Columbia River System Projects

The 14 federal multi-purpose dams and related facilities are operated as a coordinated system within the interior Columbia River basin in Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was authorized by Congress to construct, operate and maintain 12 of these projects for flood control, power generation, navigation, fish and wildlife, recreation, and municipal and industrial water supply purposes. Bureau of Reclamation was authorized to construct, operate, and maintain two projects for purposes of flood control, power generation, navigation, and irrigation. Bonneville Power Administration is responsible for marketing and transmitting the power generated by these dams. Together, these co-lead agencies are responsible for managing the system for these various purposes.