Remarks by
Brig. Gen. Wm. E. Rapp
Northwestern Division Commander
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
75th Anniversary of Grand Coulee Dam
25 July 2008
I’m delighted to be here for the 75th anniversary celebration of the Grand Coulee Dam. Thank you for asking me to be a part of this legacy event.
As I spent some time reading about the history of the dam’s construction, I was struck by one phrase in the literature that described how “unexpected predicaments arose which required original solutions.”
Though the 40,000 plus tons of concrete that is Grand Coulee cured decades ago, operating this wondrous river system continues to challenge us with “unexpected predicaments requiring original solutions.”
Meeting the multiple demands of our various missions, natural resource responsibilities, and legal directives is a dynamic and Herculean task.
Yet it has evolved into a do-able one because of the commitment to collaboration and cooperation, especially between the Corps, Bonneville Power Administration and Reclamation, who collectively manage operations at 14 federal dams as a single, unified system.
Together with the States and Tribes, we’ve implemented system operation and construction activities to balance the needs of fish and wildlife with the imperatives of flood risk management, power generation, irrigation, navigation, recreation and more.
As federal stewards of the resources within the boundaries of the mightiest river of the West, we have an awesome responsibility to provide a full spectrum of authorized benefits.
While there will be other tribute paid today to the enormous hydropower and irrigation benefits of Grand Coulee, I want to acknowledge the dam’s vast contributions in protecting the life and safety of Columbia Basin residents.
Like most everything else in life, timing is critical.
The Lower Columbia and Portland metro area would be far more vulnerable during periods of flooding without the protection of Grand Coulee. In the great NW Flood of 1996, outflow from Grand Coulee dropped more than 90,000 cubic feet per second in less than one day to minimize damage downstream.
One year later, Grand Coulee again played a pivotal role in managing flood risk during the Basin’s fourth (4th) highest seasonal runoff volume on record.
Because it is the last large storage project above the Portland-Vancouver harbor area, Grand Coulee is destined to remain a big player in flood risk management efforts.
In addition, the dam is an integral part of the Columbia River Treaty Flood Control Operating Plan, offering about 18 percent of total primary system flood control storage space in the Columbia River Basin.
That’s a huge responsibility, and one which has provided a return on investment many times over. Nationally, for every $1 invested in flood control projects, approximately $7 in damages has been prevented.
While there are over 200 dams in the Columbia River Basin, 33 of which the Corps operates, none come near providing the power and protection for the region that Grand Coulee offers.
It truly is a marvel of engineering . . . determination . . . . and ingenuity. And it came mighty close to being part of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers inventory.
In the early 1930s, both the Corps and Reclamation produced independent plans for a dam to span the Grand Coulee canyon. However, it was Reclamation’s plan, later selected by the Roosevelt administration that served as the foundation for the project.
As it has for the better part of a century, stewardship of these regional resources has been a team effort, one that called for knowledge sharing, cooperation, and compromise.
And I know that no matter the challenges ahead we are better prepared to meet them collectively than separately.
My fervent hope is that we be equally as resourceful and successful as our predecessors in working towards comprehensive river basin operations and responsible river governance with regional stakeholders.
I’m proud to be your partner and glad to be on board for this special occasion.
Essayons.