Columbia River System Projects

John Day Dam, Lake Umatilla, and associated facilities are operated for Hydropower, Navigation, Flood Risk Management, Fish & Wildlife, Recreation, Water Quality, and Irrigation.

John Day Lock and Dam was authorized by Congress for power, navigation, and flood control in the 1950 Flood Control Act and amended in 1957. The project was completed in 1971 near the city of Rufus, Oregon, 215 miles upstream of the Pacific Ocean. Lake Umatilla extends upstream of the dam for 110 miles to McNary Dam.

Quick Facts

Dam
Stream: Columbia River (RM 215.6) Location: Rufus, Oregon Owner: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Portland District Authorized Purposes: Hydropower, Navigation, Flood Control (1950 Flood Control Act) Other Purposes: Recreation, Fish and Wildlife, Water Quality, Irrigation Type of Project: Storage Authorized Flood Storage: 535,000 acre-feet
Completed: 1972 Height: 281 feet Length: 5,543 feet Features: powerhouse, spillway, navigation lock, fish passage facilities Forebay Elevation Normal Operating Range: July-September 265-268 feet msl / November-June 260-265 feet msl Spillway Capacity (max): 1,560,000 cfs
Powerhouse
Generation Capacity: 2,160 MW, 16 Units Hydraulic Capacity: 322,000 cfs

Hydropower

John Day Dam has 16 turbine units and a total generating capacity of 2,480 megawatts.

Navigation

John Day Dam navigation lock is the third of eight locks encountered in the Columbia-Snake Inland Waterway, a 465-mile river highway that allows barge transport of commodities between the Pacific Ocean and Lewiston, Idaho. Annually, about 10 million tons of commercial cargo pass through the John Day lock.

Flood Risk Management

John Day Dam was originally authorized for 2 million acre-feet of flood control storage; however, due to concerns from local and downstream interests, the authorization was amended to 500,000 acre-feet in 1957.

Water Quality

Water quality is monitored and managed consistent with Clean Water Act and state standards for the health of aquatic species. During spill for juvenile fish passage at the four Lower Columbia and four Lower Snake River projects, the Corps implements a Water Quality Program to manage total dissolved gas.

Recreation

Popular recreational activities at John Day Dam and Lake Umatilla include boating, fishing, windsurfing, kiteboarding, hiking, wildlife viewing, camping, and more. There are several state parks and Corps recreation areas along the shoreline of Lake Umatilla.

Fish & Wildlife

John Day Dam has two fish laddersâone on each shoreâto provide a passage route for upstream-migrating fish, including adult salmon and steelhead, lamprey, sturgeon, shad, and others. Passage routes operated for downstream-migrating fish are the spillway, two spillway weirs, and a juvenile bypass system.