Did You Know...

. . .that Grand Coulee Dam helped fuel the American war machine in the Pacific Northwest during World War II? Grand Coulee Dam came on line in 1941, just in time to power aluminum plants at Longview and Vancouver, Washington, following the attack on Pearl Harbor. The dam also powered the Boeing plants in Seattle and shipyards in Vancouver and Portland, Oregon. When the government began building the top secret plutonium manufacturing plants at Richland, Washington, in 1943, the dam provided critical electrical power to that project too. Twelve new generators were installed in the dam from 1948-51 to handle post-war electrical shortages.

In addition to electrical generation, Grand Coulee Dam provides flood control benefits and allowed the development of an extensive irrigation system. When leakage from irrigation canals caused the water table to rise, small lakes formed throughout the area. The Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife planted fish in the various lakes, and three state parks were created around lakes near Coulee City. In 1955, 32,000 acres were set aside as the Columbia National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge is used extensively by resident and migrating birds. Sandhill cranes feed in the area during their spring and fall migration.

Source: Grand Coulee: Harnessing a Dream, Paul C. Pitzer, Washington State University Press, Pullman, Washington, 1994.

(reprinted from the USSD Newsletter, March 2008, page 3)