Just downstream from the foot of the dam is the visitor centre, designed to "resemble a generator rotor". The centre does an excellent job of providing all the information one would ever want on the dam, the river and the surrounding area. Exhibits inside include many which impart technical information on the construction and operation of the dam, presidential visits to the dam, the dam's role in the arts and many other aspects of the structure. Most important are memorials to the thousands of men who toiled to build the dam and the 81 who died during the construction of the dam and the powerhouses.
We found a little news item which should perk up the ears of Geocachers who may read this. It's a story about Geocaching at Grand Coulee Dam and the Grand Coulee Dam Visitor Center, an educational program put together by the staff at the visitor centre. The program garnered them a national award from the National Hydropower Association in 2013. The story is reproduced further below.
Visit the Dam
The Grand Coulee Dam Visitor Center was built in the late 1970s as part of the dam’s Third Power Plant expansion. It was designed by architect Marcel Breuer to resemble a generator rotor. An evening laser light show was added in 1989. The center was retrofitted in 2004 for seismic, life-safety, and accessibility standards. The original laser equipment was replaced in 2013 and a new laser light show, One River, Many Voices, premiered in 2014.
In 2006, new exhibits and displays were installed. The exhibits interpret Grand Coulee's role as one of the main irrigation, flood control, and hydroelectric dams on the Columbia River. They also address the effects the dam has had on various groups of people, including Native Americans and early settlers. The new exhibits were designed, manufactured, and installed by Formations, Inc., of Portland, Oregon.
The visitor center is fully accessible and features hands-on exhibits, an auditorium, and restrooms.
From the Bureau of Reclamation
Undoubtedly the largest single project of the Public Works Administration, construction of the Grand Coulee Dam began in 1933, not being completed until 1941, just in time to provide power for wartime industry of the Pacific Northwest. $63 million was allocated for the initial phase of construction, with the final cost coming to $163 million in 1943 dollars. However, repairs due to design flaws and to finish the power stations through the '40s and '50s added another $107 million, bringing the total cost to $270 million. The later addition of the Third Powerplant from 1967 to 1974 added another $460 million, bringing the final cost in 1973 to $730 million. Construction of the dam also cost the lives of 77 of the thousands of workmen employed on the project, with an additional four men killed during the construction of the Third Power Plant and Forebay Dam from 1967 to 1975.
Grand Coulee Dam remains the largest dam in the United States and one of the largest in the world. Initially conceived to provide irrigation, the dam quickly came to be seen as a three fold resource, providing not only water to irrigate more than 671,000 acres, but also providing flood control of the Columbia River and producing 21 billion kilowatt hours of electricity annually. With a generating capacity of 6,809 megawatts, far and away the most of any hydro facility in the country, the dam produces electricity for all or parts of eleven states. This mammoth structure stands 550 feet high and is 1.2 miles wide. Within the dam's three powerhouses are no less than 33 turbines and generators, the main generators varying in size from 150,000 horsepower to 1,053,900 horsepower.
Lake Roosevelt, impounded behind the dam, covers 82,300 acres, stretching 151 miles to the Canadian border, with a storage capacity of 9,562,000 acre feet of water. The lake provides recreational opportunities for a million people each year, with 35 campgrounds around the lake and several more boat launches.
Prior to the commencement of construction of the dam, the area was occupied only by sagebrush, sand and rocks. As thousands came to the area in the Depression looking for work towns were built, with four towns now surrounding the dam, Elmer City, the most northerly, Coulee Dam, just north of the dam, Grand Coulee, to the southwest, and Electric City further west.
Grand Coulee Dam and partners receive national award
The Star | June 5, 2013
The Bureau of Reclamation's Pacific Northwest Region, along with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Chelan County Public Utility District, were honored April 23 at the 2013 National Hydropower Association annual conference in Washington, D.C. The agencies received the Outstanding Stewards of America's Waters Award OSAW ) for Public Education for their collaborative educational program called the "
D3 Geocache Challenge," a high-tech treasure hunt offered at Grand Coulee Dam, Chief Joseph Dam, and Rocky Reach Dam.
Geocaching uses GPS (global positioning system) devices or a smartphone to receive clues to search for hidden items and learn about clean, renewable energy in a fun way. Upon completing the specific geocaches at Grand Coulee Dam, treasure hunters return to the
Visitor Center to receive their prize, a piece of the overhead power lines that once carried electricity from the largest power plant in the United States. To receive a distinguished D3 patch, visitors must also complete additional geocaches at Chief Joseph Dam and Rocky Reach Dam.
"This was truly a partnership project," said Lynne Brougher, Grand Coulee Dam Public Affairs Officer. "Coordinating the program with the other dams was fun and it was a great opportunity for the participants to learn interesting facts about the dams and a great way to promote local tourism. It took a lot of teamwork.
The staff members at the Grand Coulee Dam Visitor Center worked diligently to ensure the program succeeded by assisting visitors in their quest to complete the challenge." Due to the success of the program in 2012, it is being expanded to 10 additional Northwest dams this summer through the Foundation for Water and Energy Education.
The Grand Coulee Dam Visitor Center is open daily from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. with extended hours during the summer season:
• May 25-July 31: 8:30 a.m.-11 p.m.
• August 1-31: 8:30 a.m.-10:30 p.m.
• September 1-30: 8:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m.
Geocache locations are accessible from dawn to dusk. For more information about geocaching at Grand Coulee Dam, contact the Visitor Center at (509) 633-9265.
From the Grand Coulee Star