What is so special about the Grand Coulee Dam?

A concrete gravity dam, Grand Coulee took eight years to build, employed thousands of men during the Great Depression and, when completed in 1942, provided the enormous electrical power necessary to make aluminum, so essential for World War II production of planes and ships.



People Also Ask

Grand Coulee Dam was the key to the development of power on the Columbia River — the greatest potential source of hydroelectric energy in the United States. Original plans considered ten dams on the Columbia River between the Canadian border and the mouth of the river.

MORE DETAILS

The main difference between the Grand Coulee Dam and the Hoover Dam is their size. The Hoover Dam is 726. 4 feet (221.4 meters) tall and 1,244 ft (379 m) wide. The Grand Coulee Dam is 550 ft (168 m) tall and a whopping 5,223 ft (1592 m) wide!

MORE DETAILS

If the dam could not hold back an excessive amount of water, the water would come over the top of the dam and potentially flood areas downstream, including cities.

MORE DETAILS

The Oregonian called it man's greatest creation that turned the mighty Columbia River into a slave of man. A book published five years later called it the eighth wonder of the world. Even folk legend Woody Guthrie, in Roll On, Columbia, Roll On, sang that Grand Coulee was the mightiest thing ever built by a ...

MORE DETAILS

Lake Roosevelt is the name of the Columbia River reservoir behind Grand Coulee Dam. It is named for Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who as president authorized the initial construction of the dam and remained its champion as long as he was president.

MORE DETAILS

Jan. 5, 2022 Updated Wed., Jan.

MORE DETAILS

The construction of a series of dams on the Columbia River, including the Grand Coulee Dam, has limited the available riverine salmon habitat to 13% of the river. Fall chinook salmon currently use only 85 km of the 2,000 km river as breeding grounds.

MORE DETAILS

What you see is not what you get at Parker Dam, known as “the deepest dam in the world.” Engineers, digging for bedrock on which to build, had to excavate so far beneath the bed of the Colorado River that 73 percent of Parker Dam's 320-foot structural height is not visible.

MORE DETAILS

5 Dams in the U.S. that Hold the Most Water
  • Hoover Dam (Nevada/Arizona): 8.95 cubic miles.
  • Glen Canyon Dam (Arizona): 8.53 cubic miles.
  • Garrison Dam (North Dakota): 7.05 cubic miles.
  • Oahe Dam (South Dakota): 6.98 cubic miles.
  • Fort Peck Dam (Montana): 5.52 cubic miles.


MORE DETAILS

A dam is defined as a barrier constructed to hold back water and raise its level, forming a reservoir used to generate electricity or as a water supply. The oldest dam in America is Old Oaken Bucket Pond Dam. It was built in 1640 and is located in Scituate, Massachusetts.

MORE DETAILS

Parker Dam is a concrete arch structure commonly called the 'deepest dam in the world'.

MORE DETAILS

Hoover Dam is one of the most iconic dams around the world, stretching between the American states of Nevada and Arizona. Originally called the Boulder Dam, this colossal structure stands at a height of 726 feet (221.4 mt), with a base width of 656 feet (200 mt) and a crest width of 46 feet (14 mt).

MORE DETAILS

How much electricity does Grand Coulee Dam produce annually? Grand Coulee Dam is the largest hydropower producer in the United States, generating more than 21 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity each year. That's enough power to supply about 2 million households with electricity for one year.

MORE DETAILS