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1. Introduction

1.1 Project Overview

1.2 Grand Coulee Dam Case Study Procedure

1.3 Objectives of Scoping Paper

1.4 Inquiry Process

1.5 Study Area

1.6 Basin Characteristics

1.7 Relevant Stakeholder Groups

1.1 Project Overview

As part of the two-year mandate of the World Commission on Dams (WCD), a review of the "development effectiveness" of large dams in the world is to be undertaken. As part of the work program, several case studies, including projects in the developed and developing nations will be conducted to provide an in-depth analysis on specific dams. The Grand Coulee Dam, located in central Washington of the United States was selected as one of these case studies. This dam is the focal component of the many dams and irrigation projects located along the Columbia River and its tributaries. Among all the case studies that are being conducted for the Commission, the Grand Coulee is the oldest.
 
Completed in 1941, the project known as the Grand Coulee Dam is multipurpose and includes irrigation, power generation, flood control, and recreation uses. This case study will illustrate the evolution of large water resources projects in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States in the context of changing social ideas concerning the rights of Native Americans, the growing awareness of the U.S. public over environmental issues, and the changing socio-economic conditions of the area.

1.2 Grand Coulee Dam Case Study Procedure

The Grand Coulee case study will be carried out in two phases. In the first phase, a California-based inter-disciplinary project team, supervised by WCD staff, prepared a version of this draft scoping report. This document was submitted for review to relevant stakeholder groups. On May 20 in Spokane, Washington a consultative stakeholder meeting was held to discuss the study objectives and proposed methodology for the case study. At that time, the project team and WCD staff solicited input from meeting attendees. Feedback from the May 20 meeting was considered in shaping this final scoping report while the minutes of the consultative meeting give a more detailed list of issues raised. The minutes and a list of attendees are presented in Appendix A and Appendix B.

The second phase of the project will begin in July. From July to October, a Phase II project team will gather detailed information on the areas of inquiry identified by the scoping paper and prepare a draft final case study report. This report will again be distributed to relevant stakeholder groups and discussed in a second consultative stakeholder meeting that is planned for November. The draft report will then be revised to include comments and perspectives put forward at the second stakeholder meeting, and a final report will be completed by the end of December.

1.3 Objectives of Scoping Paper

The scoping paper is an important first step in the case study and follows the normal procedure for project-specific environmental impact assessments. The scoping paper identifies the main issues surrounding the Grand Coulee Dam and Columbia Basin Project in relation to the objectives of the WCD and highlights where to focus and allocate resources to address these issues. The overall structure of this scoping paper will also be reflected in the final report.

1.4 Inquiry Process

To structure the information collection, discussion and the assessment of development effectiveness to be provided in the final report, six central questions have been identified that form a key component of the WCD work program and methodology. These will be addressed in each case study, and the scoping paper is structured around these questions. They are:

• 1. How were key project decisions made? (Section 3)
• 2. What were the projected versus actual benefits, costs and impacts? (Section 4)
• 3. What were the unexpected impacts? (Section 4)
• 4. What was the distribution of costs and benefits; who gained and who lost? (Section 5)
• 5. Did the project comply with the criteria and guidelines of the day? (Section 6)

The responses to these particular questions will be combined with data on additional development indicators gathered through other means and used to assess the "development effectiveness" of the dam and lessons learned (Section 8). Inter-linkages with the basin and interactions with other large dams will also be reviewed (Section 7).

1.5 Study Area

The study area for this scoping paper is the Columbia River basin within the U.S. and Canada. The focus is on the Grand Coulee Dam, located on the mainstem of the Columbia River, and the land irrigated by water stored in Lake Roosevelt, the reservoir created by the dam. Following common usage, the term Columbia Basin Project (CBP) refers to the portion of the overall project that involves irrigation¹. The study will also consider some aspects of the river's principal tributaries, the Snake and Salmon Rivers, as they pertain to the basin generally.

¹ In some early project authorization documents, the term "Columbia Basin Project" referred to both the Grand Coulee Dam and the Columbia basin irrigation project. Over time, people have come to refer to the irrigation portion of the project as the Columbia Basin Project. The Grand Coulee Dam project has come to mean the portion of the overall project concerned with hydropower generation, flood control, and the recreational benefits associated with Lake Roosevelt.

1.6 Basin Characteristics

The Columbia River is the nation's second largest, running over 1,200 miles from its headwaters to the ocean (see Figure 1). The river has a total catchment of almost 260,000 square miles-an area larger than that of France, Belgium, and the Netherlands combined. The Columbia originates in the Canadian province of British Columbia. From there, the mainstem flows mostly southwards through Washington, then westward where it serves as the Washington-Oregon border. The river then flows through the Cascade mountains and meets the Pacific Ocean. The average annual runoff of the river basin exceeds 180 million acre-feet.

Figure 1. Columbia River Basin

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

1.7 Relevant Stakeholder Groups

The Columbia River basin is characterised by a complex web of jurisdictions, administrative agencies, and other stakeholder groups. Most of the basin passes through four U.S. states-Washington, Idaho, Oregon, and Montana-as well as part of the Canadian province of British Columbia. There has never been a single overarching basin authority. Organisations and agencies with responsibilities for and interests in various aspects of the river basin are listed below in Table 1. Their specific roles and responsibilities as they pertain to the basin are summarised in Appendix C.

Table 1. Main Stakeholder Groups
- Bureau of Reclamation - Bureau of Land Management - U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - Bonneville Power Administration - Irrigation and farming interests - Northwest Power Planning Council - Federal Energy Regulatory Commission - National Marine Fisheries Service - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service	- Key government agencies in basin states - Canadian interests - Tribal entities (U.S. and Canadian) - Non-governmental organisations - Non-federal utilities - Industries and municipalities - Other project-affected entities

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