Columbia River

Columbia River System

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers manages a series of dams along the Columbia River that help power the Pacific Northwest and support vital regional infrastructure. Four key dams -- Bonneville, The Dalles, John Day, and Willow Creek -- work together to generate renewable energy, support navigation, manage flood risk, and enhance life in communities across the region.

Together, these dams form part of a larger network that supports life and livelihoods across the Pacific Northwest. USACE operates and maintains this system to deliver multiple benefits: renewable energy, navigation, flood risk management, fish passage, irrigation, recreation, and cultural preservation. These structures reflect the region's legacy of innovation and USACE's commitment to responsible water resource management.

For information on USACE dams, visit the National Inventory of Dams.

Bonneville Lock & Dam, built and operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, was the first federal lock and dam on the Columbia and Snake rivers. The project’s first powerhouse, spillway and original navigation lock were completed in 1938 to improve navigation on Columbia River and provide hydropower to the Pacific Northwest. A second powerhouse was completed in 1982, and a larger navigation lock in 1993.

Today, the project is a critical part of the water resource management system that power generation, navigation, water quality improvement, fish and wildlife habitat including fish passage and recreation along the Columbia River.

A Public Works Administration project of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal, portions of Bonneville Lock and Dam Project were declared a National Historic Landmark in 1987.

Bonneville’s significance is based on the Colonial-Revival style architecture of the administration building and auditorium, the unique engineering design, the contribution to the region’s industrial development, the lock’s role in transportation, the entrance landscaping, and the role of Bonneville as a major government undertaking in the 1930s to provide jobs during the Great Depression.

Bonneville Lock and Dam is named for Army Captain Benjamin Bonneville, an early day visionary who led an exploration to the Oregon Country and charted extensive sections of what became the Oregon Trail.

The visitor center at the Navigation Lock is open seasonally, from the Friday of Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. This visitor center offers exhibits and videos demonstrating the value of river commerce to the economy of Oregon and Washington. Visitors can see the navigation lock in operation when commercial or recreational boats are using the lock. There is no set schedule of when boats pass through the lock.

Directions: Take I-84 to exit 40, approximately four miles west of Cascade Locks, Oregon. At the flag pole intersection, bear right. Enter the Navigation Lock Visitor Area parking lot just past the guard station as the road veers to the left.

Our first mission, eliminating impediments to navigation on the Pacific Northwest's rivers, dates back to 1871. A navigation lock was built during the original construction of Bonneville Dam. A larger lock was constructed in 1993, in a comparable size to the seven other locks on the 465 mile Columbia-Snake River Inland Waterway.

Spillway length	1,450 ft	442 m
-gates	18
-reservoir above downstream side	60 ft	18.3 m
Navigation lock length	676 ft	206 m
-width	85 ft	25.9 m
Max. lift	90 ft	27.4 m
Avg. transit time	30 min.

*National Geodetic Vertical Datum
(Mean Sea Level)

The Dalles Lock and Dam

An aerial image of the Dalles Lock and Dam. Built and operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, The Dalles Lock and Dam is one of the ten largest hydropower dams in the United States. Since its completion in 1957, it has provided the Pacific Northwest with a reliable water source for hydropower, navigation, recreation, fish passage, irrigation, and flood mitigation. The dam is 192 miles upriver from the mouth of the Columbia River and two miles east of the city of The Dalles, Ore.

Since its construction, the dam has generated more than 9.2 billion kilowatt hours of electricity and passed up to 10 million tons of river cargo annually.

The project consists of a concrete structure with a navigation lock, spillway, gated powerhouse and fish passage facilities. Various recreational facilities are provided along Lake Celilo, the 24-mile-long impoundment behind the dam.

John Day Lock and Dam

An image of the John Day Dam. John Day Lock & Dam is located 216 miles upriver from the mouth of the Columbia River near the city of Rufus, Ore.

Dedicated in 1968, construction of John Day Lock & Dam was completed in 1971. The project, which consists of a navigation lock, spillway, powerhouse and fish passage facilities, is authorized for navigation and hydroelectric power generation. Various recreational facilities are provided along Lake Umatilla and the John Day River.

Willow Creek Dam

An image of Willow Creek Dam Willow Creek Dam is located in Morrow County, Oregon, directly upstream from the town of Heppner, and about 45 miles south of Hermiston.

Willow Creek Dam was completed in 1983. It is the first major dam in the United States constructed using the roller-compacted concrete technique. The dam is 169 feet high and 1,780 feet long, and was constructed with 403,000 cubic yards of concrete. The reservoir is able to store 9,765 acre-feet of water.

The Portland District operates the project for flood control and irrigation with incidental benefits for recreation, sportfishing, and wildlife.