List of dams in the Columbia River watershed

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

Dams of the Columbia River Basin. Click to view higher resolution and read legend.

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 a relatively significant amount of power.

Major dam construction began in the early 20th century and finished toward the end of the same century. 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 create 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 nation, creating 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. Despite the numerous benefits to humans that the dams have provided, a number of environmental consequences have manifested as a result of the dams, including a negative impact on salmonid populations of the basin.

The organization of the following lists begins with the Columbia River dams and is followed by dams on its tributaries (in order of length) and their respective watersheds. Additionally, the table of contents below is indented to indicate tributary status of each river.

Main stem Columbia River dams

Name	Height	Capacity (MW)	Province/State(s)	Coordinates	Year of completion	Owner	Reservoir formed	Image
Mica Dam	240 m (790 ft)	1,805	British Columbia		1973	BC Hydro	Kinbasket Lake
Revelstoke Dam	175 m (574 ft)	2,480	British Columbia		1984	BC Hydro	Revelstoke Lake	130px
Keenleyside Dam	52 m (171 ft)	185	British Columbia		1968	BC Hydro	Raised Arrow Lakes
Grand Coulee Dam	550 ft (170 m)	6,809	Washington		1941 / 1974	USBR	Franklin D. Roosevelt Lake
Chief Joseph Dam	236 ft (72 m)	2,620	Washington		1955	USACE	Rufus Woods Lake
Wells Dam		840	Washington		1967	Douglas PUD	Lake Pateros	130px
Rocky Reach Dam		1,287	Washington		1961	Chelan PUD	Lake Entiat	130px
Rock Island Dam		660	Washington		1933	Chelan PUD	Rock Island Pool
Wanapum Dam	185 ft (56 m)	1,092	Washington		1963	Grant PUD	Lake Wanapum
Priest Rapids Dam	178 ft (54 m)	955.6	Washington		1961	Grant PUD	Priest Rapids Lake	130px
McNary Dam	183 ft (56 m)	1,133	Washington / Oregon border		1954	USACE	Lake Wallula
John Day Dam	184 ft (56 m)	2,485	Washington / Oregon border		1971	USACE	Lake Umatilla
The Dalles Dam	260 ft (79 m)	2,038	Washington / Oregon border		1957	USACE	Lake Celilo
Bonneville Dam	197 ft (60 m)	1,190	Washington / Oregon border		1937	USACE	Lake Bonneville

Snake River dams

Note: Dams are listed in order from headwater (Jackson Lake, WY) to mouth (Columbia River, WA).

Name	Height	Capacity (MW)	Province/State(s)	Coordinates	Year of completion	Owner	Reservoir formed	Image
Jackson Lake Dam	65.5 ft (20.0 m)	n/a	Wyoming		1911 / 1916 / 1989	USBR	Jackson Lake
Palisades Dam	270 ft (82 m)	176.6	Idaho		1957	USBR	Palisades Reservoir
Gem State Dam	40 ft (12 m)	22.6	Idaho		1982	City of Idaho Falls
American Falls Dam	104 ft (32 m)	92	Idaho		1927 / 1978	USBR	American Falls Reservoir
Minidoka Dam	86 ft (26 m)	28.5	Idaho		1909-1942	USBR	Lake Walcott
Milner Dam	38 ft (12 m)	59.5	Idaho		1905	Milner Dam, Inc.	Milner Lake	130px
Twin Falls Dam	25 ft (7.6 m)	52.9	Idaho		1935 / 1995	Idaho Power Company	Twin Falls Reservoir
Shoshone Falls Dam	16 ft (4.9 m)	64	Idaho		1907	Idaho Power Company	Shoshone Falls Reservoir
Upper Salmon Falls Dam	18 ft (5.5 m)	34.5	Idaho		1937 / 1947	Idaho Power Company	Upper Salmon Falls Reservoir
Lower Salmon Falls Dam	38 ft (12 m)	60	Idaho		1910 / 1949	Idaho Power Company	Lower Salmon Falls Reservoir
Bliss Dam	84 ft (26 m)	75	Idaho		1950	Idaho Power Company	Bliss Reservoir
C. J. Strike Dam	115 ft (35 m)	82.8	Idaho		1952	Idaho Power Company	C. J. Strike Reservoir
Swan Falls Dam	107 ft (33 m)	0	Idaho		1901	Idaho Power Company	Swan Falls Reservoir
Brownlee Dam	420 ft (130 m)	585	Idaho / Oregon border		1959 / 1980	Idaho Power Company	Brownlee Reservoir
Oxbow Dam	175 ft (53 m)	220	Idaho / Oregon border		1961	Idaho Power Company	Oxbow Reservoir
Hells Canyon Dam	330 ft (100 m)	450	Idaho / Oregon border		1967	Idaho Power Company	Hells Canyon Reservoir
Lower Granite Dam		932	Washington		1975 / 1987	USACE	Lower Granite Lake
Little Goose Dam	253 ft (77 m)	932	Washington		1970	USACE	Lake Bryan	130px
Lower Monumental Dam	152 ft (46 m)	930	Washington		1969	USACE	Lake Herbert G. West
Ice Harbor Dam	213 ft (65 m)	693	Washington		1961 / 1976	USACE	Lake Sacajawea

Owyhee River dams

Note: Dams are listed in order from headwater (northeastern Nevada) to mouth (Snake River, OR)

Name	Height	Capacity (MW)	Province/State(s)	Coordinates	Year of completion	Owner	Reservoir formed	Image
Wild Horse Dam	101 ft (31 m)	0	Nevada		1937 / 1969	BIA	Wild Horse Reservoir
Owyhee Dam	417 ft (127 m)	4.3	Oregon		1932	USBR	Lake Owyhee

Kootenay River dams

Note: Dams are listed in order from headwater (Canadian Rockies) to mouth (Columbia River, BC).

Name	Height	Capacity (MW)	Province/State(s)	Coordinates	Year of completion	Owner	Reservoir formed	Image
Libby Dam	420 ft (130 m)	604	Montana		1972	USACE	Lake Koocanusa
Corra Linn Dam	16 m (52 ft)	51	British Columbia		1932	FortisBC	raised Kootenay Lake
Upper Bonnington Falls Dam	21 m (69 ft)	53	British Columbia		1907	FortisBC
Lower Bonnington Falls Dam	21 m (69 ft)	25	British Columbia		1925	FortisBC
South Slocan Dam	18 m (59 ft)	57	British Columbia		1928	FortisBC
Kootenay Canal Generating Station	84 m (276 ft)	583	British Columbia		1976	BC Hydro
Brilliant Dam	42.6 m (140 ft)	260	British Columbia		1944 / 2007	Columbia Power Corporation

Pend Oreille River / Clark Fork River dams

Note: Dams are listed in order from headwater of Clark Fork River (Southwestern Montana) to mouth of Pend Oreille River (Columbia River, BC).

Name	Height	Capacity (MW)	Province/State(s)	Coordinates	Year of completion	Owner	Reservoir formed	Image
Clark Fork
Noxon Rapids Dam	260 ft (79 m)	527	Montana		1959	Avista Corp.	Noxon Reservoir
Cabinet Gorge Dam	208 ft (63 m)	255	Idaho		1952	Avista Corp.	Cabinet Gorge Reservoir
Pend Oreille
Albeni Falls Dam	90 ft (27 m)	42	Idaho		1955	USACE	Raised Lake Pend Oreille 11.5 ft (3.5 m)
Box Canyon Dam	62 ft (19 m)	69	Washington		1956	Pend Oreille PUD	Box Canyon Reservoir
Boundary Dam	340 ft (100 m)	1,040	Washington		1967	Seattle City Light	Boundary Lake
Seven Mile Dam	79.2 m (260 ft)	848	British Columbia		1979	BC Hydro
Waneta Dam	75.9 m (249 ft)	450	British Columbia		1954	Teck Resources

Flathead River dams

Note: Dams are listed in order from headwater (Canadian Rockies) to mouth (Clark Fork River).

Name	Height	Capacity (MW)	Province/State(s)	Coordinates	Year of completion	Owner	Reservoir formed	Image
Hungry Horse Dam	564 ft (172 m)	428	Montana		1953	USBR	Hungry Horse Reservoir
Kerr Dam	205 ft (62 m)	188	Montana		1938	PPL/Tribal	Raised Flathead Lake 10 ft (3.0 m)

Yakima River dams

Note: Dams are listed in order from headwater (Keechelus Lake) to mouth (Columbia River, WA).

Name	Height	Capacity (MW)	Province/State(s)	Coordinates	Year of completion	Owner	Reservoir formed	Image
Keechelus Dam	128 ft (39 m)	0	Washington		1917	USBR	Raised Keechelus Lake
Easton Diversion Dam	66 ft (20 m)	0	Washington		1929	USBR	Lake Easton
Unnamed Diversion Dam		0	Washington			USBR
Roza Diversion Dam	67 ft (20 m)	12	Washington		1939	USBR
Wapato Dam	19 ft (5.8 m)	0	Washington				Wapato Reservoir
Sunnyside Dam	8 ft (2.4 m)	0	Washington		1907	Sunnyside Valley Irrigation District
Prosser Dam	9 ft (2.7 m)	0	Washington		1904	USBR
Wannawish Dam	6.6 ft (2.0 m)	0	Washington		1892

Willamette River dams

Name	Height	Capacity (MW)	Province/State(s)	Coordinates	Year of completion	Owner	Reservoir formed	Image
Willamette Falls Dam	20 ft (6.1 m)	15.18	Oregon		1888	Portland General Electric

Santiam River dams

Name	Height	Capacity (MW)	Province/State(s)	Coordinates	Year of completion	Owner	Reservoir formed	Image
Big Cliff Dam (North Santiam)			Oregon		1953	Army Corps of Engineers	Big Cliff Reservoir (reregulation for Detroit Reservoir)
Detroit Dam			Oregon		1953	Army Corps of Engineers	Detoit Reservoir
Foster Dam (South Santiam)			Oregon		1968	Army Corps of Engineers	Foster Reservoir (reregulation for Green Peter Reservoir)
Green Peter Dam			Oregon		1968	Army Corps of Engineers	Green Peter Reservoir

Middle Fork Willamette River dams

Note: Dams are listed in order from headwater to mouth

Name	Height	Capacity (MW)	Province/State(s)	Coordinates	Year of completion	Owner	Reservoir formed	Image
Hills Creek Dam	304 ft (93 m)	30	Oregon		1961	USACE	Hills Creek Reservoir
Lookout Point Dam	276 ft (84 m)	150	Oregon		1954	USACE	Lookout Point Lake
Fall Creek Dam			Oregon		1966	Army Corps of Engineers	Fall Creek Reservoir
Dexter Dam	93 ft (28 m)	15	Oregon		1954	USACE	Dexter Reservoir

McKenzie River dams

Note: Dams are listed in order from headwater (Clear Lake) to mouth (Willamette River).

Name	Height	Capacity (MW)	Province/State(s)	Coordinates	Year of completion	Owner	Reservoir formed	Image
Carmen Diversion Dam			Oregon			Eugene Water & Electric Board	Carmen Reservoir
Trail Bridge Dam		10	Oregon			Eugene Water & Electric Board	Trail Bridge Reservoir
Cougar Dam			Oregon		1963	Army Corps of Engineers	Cougar Reservoir
Blue River Dam			Oregon		1969	Army Corps of Engineers	Blue River Reservoir
Leaburg Dam		25	Oregon		1929	Eugene Water & Electric Board	Leaburg Reservoir

Coast Fork Willamette River dams

Name	Height	Capacity (MW)	Province/State(s)	Coordinates	Year of completion	Owner	Reservoir formed	Image
Cottage Grove Dam	95 ft (29 m)	0	Oregon		1942	USACE	Cottage Grove Lake

Spokane River dams

Note: Dams are listed in order from headwater (Lake Coeur d'Alene) to mouth (Columbia River, WA).

Name	Height	Capacity (MW)	Province/State(s)	Coordinates	Year of completion	Owner	Reservoir formed	Image
Post Falls Hydroelectric Development	64 ft (20 m)	15	Idaho		1908	Avista	Raised Lake Coeur d'Alene
Upriver Dam		17.7	Washington		1894 / 1933	City of Spokane	Upriver Dam Reservoir
Upper Falls Dam	35 ft (11 m)	10	Washington		1922	Avista	Upper Falls Reservoir
Monroe Street Dam	24 ft (7.3 m)	15	Washington		1890	Avista
Nine Mile Dam	58 ft (18 m)	26	Washington		1908	Avista	Nine Mile Reservoir
Long Lake Dam	213 ft (65 m)	71	Washington		1915	Avista	Long Lake
Little Falls Dam	57 ft (17 m)	36	Washington		1911	Avista	Little Falls Pool

Cowlitz River dams

Note: Dams are listed in order from headwater (Cascade Mountains) to mouth (Columbia River, WA)

Name	Height	Capacity (MW)	Province/State(s)	Coordinates	Year of completion	Owner	Reservoir formed	Image
Cowlitz Falls Dam	140 ft (43 m)	70	Washington		1994	Bonneville Power Administration	Lake Scanewa
Mossyrock Dam	606 ft (185 m)	300	Washington		1968	Tacoma Public Utilities	Riffe Lake
Mayfield Dam	250 ft (76 m)	162	Washington		1963	Tacoma Public Utilities	Lake Mayfield

Chelan River dams

Name	Height	Capacity (MW)	Province/State(s)	Coordinates	Year of completion	Owner	Reservoir formed	Image
Lake Chelan Dam	40 ft (12 m)	59.2	Washington		1892–1903 / 1927	Chelan County Public Utility District	Raised Lake Chelan

Clearwater River (North Branch)

Name	Height	Capacity (MW)	Province/State(s)	Coordinates	Year of completion	Owner	Reservoir formed	Image
Dworshak Dam	717 ft (219 m)	400	Idaho		1973	Army Corps of Engineers	Dworshak Reservoir

See also

• List of lakes in Washington (state)
• List of tallest dams in the world
• Dams in the Colorado River system
• List of reservoirs and dams in the United States
• Columbia River Treaty (US–Canadian treaty regulating hydroelectric development)