Wanapum Dam

The dam has a rated capacity of 1,185 megawatts and annually generates over 4 million megawatt-hours.

The license extension was conditioned upon programs to achieve the following goals:[4] On February 27, 2014, a 2-inch (5 cm) wide crack was discovered by inspection divers on one of the 65 feet (20 m) tall concrete monoliths that make up the spillway of the dam.

A spokesman for the Grant County PUD indicated that the level of the water was to be lowered by 26 feet (8 m) over a period of days to "reduce the pressure on the spillway while inspectors investigate".

After an 11-week inspection, the primary reason for the crack was determined to be a mathematical error during the pre-construction design of the dam.

[5] The $61 million fix, used steel cabling and rods to stitch the dam to the bedrock underneath.

Pacific Northwest River System
Basalt bluff over the Columbia River near Wanapum Dam
Vantage Bridge crossing Wanapum Lake