Chief Joseph Dam is a 5,962 foot (1,817.2 meter) long hydroelectric dam spanning the Columbia River, 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometers) upriver from Bridgeport, Washington, USA. The dam was authorized as Foster Creek Dam and Powerhouse for power generation and irrigation by the River and Harbor Act of 1946 . The River and Harbor Act of 1948 renamed the project Chief Joseph Dam in honor of the Nez Perce chief who spent his last years in exile on the Colville Indian Reservation.

Construction began in 1949, with the main dam and intake structure completed in 1955. Installation of the initial generating units was completed in 1958. Eleven additional turbines were installed between 1973 and 1979, and the dam and lake were raised 10 feet, making Chief Joseph Dam the second largest hydropower producer in the U.S.

The dam is 545 miles (877.1 kilometers) upriver from the mouth of the Columbia at Astoria, Oregon. It is operated by the United States Army Corps of Engineers' (ACE) Chief Joseph Dam Project Office, and has a capacity of 2,620,134 kW. The electricity is marketed by the Bonneville Power Administration.

The reservoir behind the dam is named Rufus Woods Lake, and runs 51 miles (82.1 kilometers) up the river channel. Bridgeport State Park , on the lake, is adjacent to the dam.

See also

• Hydroelectric dams on the Columbia River

External link

• US ACE Chief Joseph Dam Web site