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Physical
Lower Columbia Ports and Industry
The dam and ports of the lower Columbia River: Bonneville Lock and Dam and the ports of Portland, Vancouver USA and Longview.
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The idea
Lower Columbia Ports and Industry is about the places where people put the lower Columbia River to work. Since the late 19th century, the river has been heavily developed. Locks were built to help ships and barges pass, and dredging opened, kept up and widened the shipping channels. Since the early 20th century, dams have been built across the river for power, navigation, irrigation and flood control.
Bonneville Lock and Dam spans the river between Oregon and Washington, about 40 miles east of Portland in the Columbia River Gorge. Its two primary functions are electrical power generation and river navigation. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built the dam and manages it, while the Bonneville Power Administration distributes its electricity.
Three port districts handle the ships. The Port of Portland oversees Portland International Airport, marine terminals and industrial parks. It also runs a dredge that helps keep the river channel open. The Port of Vancouver USA is the farthest-inland deep-water port on the Columbia. Its twin cranes can unload very big cargo, such as wind energy equipment. The Port of Longview is a unit of local government run by elected commissioners. Its terminals connect ships with two railroads and with Interstate 5, the main highway from Mexico to Canada.
Check yourself
Question 1 of 2
Which port district did local voters set up in 1921?
Composition
what it's made of
- Bonneville Lock and Dam — A dam across the Columbia, 40 miles east of Portland, that generates electricity and helps boats navigate the river.
- Port of Portland — The port district that oversees Portland International Airport, marine terminals and industrial parks.
- Port of Vancouver USA — The farthest-inland deep-water port on the Columbia River, in Vancouver, Washington.
- Port of Longview — A deep-water port in Longview, Washington, run as a unit of local government.
- Shipping channel — The dredged channel that lets ships reach the ports; the Port of Portland's dredge Oregon helps keep it open.
Connection
how it relates
Under Lower Columbia Region
Change
how and why it evolves
- Past
- Oregon lawmakers first set up the Port of Portland in 1891. The Port of Vancouver USA followed in 1912, local voters set up the Port of Longview in 1921, and Bonneville Dam was built in the 1930s. In March 2015 Hanjin, a shipping line that carried 78% of the Port of Portland's container traffic, stopped serving its Terminal 6.
- Now
- In 2012 the Columbia and its tributaries produced 44 percent of all the hydroelectric power generated in the United States. Today the ports handle cargo such as grain, steel and wind energy parts.
- Next
- The ports and dams will probably keep changing as cargo, energy needs and river conditions change. Efforts to reduce harm to migrating fish are likely to remain part of that story.