Grand Coulee Dam
Grand Coulee Dam is a hydroelectric gravity dam on Washington State’s Columbia River and is part of the Columbia Basin region of North-central Washington. It’s the largest electric power producing facility , the largest concrete structure and the fourth largest producer of hydroelectricity in the world.
The reservoir made by the dam is called Franklin Delano Roosevelt Lake, named after the United States President who had the Grand Coulee dam built as a depression era job creating project. The Grand Coulee Dam is almost a mile long (5223 ft.), with a spillway of 1,650 feet wide and is 550 feet tall with its hydraulic height at 380 feet. Grand Coulee dam has enough concrete to build a four-foot wide, four-inch deep sidewalk twice around the equator.
The Grand Coulee Dam site was excavated on July 16, 1933 and completed in January 1942, shortly after the attacks on Pearl Harbor (Dec. 07). Grand Coulee dam was designed by John L. Savage with Frank A. Banks as chief construction engineer and by the end of its construction, 77 men lost would have given their lives.
Grand Coulee dam’s primary goal was for irrigation purposes. The rich volcanic soil of the Columbia Basin made it perfect for growing crops of all types and variety and Grand Coulee dam was to facilitate the birth of Washington States agricultural heartland and was instrumental in the industrial development of the Pacific Northwest.
Hydroelectric power played a vital role as part of the war effort and as such the need for electricity would increase, Grand Coulee dam’s primary goal had change. Aluminum smelting was also vital to the war effort, and to airplane construction in particular.
Grand Coulee dam has a visitor center that contains many historical photos, geological samples, turbine and dam models, and a well used theater. Since May’89, on summer evenings a laser is projected onto the dam’s wall. The show includes full-size images of battleships and the Statue of Liberty, as well as some environmental comments.&nbps;&nbps;Tours of the new Third Powerhouse are available to the public but have been scaled back for security reasons. Visitors are able to ride a glass elevator, on top of the forebay penstocks, 400 feet down to view the generators.
Follow me on Twitter at: BasinExplorer
and on my blog at: Columbia Basin Explorer
About the Author
|
|
Pacific Precision Metals THE CRUSHER Aluminum Can Compactor $12.06 THE CRUSHER CAN CRUSHER *For any size aluminum cans *Wall mount *Safety grip handles *One year warranty *White… |
|
|
Prime Pacific 18/10 Stainless Steel 20 Quart Stock Pot With Glass Lid $39.95 Everyday use to high volume cooking, these all purpose stock pots have what it takes to do the job. Extra thick tri-ply encapsulated clad base and heavy duty construction, you can really perform professionally in your kitchen. These pots combine the best features from even heat conductivity to protecting the flavors of your menu. Real 18/10 stainless steel polished to a beautiful mirror finish wit… |
|
|
Prime Pacific Stainless Steel Bread Box, Brushed $24.99 Features: Brushed stainless steel bread box. Dimensions: 16 1/2″ long x 6 3/4″ high x 10″ deep. Swing down door…. |
|
|
Mag Lite Mini Aa Maglite Blister Pack $19.99 The MagLite® Mini AA blister pack is a small version of the light that changed the portable illumination industry. It is built around a MagLite’s® signature machined-aluminum body, and it features an adjustable light beam…. |
|
|
Pacific Sprinklers 601 3-Feet Tripod Sprinkler $27.09 Pacific Sprinklers 601 3′ Tripod SprinklerPacific Sprinklers 601 3′ Tripod Sprinkler Features:; Tripod sprinkler; Collapsible for storage; Grows with your garden; Heart shaped sprinkler head shatters water droplets into a fine rain or mist improving the delivery of water to the root zone of your lawn and garden; Uses up to 1/3 less water; Even coverage up to 1900 square feet; Sprinklers work on lo… |
|
|
Royal Pacific 8931BA Step Light Louver with Glass Backing, Cover Only, Brushed Aluminum $13.74 … |
|
|
Double Z-Vibe (Aluminum Handle) $34.00 Get the best of both worlds! The DnZ-Vibes dynamic design allows the therapist to use it either as the Z-Vibe or as the Double Z-Vibe simply by unscrewing the Switch Tip and screwing in another tip. One end is sealed off from the internal components so that no saliva, water, or moisture can enter from that end. The DnZ-Vibe is sold with one Probe Tip and one Switch Tip, other tips sold separately…. |
|
|
Royal Pacific Mini Indoor Incandescent Step Light, 7-Watt Lamp … |
|
|
Royal Pacific Mini Step Light, LED 0.8-Watt … |
|
|
19dBi 5.1-5.8GHz Triband Panel $37.80 The 5GHz Tri-Band Flat Panel Directional antennas by Pacific Wireless offer high gain in a thin low profile package. The antenna frequency range is from 5150 to 5850 MHz. The antennas can be used in Horizontal or Vertical.The PA58 Flat Panel Antennas come equipped with die cast aluminum brackets which afford +/- 45 deg up or down tilt adjustment and stainless steel hardware which assure a long ser… |
