The Dalles Dam

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The Dalles Dam from the Washington side, looking east, the lock is in the foreground, spillway in the middle, and the power generation on the far side, at a 90-degree angle from the spillway (top left-out of view)

The Dalles Dam is a hydroelectric dam spanning the Columbia River, two-miles east of the city of The Dalles, Oregon, USA. It joins Wasco County, Oregon with Klickitat County, Washington, 192 miles (309 km) upriver from the mouth of the Columbia near Astoria, Oregon. The closest towns on the Washington side are Lyle and Wishram.

The dam is operated by the United States Army Corps of Engineers (U.S. ACE), and the power is marketed by the Bonneville Power Administration.

The reservoir behind the dam is named Lake Celilo, and runs 24 miles (39 km) up the river channel, to the foot of John Day Dam. Slackwater created by the dam submerged numerous rapids above The Dalles, as well as Celilo Falls. The Dalles Dam Visitor Center is located at Seufert Park on the Oregon shore, and was built in 1981. The Horsethief Lake State Park is nearby.

The Dalles Dam looking west, fish ladder in the foreground, power generation center. Mount Hood rising in the background.

The Dalles Dam is part of the Columbia River Basin system of dams.

Stats:

Location: 45.6123431 -121.1345147
(45°36′44″N, 121°08′04″W)
Altitude: 79 feet (24 m) above sea level
Height: 260 feet (79 m)
Length: 8,875 feet (2,705 m)
Navigation lock:
- Single-lift
- 86 feet (26 m) wide
- 650 feet (198 m) long
Powerhouse:

The Dalles Dam site plan (click for larger view)
- Length: 2,089 feet (636.7 m)
- Fourteen 78,000 kilowatt units
- Eight 85,975 kilowatt units
- Total capacity: 1,779.8 megawatts
- Overload capacity: 2,038 MW
Spillway:
- Gates: 23
- Length: 1,380 feet (420 m)