In 1918, the U.S. Reclamation Service's director and chief engineer Arthur P. Davis proposed a dam of unprecedented height to control the devastating floods on the Colorado River, generate hydroelectric power, and store the river's ample waters for irrigation and other uses.
Bureau of Reclamation
![Hoover Dam](/sites/default/files/styles/landmark_node_/public/landmarks/images/Hoover_Dam.jpg?itok=qHOX4bW6)
![Grand Coulee Dam](/sites/default/files/styles/landmark_node_/public/landmarks/images/Grand_Coulee_Dam.jpg?itok=VcNMntPA)
The massive Grand Coulee Dam, on the Columbia River, is the largest concrete structure in the U.S., the largest hydroelectric facility in the U.S., and the sixth-largest hydroelectric facility in the world. It provides irrigation for up to 1.1 million acres of agricultural lands and the hydroelectric complex maintains a generating capacity of 6.8 million kilowatts. It also serves as the primary flood control for the Columbia River basin (with a capacity of 5.18 million acre-feet of water) and provides recreational opportunities on the 150-mile-long Franklin D. Roosevelt Lake.
Innovations
![Grand Coulee Dam](/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/landmarks/images/Grand_Coulee_Dam.jpg?itok=3qm4BvY0)
The massive Grand Coulee Dam, on the Columbia River, is the largest concrete structure in the U.S., the largest hydroelectric facility in the U.S., and the sixth-largest hydroelectric facility in the world. It provides irrigation for up to 1.1 million acres of agricultural lands and the…
Read More![Hoover Dam](/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/landmarks/images/Hoover_Dam.jpg?itok=NAreu_8x)
In 1918, the U.S. Reclamation Service's director and chief engineer Arthur P. Davis proposed a dam of unprecedented height to control the devastating floods on the Colorado River, generate hydroelectric power, and store the river's ample waters for irrigation and other uses. A dam project of…
Read More