The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest and produces more hydroelectric power than any other river in North America. It has played a significant role in the development, economy, and culture of the region, but pollution from industrial development and nuclear weapons production has negatively impacted the ecology of the river. The river offers breathtaking scenery, historic tourism, and recreational options. The Grand Coulee and Chief Joseph Dams are the largest of the 150 hydroelectric dams along the river.
The Columbia River is the fourth largest river in the United States and the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. Traveling from the northern ranges of the Rocky Mountains in British Columbia, Canada, the 1,243-mile (2,000 km) long river flows through Washington state and through Oregon before reaching the Pacific Ocean. The largest tributary of the Columbia is the Snake River, which flows through Wyoming, Idaho, Oregon and Washington. Because of the Columbia River’s strong flow and steep slope, it produces more hydroelectric power than any other river in North America. The river also offers breathtaking scenery, historic tourism and recreational options to the millions of visitors who travel to the Pacific Northwest each year.
The Columbia River has played an integral role in the development, economy, and culture of the Pacific Northwest region. The river and its many tributaries provide transportation, electricity, and nutrition for the inhabitants of the area. Numerous species of anadromous fish, especially salmon, inhabit the Columbia. The early Native American inhabitants of the area subsisted almost entirely on a diet of freshwater river fish. Salmon also played a key role in Western European development. By 1828, traders were buying and exporting Indian-caught salmon on the Columbia River. Fur trading companies also used the Columbia as a key transportation route for steamboats.
Efforts to capitalize on the massive river continued into the early 20th century, resulting in increased development of both the public and private sectors. The construction of large commercial fishing vessels, enlarged shipping lanes, industrial factories, dams, irrigation and flood control canals have often negatively impacted the ecology of the river. Contamination of water by various metals, toxins and bacteria is an ongoing problem for fish, wildlife and people. Because dioxin levels in fish are often found at levels that are unsafe for human consumption, the United States Environmental Protection Agency has issued fish consumption advisories for many locations along the Columbia River Basin. Plutonium from nuclear weapons production sites further contributes to river pollution; the Hanford site is now the most contaminated nuclear site in the United States.
The Columbia River has one-third of the United States’ potential for hydroelectric power generation. The Grand Coulee and Chief Joseph Dams are the largest of all 150 hydroelectric dams along the river. These two dams are also the largest in the United States and some of the largest in the world. The reservoir at each dam downstream of Grand Coulee is regulated by local utility providers, the Army Corps of Engineers, and the Bonneville Power Administration. In the 1940s, folk singer Woody Guthrie immortalized the dam projects in a series of 26 songs he wrote for the US government documentary film The Columbia. For these now classic works, Guthrie was paid $266.66 US Dollars (USD) – just ten dollars a song.
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