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Doug Johnson, Public Affairs Specialist, Bonneville Power Administration: Iím Doug Johnson. Today
Iím at Grand Coulee Dam, the nationís largest dam on Americaís fourth-largest river, the
Columbia River. Now thereís a reason this damís a big dam ó thereís a lot of water
behind it that we can use to produce valuable hydroelectricity, but we also need it so that
we can provide flood control. If this raging river gets downstream it can do a lot of damage.
But in addition to those threats there are a lot of benefits we get from this dam. We
can use it for irrigation to help farmers get their products to market. And people that
like water sports, boating, fishing and other recreational activities can enjoy those because
of this dam.
So now that you have a little bit of an idea of all the benefits that we get from Grand
Coulee Dam, it would probably be good to talk to somebody who knows a little more about
those benefits and how we gain them. Iím joined today by Lynne Brougher with the U.S.
Bureau of Reclamation, which operates Grand Coulee Dam, whoís going to tell us a little
bit more about flood control, irrigation and navigation and how the bureau actually makes
those things happen. Lynne, I guess it makes sense first, since we can see all of the water
behind the dam, to talk a little bit about the flood control element and how you can
control the water. Whatís back there?
Lynne Brougher, Public Information Officer, Bureau of Reclamation: Well, behind Grand
Coulee Dam is a huge reservoir which we call Lake Roosevelt. It runs from the dam to the
Canadian border, about 150 miles, and it has 9.5 million acre feet of water.
Doug Johnson: So how much is that? 9.5 million acre feet; that sounds like a lot of swimming
pools, a lot of glasses of water.
Lynne Brougher: Well, thatís about six trillion gallons of water.
Doug Johnson: Okay, thatís a lot. If the dam werenít there what would happen?
Lynne Brougher: Well, if the dam wasnít there, the huge spring runoff and the spring rains
would raise the river rapidly; no way to control it and communities downstream would flood.
Doug Johnson: How do you actually control the reservoir behind the dam?
Lynne Brougher: Well, weíre able to fluctuate the reservoir in the spring time. If we have
a really good water year and expect a lot of water we can take the reservoir down 82
feet to prepare for that spring runoff.
Doug Johnson: So now that weíve covered flood control we should probably talk a little bit
about the less scary benefits of the dam. And one of the things the dam provides is
irrigation for crops. Water from right behind the dam, on which Iím standing right now,
comes up through those pipes, just over my left shoulder, and into an irrigation canal.
Lynne, wow exactly does that process work?
Lynne Brougher: Well, this is the beginning of the Columbia Basin Project. We have 12
pumps which are connected to those tubes behind us. We pump water from Lake Roosevelt 280
feet up the hillside into a canal which then enters Banks Lake, which is the irrigation
holding reservoir for the Columbia Basin Project. The project is huge. Right now, we irrigate
over 670,000 acres and that reaches from Ephrata, Washington to Pasco, Washington.
Doug Johnson: So what kinds of crops are we talking about?
Lynne Brougher: Well, the Columbia Basin Project has over 60 different crops growing right
now, everything from A to Z: apples to corn to mint to zucchini.
Doug Johnson: So pretty fancy way of saying water, from right behind this dam which weíre
standing on top of, gets through some tubes and a reservoir and in to the fields that
create food and other products we consume.
I think youíre beginning to see that water is a precious commodity in the Columbia Basin.
And as youíre about to hear, water for irrigation is critical to the Northwestís economy.
Rob McKinney, Vice President of Operations, St. Michelle Wine Estates: Here at Columbia
Crest Winery, the water is our lifeblood to our vineyards. Without the water, without
the dams that weíve spoken of and the irrigation it provides us it would be a dustbowl surrounded
by sagebrush and cactus. Thatís a fact.
Steven Berg, Berg Farms: If we donít have the water we canít grow the crops. Thatís
just the bottom line. This at best would be producing 15 to 25 bushels of wheat an acre.
Well, we can do 10 times that under water.
If we didnít have the river system and the dams and the delivery system capable of delivering
water to this farm, everybody would probably have to have a bigger garden. Iíd say.
Doug Johnson: Getting crops and other products to market leads us to our next benefit ó
navigation. The Columbia River is a key shipping channel for the country. TONS of goods move
up and down its waters every day. Hereís how it works.
Between the state of Idaho and the Pacific Ocean, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers operates
a series of eight locks. These locks move cargo ships up or down, allowing them to smoothly
travel from sea level to an elevation of more than 700 feet along 365 river miles.
Remember those irrigated crops that we talked about? The Columbia River also helps carry
them to market.
Steven Berg: The grains we grow, the wheat, the corn, it all gets barged out on the river
system. If we had to do it in trucks or rail it would cost quite a bit more.
Doug Johnson: Each day, ships carry about 17 million tons of cargo to and from the Northwest
to ports all around the world. All told, it adds up to about $13 billion worth of goods
that travel up and down the river every year.
And the benefit isnít just an economic one. Using cargo ships to move products keeps thousands
of trucks off the roads, reducing emissions and helping to keep our Northwest skies clear.
Doug Johnson: So weíve talked about the flood control provided by Grand Coulee Dam. Weíve
talked about how folks at the dam help take water from river and help farmers irrigate
their crops. And weíve also talked about how the dams along the Columbia and Snake
rivers help big boats navigate and get all kinds of products all over the world. So maybe
weíve saved the best for last because thereís one more benefit and thatís recreation. Lynne,
weíre here at Spring Canyon, Lake Roosevelt, right behind the dam and the reservoir. What
kind of activities go on here?
Lynne Brougher: We have all sorts of water recreation from boating to fishing to swimming
to taking a walk along the beach.
Doug Johnson: And, Lake Roosevelt isnít the only recreation site on the Columbia. From
Astoria to Hood River, people use the waters of the Columbia every day for everything from
windsurfing to sail boating, from pleasure cruises to fishing. Recreation and tourism
on the Columbia River are a big industry, and they bring millions of dollars into the
Northwest economy. BPA and its partners at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Bureau
of Reclamation work together to make this possible, and to harness all the value of
the river.
Doug Johnson: Lynne, thanks so much for showing us around and helping us better understand
how important Grand Coulee Dam is and all of the things it does. Youíve been a great
help.
Lynne Brougher: Thanks for visiting the dam and Lake Roosevelt.