Ice Harbor Lock and Dam

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Ice Harbor Dam from the west, north side of the Snake River.
Ice Harbor Dam from the west, north side of the Snake River.

Ice Harbor Lock and Dam is a hydroelectric, concrete, gravity dam on the Snake River in Walla Walla and Franklin counties in the U.S. state of Washington. The dam is located 8 miles (13 km) northeast of the town of Burbank and 12 miles (20 km) east of Pasco, river mile 9.2.

Construction began in June 1955. The main structure and three generators were completed in 1961, with an additional three generators finished in 1976. Generating capacity is 603 megawatts, with an overload capacity of 693 MW. The spillway has ten gates and is 590 feet (180 m) long.

Ice Harbor Dam is part of the Columbia River Basin system of dams.

Looking north, Ice Harbor Dam with lock and one fish ladder on the left (north side of the river), spillway in the middle of the dam, and the power generation station and another fish ladder on the south side (right) of the river.
Looking north, Ice Harbor Dam with lock and one fish ladder on the left (north side of the river), spillway in the middle of the dam, and the power generation station and another fish ladder on the south side (right) of the river.

Lake Sacajawea, named for Sacajawea, is formed behind the dam. The lake strecthes to the base of Lower Monumental Dam, 32 miles (50 km) upstream. The Wallula Channel, formed from the backup of Snake River entering the Columbia River just southeast of Pasco, runs 10 miles (16 km) downstream from the base of the dam.

Stats:

  • Location: 46.2495803 -118.8797221
    ( 46°14′58″N, 118°52′46″W)
  • Altitude: 443 feet (135 m) above sea level
  • Height: 100 feet (30 m)
  • Length: 2,822 feet (860 m)
  • Navigation lock:
    • Single-lift
    • 86 feet (26 m) wide
    • 675 feet long
  • Powerhouse
    • Three 90-megawatt units
    • Three 111-megawatt units [1]
Columbia River Basin
Columbia River Basin

[edit] External links


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Snake River Dams