Home / Media / News Stories
Results:
Tag: Columbia River
Clear

  • March

    Today, McNary is an essential part of the river highway that was envisioned before the formation of the Walla Walla District. It sits as the midpoint, the last lock on the Columbia before the mouth of the Snake River. With its 14 generator units, McNary is also an incredible source of hydropower, capable of producing 980-megawatts or enough electricity to power about 686,000 homes.

    A step towards navigable waters: A history of McNary Lock and Dam

    As people moved into the Pacific Northwest, communities grew around the rivers, especially the Columbia and Snake. Back then, the rivers were temperamental and hard to navigate. However, there was a vision to create a river highway, one that would allow barges to carry cargo from the Pacific Ocean to the confluence of the Snake and Clearwater rivers, 465 miles inland.

  • April

    Burbank, WA. Ice Harbor Dam personnel installed an advanced technology turbine, the first of its kind, on June 8, 2018. This fixed blade turbine runner was designed by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers personnel and Voith for power efficiency and to optimize the safety of fish navigating through Snake River dams.

    Modernizing hydropower on the Snake River

    Hydropower, a clean, renewable and reliable energy source, just became safer for fish and more efficient at generating electricity, thanks to the new turbines at Ice Harbor Lock and Dam on the Snake River in southeast Washington.

  • March

    phto of nav lock with text saying "temporarily closed for scheduled maintenance"

    20-010 Columbia and Snake river navigation locks will close March 7 for annual maintenance

    COLUMBIA & SNAKE RIVERS, Ore. & Wash. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Portland and Walla Walla districts will close all Corps navigation locks on the Columbia and Snake rivers March 7 at 6 a. m. for regularly scheduled annual inspections, preventative maintenance and repairs.