Bonneville Dam, Aug. 30, 2010

Bonneville Lock and Dam and Fish Hatchery

August 30, 2010

Bill is always interested in power plants so we stopped at the famous Bonneville Lock and Dam located on the Columbia River 40 miles east of Portland, Oregon. Construction began in 1933 by the Army Corp of Engineers and was dedicated by President F.D. Roosevelt in 1937 at a total cost of $88.4 million.

The power house produces over 1 million kilowatts, enough to supply the power needs of nearly 500,000 homes. It takes more than 150 people to operate and maintain the Bonneville Lock and Dam each year.

I found the most interesting part of the tour was the Fish Ladder. Fish ladders planned by Corps engineers, environmental specialists and biologists simulate the waterfalls and pools found in natural streams. These fish ways allow migratory adult fish to continues their migration from the ocean upstream to tributaries of the Columbia and Snake Rivers. The fish jump from one level to the next, much as they would in a natural stream.

Visitors can watch migrating fish move past underwater windows at the visitor center. The underwater lighted windows afford an exciting close-up look at the various fish moving up the ladder. Salmon were passing through when we visited. At each fish way, a worker counts the various species of adult fish moving up the fish ladder. This vital information has been recorded at Bonneville since 1938. Between 700,000 and 1.5 million upstream migrant adult salmon and steelhead, and an estimated 24 to 43 million downstream migrant salmon and steelhead fingerlings pass Bonneville Dam in an average year! Shad, sturgeon, lamprey and other species are also seen.

A visit to the Bonneville Fish Hatchery, located in the same area, was next. The grounds were beautifully landscaped.

There are some huge sturgeon in the Columbia River as seen here. This is the sturgeon viewing area, home of "Herman the Sturgeon." You can see part of the viewing window to the right.

And-along came Herman and another sturgeon. Herman is over 10 feet long, weights over 450 pounds, and is over 70 years old.

We spend an enjoyable and educational afternoon here at the Bonneville Dam-well worth the visit!