What purposes do the dams on the Columbia River serve?

Dams on the Columbia River serve several critical, multipurpose functions that have been essential to the economic development of the Pacific Northwest. These primary purposes include:1

• Hydroelectric Power: The dams are a major source of renewable energy, forming the backbone of a regional power network that supplies electricity to the Pacific Northwest, California, and the American Southwest.12
• Irrigation: Projects like the Columbia Basin Irrigation Project utilize water from reservoirs, such as Franklin D. Roosevelt Lake, to transform arid lands into productive agricultural areas.12
• Flood Control: The system of dams and upstream storage reservoirs helps manage water flow, reducing the risk of flooding and augmenting low winter flows to meet peak power demands.12
• Navigation: Many of the dams are equipped with large navigation locks, which facilitate the transport of goods along the river.12

While these structures provide significant economic benefits, they have also created environmental challenges, particularly by acting as barriers to fish migration and altering natural habitats, which has led to a decline in salmon populations. Efforts to mitigate these impacts include the use of fish-passage facilities and the funding of fish hatcheries.132