CogKnoSys

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Physical

Bonneville Dam

Bonneville Lock and Dam spans the Columbia River between Oregon and Washington, generating electricity and helping ships navigate.

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The idea

Bonneville Lock and Dam crosses the Columbia River between Oregon and Washington, about 40 miles east of Portland in the Columbia River Gorge. It is made of several run-of-the-river dam structures that together reach across the river. A run-of-the-river dam lets the river keep flowing through it instead of storing water in a huge reservoir.

The dam has two main jobs: generating electricity and helping ships and barges travel the river. Its lock works like a water elevator, raising and lowering boats past the dam. The Bonneville Power Administration sends the electricity it makes out to customers.

When it was built in the 1930s, it was the largest water impoundment project of its type in the nation. Engineers designed it to withstand floods on an unprecedented scale. The dam is named after a nearby railway station, which was named for Army Captain Benjamin Bonneville, an explorer and fur trader who never came close to the site.

Check yourself

Question 1 of 2

Who built and manages Bonneville Dam?

Pick one. The first pick counts.

Composition

what it's made of

  • Dam structures — Several run-of-the-river structures that together span the river.
  • Navigation lock — The current lock, built from 1987 to 1993, lifts ships and barges past the dam in about 30 minutes.
  • Power generation — Equipment that turns the river's flow into electricity, distributed by the Bonneville Power Administration.
  • Historic district — The Bonneville Dam Historic District, a National Historic Landmark District since 1987.

Connection

how it relates

Under Lower Columbia Ports and Industry

In place

  1. Columbia Riverstrength 90 of 100

    The dam spans the Columbia River between Oregon and Washington.

  2. Columbia River Gorgestrength 80 of 100

    The dam stands in the Columbia River Gorge.

  3. Portland, Oregonstrength 50 of 100

    The dam is about 40 miles east of Portland.

Cause and effect

  1. Electrical Energystrength 80 of 100

    The dam generates electrical power, one of its two primary functions; the other is river navigation.

Change

how and why it evolves

Past
The dam was built in the 1930s by the United States Army Corps of Engineers.
Now
Since 1993 a newer lock on the Oregon shore has carried ship and barge traffic, while the old 1938 lock still stands unused.
Next
The dam will likely keep serving power and shipping needs, while its operators balance those jobs with protecting the river's fish and wildlife.

Knowledge you can walk. Read the idea, then step up, across or down.

Bonneville Dam

Bonneville Lock and Dam spans the Columbia River between Oregon and Washington, generating electricity and helping ships navigate.

See it on the map

Learn, discuss, create, buy or invest

The idea

Bonneville Lock and Dam crosses the Columbia River between Oregon and Washington, about 40 miles east of Portland in the Columbia River Gorge. It is made of several run-of-the-river dam structures that together reach across the river. A run-of-the-river dam lets the river keep flowing through it instead of storing water in a huge reservoir.

The dam has two main jobs: generating electricity and helping ships and barges travel the river. Its lock works like a water elevator, raising and lowering boats past the dam. The Bonneville Power Administration sends the electricity it makes out to customers.

When it was built in the 1930s, it was the largest water impoundment project of its type in the nation. Engineers designed it to withstand floods on an unprecedented scale. The dam is named after a nearby railway station, which was named for Army Captain Benjamin Bonneville, an explorer and fur trader who never came close to the site.

Check yourself

2 quick questions, instant feedback.