List of dams in the Columbia River watershed
Name Height Capacity ( MW ) Province/State ( s ) Year of completion Owner Reservoir formed
Crane Prairie Dam 36 ft ( 11 m ) 0 Oregon 1940 USBR Crane Prairie Reservoir
Wickiup Dam 100 ft ( 30 m ) 0 Oregon 1949 USBR Wickiup Reservoir
Round Butte Dam 440 ft ( 130 m ) 247.12 Oregon 1964 Portland General Electric Company , Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon Lake Billy Chinook
Pelton Dam 204 ft ( 62 m ) 100.8 Oregon 1957 Portland General Electric Company , Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon Lake Simtustus
Pelton Reregulating Dam 88 ft ( 27 m ) 18.9 Oregon 1958 Portland General Electric Company , Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon
Main stem Columbia River dams -- Deschutes River dams
Dams are listed in order from headwater ( Little Lava Lake , OR ) to mouth ( Columbia River , WA/OR ) .
There are more than 60 dams in the Columbia River watershed in the United States and Canada. Tributaries of the Columbia River and their dammed tributaries, as well as the main stem itself, each have their own list below. The dams are listed in the order as they are found from source to terminus. Many of the dams in the Columbia River watershed were not created for the specific purposes of water storage or flood protection. Instead, the primary purpose of many of these dams is to produce hydroelectricity. As can be seen in the lists, these dams provide many tens of gigawatts of power. Major dam construction began in the early 20th century and picked up the pace after the Columbia River Treaty in the 1960s, by the mid 1980s all the big dams were finished. Including just the dams listed below, there are 60 dams in the watershed, with 14 on the Columbia, 20 on the Snake, seven on the Kootenay, seven on the Pend Oreille / Clark, two on the Flathead, eight on the Yakima, and two on the Owyhee. Averaging a major dam every 72 miles (116 km), the rivers in the Columbia watershed combine to generate over 36,000 megawatts of power, with the majority coming on the main stem. Grand Coulee Dam is the largest producer of hydroelectric power in the United States, generating 6,809 megawatts, over one-sixth of all power in the basin. In addition to providing ample power for the people of the Pacific Northwest, the reservoirs created by the dams have created numerous recreational opportunities, including fishing, boating, and windsurfing. Furthermore, by creating a constant flow and consistent depth along the river channel, the series of locks and dams have allowed for Lewiston, Idaho, to become the furthest inland seaport on the west coast of the United States.