We Stole It Fair and Square and You are Not getting it back

Grand Coulee Dam Visitor Center | Employment | Photo Gallery | History | Tour | Laser Light Show | Hungry Horse Dam
Construction of Grand Coulee Dam began in 1933 and was completed in 1942. Grand Coulee Dam is the largest hydropower producer in the United States with a total generating capacity of 6,809 megawatts. It is also part of the Columbia Basin Project, irrigating more than 600,000 acres, and is the cornerstone for water control on the Columbia River in the United States. Video Transcript PDF 23 kb
Job Announcements
Grand Coulee Dam Seeks Power Manager The Bureau of Reclamation is hiring a Power Manager at Grand Coulee Dam, a world-class facility on the Columbia River that is the largest hydropower producer in the United States, generating more than 21 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually. You will oversee 500 employees and work with multiple tribal, federal, and local entities while managing a facility in the throes of substantial upgrades and equipment overhaul. This complex, multipurpose project provides hydropower, flood control, recreation, fish and wildlife enhancement, and irrigation water to more than 600,000 acres in the Columbia Basin. Apply online: https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/361112200
Grand Coulee Construction Field Office Seeks New Field Engineer/Manager Reclamation’s Grand Coulee Field Office oversees all Reclamation construction contracts at Grand Coulee and Hungry Horse Dams, as well as all heavy electrical and mechanical projects throughout the Pacific Northwest Region. The incumbent supervises engineers, inspectors, and contract support personnel in order to successfully accomplish this task. Major ongoing projects include the uprating and mechanical overhaul of the Third Powerplant, whose 800 MW units are among the world’s largest. All United States Citizens and Nationals: https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/360782200 Merit Promotion: https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/360784100
Grand Coulee News
01/15/2014	Lake Level Update	HTML
01/15/2014	Power Manager Change at Grand Coulee Dam	HTML
12/20/2013	Grand Coulee Pumping Plant Operational by March 1	HTML
Visitor Information
John W. Keys III Pump-Generating Plant Guided Tour		HTML
Grand Coulee Dam Fact Sheet		PDF 190 kb
Visitor Center Exhibit Brochure		PDF 4.72 mb
Columbia Basin Project Brochure		PDF 700 kb
John W. Keys III Pump-Generating Plant		PDF 1.32 mb
Third Power Plant Overhaul Project		HTML
John W. Keys III Pump-Generating Plant Modernization Scoping		HTML
Time Lapse Video: Third Power Plant Rotor Pull
Grand Coulee Dam's Third Power Plant saw a monumental lift on October 26, 2009 when one of the 600-megawatt generators was taken out of service for repairs. The nearly 2,000 ton rotor was removed from the generator and transported to the far end of the powerplant, where it will be stored while the repairs are completed.
Water Data
Lake Level Weekly Update
Lake Elevation and Discharge from Grand Coulee Dam
Grand Coulee Data from the US Army Corps of Engineers
Call (800) 824-4916 for recorded information about the lake elevation.
History
Grand Coulee Dam was the key to the development of power on the Columbia River — the greatest potential source of hydroelectric energy among the rivers in America. Original plans considered ten dams on the Columbia River between the Canadian border and the mouth of the river. Grand Coulee Dam forms Lake Roosevelt, extending upstream 151 miles to the Canadian Border. It has a 600-mile shoreline and a surface area of 82,000 acres. In 1948 Congress designated Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area, which is operated by the National Park Service. Grand Coulee Dam provides water to irrigate approximately 600,000 acres in the Columbia Basin Project. In addition to its irrigation and power functions, Grand Coulee Dam is a primary factor in controlling the floods on the Columbia River. John Keys III, Pump-Generating Plant Dedication Ceremony
Geology
In its generally southwesterly course from Canada to the Pacific Ocean, the Columbia River in central Washington forms a half loop known as the Big Bend, between the mouths of the Spokane and Snake Rivers. During one of the ice ages, a glacier extended across the present river channel, diverting the flow across the open eastern side of the Big Bend loop. By the time the ice age had passed, this diverted water had eroded what is now known as the Grand Coulee, so that when the river returned to its present channel the Coulee was left as a potential high-elevation irrigation storage reservoir, waiting only to be sealed at each end and filled with water. Grand Coulee Dam and powerplants are located in the present Columbia River Channel adjacent to the upper end of the Grand Coulee, about 90 miles northwest of Spokane, Washington.