John Day Dam facts for kids
Quick facts for kids John Day Dam |
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John Day Dam
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| Location | Sherman County, Oregon / Klickitat County, Washington United States |
| Coordinates | 45°42′59″N 120°41′40″W / 45.71639°N 120.69444°W |
| Construction began | 1958 |
| Opening date | 1971 |
| Construction cost | US$511 million |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Type of dam | Concrete gravity, run-of-the-river |
| Impounds | Columbia River |
| Height | 56 m (184 ft) |
| Length | 2,327 m (7,635 ft) |
| Spillway type | Service, gate-controlled |
| Reservoir | |
| Creates | Lake Umatilla |
| Total capacity | 2,530,000 acre⋅ft (3.12×109 m3) |
| Power station | |
| Operator(s) | U.S. Army Corps of Engineers |
| Type | Run-of-the-river |
| Turbines | 16 × 135 MW |
| Installed capacity | 2,160 MW |
| Annual generation | 8,418 GWh (2009) |
The John Day Dam is a large concrete dam on the Columbia River in the northwestern United States. It's a "run-of-the-river" dam, which means it uses the natural flow of the river to make electricity.
This dam has a special navigation lock that helps boats travel up and down the river. It also has fish ladders on both sides, which are like staircases for fish to swim past the dam. The John Day Lock is the tallest lock in the U.S., lifting boats 110 feet!
The water held back by the dam forms a big lake called Lake Umatilla. This lake stretches for 76.4 miles (123 kilometers) upriver to the McNary Dam. The John Day Dam is an important part of the many dams in the Columbia River system.
Where is the Dam?
The John Day Dam is located about 28 miles (45 km) east of The Dalles, Oregon. It sits just below where the John Day River flows into the Columbia River.
On the Washington side, the closest town is Goldendale, about 20 miles (32 km) north. On the Oregon side, the closest town is Rufus, Oregon. The dam connects Sherman County, Oregon with Klickitat County, Washington. It's about 216 miles (348 kilometers) upriver from where the Columbia River meets the ocean near Astoria, Oregon.
Building the Dam
Construction of the John Day Dam started in 1958. It took many years to build and was finished in 1971. This makes it one of the newer dams on the lower Columbia River. The total cost to build it was about US$511 million.
The lake behind the dam was filled with water in 1968. A special ceremony was held on September 28, 1968, to celebrate its completion. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built and still runs the dam today. In 2010, the dam had a big repair on its upper lock gate. This repair was even shown on the National Geographic Channel TV show "World's Toughest Fixes"!
Dam Details
Here are some interesting facts about the John Day Dam:
- Height: The dam stands 183 feet (56 meters) tall.
- Length: It stretches for 7,365 feet (2,327 meters) across the river.
- Navigation Lock:
- It's a single-lift lock, meaning boats go up or down in one step.
- It is 86 feet (26 meters) wide.
- It is 675 feet (206 meters) long.
- Powerhouse:
- The dam has 16 large machines called turbines.
- Each turbine can make 135,000 kilowatts of power.
- Together, they can produce a total of 2,160 megawatts of electricity.
- Spillway:
- The spillway has 20 gates to control water flow.
- It is 1,228 feet (374 meters) long.
