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How does Grand Coulee Dam supply water to the Columbia Basin Irrigation Project?
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Columbia River
Columbia River Gorge, Oregon-Washington border.
The Grand Coulee Dam supplies water to the Columbia Basin Irrigation Project by pumping water directly from Franklin D. Roosevelt Lake, the reservoir created by the dam.1
This initiative represents the first large-scale use of the Columbia River for irrigation purposes, transforming land previously covered by desert vegetation into productive agricultural areas. The project is considered the largest of its kind in the Northwest, and a significant portion of its operational costs is subsidized by the sale of hydroelectric power generated at the dam.1