Bonneville Lock and Dam consists of several run-of-the-river dam structures that together complete a span of the Columbia River between the U.S. states of Oregon and Washington at River Mile 146.1. The dam is located east of Portland, Oregon, in the Columbia River Gorge. The primary functions of Bonneville Lock and Dam are electrical power generation and river navigation. The dam was built and is managed by the United States Army Corps of Engineers. At the time of its construction in the 1930s it was the largest water impoundment project of its type in the nation, able to withstand flooding on an unprecedented scale. With funding from the Public Works Administration in 1934, two of the larger projects were started, the Grand Coulee Dam and the Bonneville Dam. Working in non-stop eight-hour shifts, 3,000 laborers from the relief or welfare rolls were paid 50 cents an hour for the work on the dam and raising local roads for the reservoir.

To create the Bonneville Locks and Dam, the Army Corps of Engineers first built one of the largest scale models in history of the proposed dam, the section of river on which it was to be located, and its various components to aid in the study of the construction. First a new lock and a powerhouse were constructed on the south (Oregon) side of Bradford Island, and a spillway on the north (Washington) side. Cofferdams were built to block half of the river and clear a construction site where the foundation could be reached. These projects, part of the Bonneville Dam, were completed in 1937.

Both the cascades and the old lock structure were submerged by the Bonneville Reservoir, also known as Lake Bonneville, the reservoir that formed behind the dam. The original navigation lock at Bonneville opened in 1938 and was, at that time, the highest single-lift lock in the world, with a vertical lift of 60 feet. Although the dam began to produce hydroelectricity in 1937, commercial electricity began its transfer from the dam in 1938.

  • Location: On Columbia River about 40 miles upstream from Portland, Oregon
  • both powerhouses - output capacity: 1.2 GW

Environmental and social implications

The Bonneville Dam blocked the migration of white sturgeon to their upstream spawning areas. Sturgeon still spawn in the area below the dam, and the lower Columbia River supports a healthy sturgeon population. Small, very depressed populations of white sturgeon persist in the various reservoirs upstream.

The dam features fish ladders to help native salmon and steelhead get past the dam on their journey upstream to spawn. The large concentrations of fish swimming upstream serve as a tourist attraction during the spawning season. California sea lions are also attracted to the large number of fish, and are often seen around the base of the dam during the spawning season. By 2006, the growing number of sea lions and their impact on the salmon population had become worrisome to the Army Corps of Engineers and environmentalists. Historically, pinnipeds such as sea lions and seals have hunted salmon in the Columbia River as far as The Dalles and Celilo Falls, farther upstream from Bonneville, as remarked upon by people such as George Simpson in 1841.

Electricity controversy

Creating electricity was a sensitive issue at the time of the Bonneville Dam's construction, which was funded with federal dollars. The Franklin D. Roosevelt administration wanted the electricity produced to be a public source of power and prevent energy monopolies. Advocates for private sale of the electricity were opposed to this, and they did not want the government to interfere. In 1937, the Bonneville Project Act was signed by Roosevelt, giving the dam's power over to the public and creating the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA). A rate of $17.50 per kilowatt-year (about 0.2 cents/kWh) was maintained by the BPA for the next 28 years.

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Bonneville Dam second powerhouse.jpg|Generators inside the second powerhouse

Bonneville Dam Powerhouse Two Interior.jpg|View inside of powerhouse two of Bonneville Dam

Bonneville Ladder.jpg|Fish ladder at Bonneville Dam

Fish Viewing Window, Bonneville Dam.jpg|Children watch fish through a viewing window

Lamprey - Bonneville Dam.jpg|Pacific lamprey attached to glass

Corps-engineers-archives bonneville dam looking east.jpg|Aerial view of spillway flanked by powerhouses, Bonneville Lock (near right) and Lake

Kaplan turbine bonneville.jpg|A Bonneville Dam Kaplan turbine after 61 years of service

BonnevilleDam.jpg|View of Bonneville Dam

BonnevilleSpillway.jpg|Spillway from the air

Barge Approaching Navigation Locks, Bonneville Dam-1.jpg|The swing bridge begins to open as a barge approaches the Bonneville Navigation Locks

Barge Approaching Navigation Locks, Bonneville Dam-2.jpg|The swing bridge is open as a barge approaches the Bonneville Navigation Locks

Original Navigation Locks, Bonneville Dam.jpg|The original downstream gates of the old Bonneville Navigation Locks

First Powerhouse, Bonneville Dam-3.jpg|A view of the first powerhouse

Pill Box, Bonneville Dam.jpg|A guardhouse constructed during World War II

Post Insulators and Bus Bar, Bonneville Dam.jpg|Post insulators and a bus bar at the visitors center

Tainter Valve, Bonneville Dam.jpg|A Tainter valve at the navigation locks visitors center

Pacific Northwest River System.png|Pacific Northwest River System

Public Works Administration Project, Bonneville Dam in Oregon, "Excavation for Navigation Lock and Approach Channnel" - NARA - 197161.tif|Public Works Administration Project, Bonneville Dam in Oregon, "Excavation for Navigation Lock and Approach Channel" - NARA – 197161

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See also

  • Cascade Locks and Canal, which preceded the construction of the dam
  • Grand Coulee Dam, a much larger dam far upstream on the Columbia River
  • Charles McNary, a U.S. Senator from Oregon who was instrumental in passing legislation to build the dam
  • List of dams in the Columbia River watershed

References

  • Bonneville Lock and Dam. A National Historic Landmark Serving the Northwest. 2001. U.S. Government Printing Office, 2001-691-677. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Portland District, public information pamphlet distributed at the Bonneville Lock and Dam visitor centers.
  • "Bonneville Lock and Dam: A Gift from the People of the Great Depression." Barry, Joseph Patrick, published by Retired Ranger and Associates, 296 pages, October, 2017
  • U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – Bonneville Lock and Dam
  • Bonneville Power Administration