called the Columbia River Gorge.
The main jobs of the Bonneville Dam are to create electricity and to help ships travel safely along the river. The United States Army Corps of Engineers built and manages this important dam. When it was built in the 1930s, it was one of the biggest projects of its kind. It was designed to handle very large floods. The electricity it makes is sent out by the Bonneville Power Administration. The dam is named after Army Captain Benjamin Bonneville, who explored and mapped much of the Oregon Trail. The Bonneville Dam Historic District was recognized as a special historic place in 1987.
Contents
Building the Bonneville Dam
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
Before the dam was built, ships used the Cascade Locks and Canal to get past the fast-moving Cascades Rapids. These rapids were a few miles upstream from where the Bonneville Dam is now.
In the 1930s, America was going through a tough time called the Great Depression. Many people were out of work. The government started big projects like the Bonneville Dam to create jobs and help the economy. Building the dam provided work for thousands of people in the Pacific Northwest. It also created cheap electricity, which helped new industries grow in the area.
The United States Army Corps of Engineers started building the Bonneville Dam in 1934. They even built a large model of the dam and the river section to help them plan. Workers built a new lock and a powerhouse on the Oregon side of Bradford Island. A spillway was built on the Washington side. They used special barriers called cofferdams to block parts of the river so they could build the dam's foundation. The first parts of the dam were finished in 1937.
The dam created a large lake behind it called the Bonneville Reservoir, also known as Lake Bonneville. This lake covered the old rapids and the earlier lock. The first navigation lock at Bonneville opened in 1938. It was the tallest single-lift lock in the world at that time, lifting ships 60 feet (18 meters). The dam started making electricity in 1937, and commercial power began flowing in 1938.
Later, a second powerhouse was built. Construction started in 1974 and finished in 1981. This new powerhouse was built by making the river wider on the Washington side. Now, the two powerhouses at Bonneville can produce a combined 1.2 gigawatts of electricity.
Even though the first Bonneville Lock was a world record in 1938, it became the smallest of many locks built on the Columbia and Snake rivers. So, a new, larger lock was built on the Oregon side. It opened in 1993, making it easier for ships and barges to pass. The old lock is still there but is no longer used.
Next to the dam, you can find the Bonneville Fish Hatchery. It's the biggest fish hatchery in Oregon and a popular place for tourists to visit.
Dam Facts and Figures
The Bonneville Dam is owned by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. It's located about 40 miles (64 km) upstream from Portland, Oregon.
- First Powerhouse: This part was built between 1933 and 1937. It has 10 generators that can produce about 526.7 MW of power.
- Spillway: Also built from 1933 to 1937, the spillway has 18 gates. It helps keep the water level in the reservoir about 18 meters (59 feet) higher than the river downstream.
- Second Powerhouse: This section was built from 1974 to 1982. It has 8 generators (plus two smaller ones for fish ladders) that can produce about 558.2 MW of power.
- Bonneville Lock: The newest lock was built from 1987 to 1993. It is 26 meters (85 feet) wide and 206 meters (676 feet) long. It takes about 30 minutes for a ship to pass through. This new lock replaced the smaller one built in 1938.
- Lake Bonneville: This is the reservoir created by the dam. It is about 77 kilometers (48 miles) long.
- Total Power Output: Both powerhouses together can produce 1.2 GW of electricity.
The Bonneville Dam was named a National Historic Landmark in 1987 because of its importance.
Fish and Wildlife at the Dam
The Bonneville Dam changed the river, blocking the path for some fish like white sturgeon to reach their old spawning areas upstream. However, sturgeon still live and spawn in the river below the dam.
To help fish like native salmon and steelhead move past the dam, special structures called fish ladders were built. These ladders allow fish to swim upstream to their spawning grounds. During certain times of the year, many fish gather at the dam to use these ladders, which is a popular sight for visitors.
Sometimes, California sea lions are seen near the dam. They are attracted by the large number of fish swimming upstream. The presence of many sea lions has sometimes caused concern about their impact on the salmon population. Historically, animals like sea lions and seals have hunted salmon in the Columbia River for a very long time.
Gallery
-
Generators inside the second powerhouse
-
View inside of powerhouse two of Bonneville Dam
-
Fish ladder at Bonneville Dam
-
Children watch fish through a viewing window
-
Pacific lamprey attached to glass
-
Aerial view of spillway flanked by powerhouses, Bonneville Lock (near right) and Lake
-
A Bonneville Dam Kaplan turbine after 61 years of service
-
View of Bonneville Dam
-
Spillway from the air
-
The swing bridge begins to open as a barge approaches the Bonneville Navigation Locks
-
The swing bridge is open as a barge approaches the Bonneville Navigation Locks
-
The original downstream gates of the old Bonneville Navigation Locks
-
A view of the first powerhouse
-
A guardhouse constructed during World War II
-
Post insulators and a bus bar at the visitors center
-
A Tainter valve at the navigation locks visitors center
-
Pacific Northwest River System
-
Public Works Administration Project, Bonneville Dam in Oregon, "Excavation for Navigation Lock and Approach Channel" - NARA – 197161
See also
- Cascade Locks and Canal, which came before the dam
- Grand Coulee Dam, another much larger dam on the Columbia River
- Charles McNary, a U.S. Senator who helped get the dam built
- List of dams in the Columbia River watershed
