Detailed map of the Columbia River Basin (Opens in new browser window)

This is one of up to 10 case studies of dams in major river basins around the world to be undertaken by the Commission in preparation of its June 2000 final report.

The report will provide a framework for future decision-making on dams, which epitomize the many conflicts at the heart of debates over sustainable development. The WCD case studies will underpin that final report by illustrating ‘lessons learned’ in terms of the myriad impacts – positive and negative – of dams on people, the environment, and economies. However, it should be noted that the Commission is not judicial in nature and will not adjudicate on disputes over dams.

The WCD is charged with addressing the many issues that have arisen around dams such as the Grand Coulee, particularly the competing interests of urbanites and rural dwellers; fish, farmers and utilities; industry and environmentalists; indigenous people and more recent settlers. This in-depth review of the development effectiveness of the Grand Coulee will be of relevance both locally and globally.

The Grand Coulee has achieved mythic status in the United States because of its size and the intense debate over its positive and negative impacts. It is of vital interest to the WCD because the Grand Coulee is a mature dam in a mature democracy and economy in which certain debates (over re-licensing, decommissioning, protection of endangered species, and recreational demands on water resources) are more advanced than in other parts of the globe.

"Our global review of dams will be all the richer for tapping into the wealth of experience surrounding the Grand Coulee/Columbia River, and the broader experience of the United States, one of the world’s major dam-building nations," said Professor Kader Asmal, WCD Chairperson and South Africa’s Minister of Water Affairs and Forestry. The WCD will also study dams in Brazil, Pakistan, Thailand, Norway, Zimbabwe/Zambia, South Africa, China and Russia.

When completed in 1942, Grand Coulee was the largest hydro-electric dam in the world and remains the largest in North America, trapping the might of one of the planet’s fastest rivers. It was considered proof of America’s unrivalled power to harness nature and was dubbed ‘The Eighth Wonder of the World’, ‘a working pyramid’. The dam contains 12 million cubic yards of concrete, is 550 feet high, 500 feet thick at its base and 5,673 feet long. The dam’s Lake Roosevelt reservoir stretches 150 miles. Grand Coulee has installed hydro-electric production capacity of 6,800 megawatts, which powered economic growth in the north-west region.

Dams have also resulted in unanticipated consequences, which combined with changing values in many segments of society, are fueling conflicts over the benefits and impacts of dams and river management. The Grand Coulee dam is no exception. Like most major river basins in the world, the Columbia River basin is at the center of debates about how to manage natural resources. People are concerned with dams' environmental impacts, particularly on salmon species whose migration is blocked by dams; loss of wilderness; high levels of agricultural pollution in the basin; and the effects of basin developments on the lives of indigenous people. Farmers and those shipping goods by water from the interior to the West Coast continue to laud the benefits of the dredged-out Columbia River system, while others criticize the cost to taxpayers of subsidizing that system. Windsurfers and barge operators are fighting each other over rights to navigate on the river.

In this study of the Grand Coulee and the Columbia River basin, the WCD team will consult with a wide array of interest groups:

	People employed on the river;
	Non-governmental organizations involved in social and environmental aspects of river basin use and management, particularly indigenous peoples’ organizations and salmon preservation groups;
	Government and its agencies;
	Farmers and shipping companies;
	Hydrologists, engineers and utilities;
	And local people otherwise affected in the upstream and downstream areas of the dam.

"It is important for all parties to realize that the Commission carries out its work independently," said Achim Steiner, WCD Secretary-General. "The success of this process depends on participation by a broad spectrum of interested parties." To that end, stakeholders involved in the Columbia River basin may contact the in-country study team (to be named shortly) or the WCD Secretariat in South Africa (see below). The multidisciplinary team conducting the study will complete its work within six to eight months.

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