Posted on April 13, 2020

Today, we’re discussing Little Goose Lock and Dam on the Snake River. The project was enabled by the River and Harbor Act of 1945. Construction began in 1963 and operation began in 1970. It creates the reservoir Lake Bray, which “extends upstream about 37.2 miles and provides navigation to Lower... [Read More]

Posted on April 6, 2020

Ever wonder where dam construction workers live while these dams are being built? These photos show employee housing around the Grand Coulee Dam. The majority of homes were 2-bedroom and 3-bedroom permanent type residences. [Read More]

Posted on March 30, 2020

Today, we’re discussing the Lower Granite Lock and Dam at Snake River mile 107.5. The project was enabled by the River and Harbor Act of 1945. Construction began in 1965 and was completed in 1984. [Read More]

Posted on March 23, 2020

Today, we’re discussing the Grand Coulee Dam and irrigation pumping plants and discharge pipes. [Read More]

Posted on March 16, 2020

Today, we’re discussing John Day Lock and Dam, located 216 miles upriver from the mouth of the Columbia River.1 Construction began in 1968 and was completed in 1982. Dworshak Dam and Reservoir ↩ [Read More]

Posted on March 9, 2020

Today, we have photos of the power house – “the structure that houses generators and turbines.”1 The turbine rotates the water and turns it into kinetic energy.2 The generator takes the energy from the turbine and converts it into electrical power.3 Glossary of Hydropower Terms ↩ Energy Education ↩ Electric Generator ↩ [Read More]

Posted on March 2, 2020

Today, we’re discussing the installation of turbines and generators. Water turbines are a type of rotary machine that converts water’s kinetic energy into electric power. [Read More]

Posted on February 24, 2020

Today we’re discussing Ice Harbor Lock and Dam located on the Snake River “upstream of McNary Lock and Dam and Lake Wullala.”1 Ice Harbor Lock and Dam ↩ [Read More]

Posted on February 10, 2020

This week, we’re discussing canal lining and construction. Building a canal for a dam is extremely important because canals must be able to “withstand enormous water pressure,” must be “watertight so that they will not leak,” and must “be able to offer protection from the risk of erosion caused by... [Read More]

Posted on February 3, 2020

Today, we’re discussing the Lucky Peak Dam, a flood control project on the Boise River about 9 miles upstream from Boise, Idaho. [Read More]

Posted on January 27, 2020

This week, we’re discussing how to prepare a site for dam construction. According to the British Dam Society, “a dam is built on a soil or rock foundation, depending on the type of dam. The foundation must be strong enough to carry the weight of the dam, and the water... [Read More]

Posted on January 13, 2020

Today we’re discussing Dworshak Dam, the third tallest dam in the United States and “the highest straight-axis concrete dam in the Western Hemisphere.”1 It is located two miles upstream on the North Fork of the Clearwater River from the town of Ahsahka, Idaho. Dworshak Dam and Reservoir ↩ [Read More]

Posted on January 6, 2020

We’re starting a new series, Oh Dam! This series will feature photos and information about hydraulic dams in the Pacific Northwest (Idaho, Washington, and Oregon). Each week, the series will oscillate between information about a dam that exists in the PNW and information about how dams are built! We hope... [Read More]