List of dams in the Columbia River watershed

Updated on Sep 20, 2024

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There are more than 60 dams in the Columbia River watershed in the United States and Canada. Tributaries of the Columbia River and their dammed tributaries, as well as the main stem itself, each have their own list below. The dams are listed in the order as they are found from source to terminus. Many of the dams in the Columbia River watershed were not created for the specific purposes of water storage or flood protection. Instead, the primary purpose of many of these dams is to produce hydroelectricity. As can be seen in the lists, these dams provide a relatively significant amount of power.

Major dam construction began in the early 20th century and picked up the pace after the Columbia River Treaty in the 1960s, by the mid 1980s all the big dams were finished. Including just the dams listed below, there are 60 dams in the watershed, with 14 on the Columbia, 20 on the Snake, seven on the Kootenay, seven on the Pend Oreille / Clark, two on the Flathead, eight on the Yakima, and two on the Owyhee. Averaging a major dam every 72 miles (116 km), the rivers in the Columbia watershed combine to generate over 36,000 megawatts of power, with the majority coming on the main stem. Grand Coulee Dam is the largest producer of hydroelectric power in the United States, generating 6,809 megawatts, over one-sixth of all power in the basin.

In addition to providing ample power for the people of the Pacific Northwest, the reservoirs created by the dams have created numerous recreational opportunities, including fishing, boating, and windsurfing. Furthermore, by creating a constant flow and consistent depth along the river channel, the series of locks and dams have allowed for Lewiston, Idaho, to become the furthest inland seaport on the west coast of the United States. Despite the numerous benefits to humans that the dams have provided, a number of environmental consequences have manifested as a result of the dams, including a negative impact on salmonid populations of the basin.

The organization of the following lists begins with the Columbia River dams and is followed by dams on its tributaries (in order of length) and their respective watersheds. Additionally, the table of contents below is indented to indicate tributary status of each river.

Snake River dams

Note: Dams are listed in order from headwater (Two Oceans Plateau, WY) to mouth (Columbia River, WA).

Salmon River dams

Little Salmon River dams

Note: Dams are listed in order from headwater (north West Mountain, ID) to mouth (Salmon River, ID)

Owyhee River dams

Note: Dams are listed in order from headwater (near Double Mountain, Nevada) to mouth (Snake River, OR/ID)

South Fork Owyhee River dams

Note: Dams are listed in order from headwater (north Tuscarora Mountains, Nevada) to mouth (Owyhee River, ID)

Malheur River dams

Note: Dams are listed in order from headwater (Logan Valley, OR) to mouth (Snake River, OR/ID)

Grande Ronde River dams

Wallowa River dams

Note: Dams are listed in order from headwater (near Pete's Point, Eagle Cap Wilderness, OR) to mouth (Grande Ronde River, OR)

Powder River dams

Note: Dams are listed in order from headwater (confluence of McCully Fork and Cracker Creek, OR) to mouth (Snake River, OR/ID)

Blackfoot River dams

Note: Dams are listed in order from headwater (confluence of Diamond and Lanes Creeks, ID) to mouth (Snake River, ID)

Henrys Fork dams

Note: Dams are listed in order from headwater (Henrys Lake, ID) to mouth (Snake River, ID)

Fall River dams

Note: Dams are listed in order from headwater (Pitchstone Plateau, WY) to mouth (Henrys Fork, ID)

Portneuf River dams

Note: Dams are listed in order from headwater (southeast of Higham Peak, ID) to mouth (Snake River, ID)

Salmon Falls Creek dams

Note: Dams are listed in order from headwater (Jarbidge Mountains, NV) to mouth (Snake River, ID)

Boise River dams

Note: Dams are listed in order from headwater (confluence of North and Middle Forks Boise River, ID) to mouth (Snake River, ID/OR)

South Fork Boise River dams

Note: Dams are listed in order from headwater (confluence of Ross Fork and Johnson Creek, ID) to mouth (Boise River, ID)

Goose Creek dams

Note: Dams are listed in order from headwater (near Monument Peak (ID)) to mouth (Snake River, ID)

Weiser River dams

Note: Dams are listed in order from headwater (near Brush Mountain, ID) to mouth (Snake River, ID/OR)

Burnt River dams

Note: Dams are listed in order from headwater (confluence of North and South Fork Burnt River, OR) to mouth (Snake River, OR/ID)

Willow Creek dams

Note: Dams are listed in order from headwater (Blackfoot Mountains, ID) to mouth (Snake River, ID)

Payette River dams

Note: Dams are listed in order from headwater (confluence of South and Middle Forks Payette River, ID) to mouth (Snake River, ID/OR)

North Fork Payette River dams

Note: Dams are listed in order from headwater (Squaw Meadows, ID) to mouth (Payette River, ID)

South Fork Payette River dams

Note: Dams are listed in order from headwater (near Parks Peak, ID) to mouth (Payette River, ID)

Clearwater River dams

North Fork Clearwater River dams

Note: Dams are listed in order from headwater (near Illinois Peak, ID/MT) to mouth (Clearwater River, ID)

Malad River dams

Big Wood River dams

Note: Dams are listed in order from headwater (near Galena Summit, ID) to mouth (Malad River, ID)

Camas Creek

Note: Dams are listed in order from headwater (near Packer Butte, ID) to mouth (Big Wood River, ID)

Little Wood River dams

Note: Dams are listed in order from headwater (Standhope Peak, ID) to mouth (Malad River, ID)

Kootenay River dams

Note: Dams are listed in order from headwater (Canadian Rockies) to mouth (Columbia River, BC).

Pend Oreille River / Clark Fork River dams

Note: Dams are listed in order from headwater of Clark Fork River (Silver Bo Creek, Montana) to mouth of Pend Oreille River (Columbia River, BC).

Flathead River dams

Note: Dams are listed in order from headwater (Canadian Rockies) to mouth (Clark Fork River).

Deschutes River dams

Note: Dams are listed in order from headwater (Little Lava Lake, OR) to mouth (Columbia River, WA/OR).

Yakima River dams

Note: Dams are listed in order from headwater (Keechelus Lake, WA) to mouth (Columbia River, WA).

Cle Elum River dams

Note: Dams are listed in order from headwaters (near Mount Daniel, WA) to mouth (Yakima River, WA).

Kachess River dams

Note: Dams are listed in order from headwaters (Three Queens, WA) to mouth (Yakima River, WA).

Naches River dams

Bumping River dams

Note: Dams are listed in order from headwaters (near Crag Mountain, WA) to mouth (Naches River, WA).

Tieton River dams

Note: Dams are listed in order from headwaters (Goat Rocks, WA) to mouth (Naches River, WA).

Middle Fork Willamette River dams

Note: Dams are listed in order from headwater to mouth

McKenzie River dams

Note: Dams are listed in order from headwater (Clear Lake, OR) to mouth (Willamette River, OR).

Spokane River dams

Note: Dams are listed in order from headwater (Lake Coeur d'Alene, ID) to mouth (Columbia River, WA).

Cowlitz River dams

Note: Dams are listed in order from headwater (confluence of the Ohanapecosh River and the Clear Fork of the Cowlitz River, WA) to mouth (Columbia River, WA)

Lewis River dams

Note: Dams are listed in order from headwater (Adams Glacier, Mount Adams, WA) to mouth (Columbia River, WA)

Wenatchee River dams

Note: Dams are listed in order from headwater (Lake Wenatchee, WA) to mouth (Columbia River, WA)

References

List of dams in the Columbia River watershed Wikipedia

(Text) CC BY-SA

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