The Columbia Basin Project was the federal reclamation and hydropower program built around Grand Coulee Dam, authorized in the 1930s as a New Deal public works effort to irrigate the semi-arid Columbia Basin of central Washington and generate low-cost electricity for the region. Construction of the dam itself ran from 1933 to 1942, with a second powerhouse added between 1967 and 1980, while the associated irrigation canal network was built out over decades. The project's power output later helped supply wartime aluminum production and the Hanford nuclear site, and its irrigation works remain one of the largest reclamation systems in the United States.
Facts
Project TypeNational Energy Initiative 1 LocationUnited States (Washington State) 1 Completion Year StatusCompleted in phases; the irrigation and hydropower system it built remains in operation 2 ScaleIrrigates more than 670,000 acres of farmland and centers on Grand Coulee Dam, whose power station reached roughly 6,800 MW 2 Connections
Uses Source
US Bureau of Reclamation irrigation and hydroelectric project built around Grand Coulee Dam, Washington State.
In the Other Atlases
Sources
1. Encyclopedia Britannica
2. United States Bureau of Reclamation Site
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