Wikipedia:Today's featured article/March 15, 2011

Grand Coulee Dam is a gravity dam on the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington built to produce hydroelectric power and provide irrigation. It was constructed between 1933 and 1942, originally with two powerplants. The Third Powerplant was completed in 1974 to increase its electric potential. It is the largest electric power-producing facility in the United States. The dam's power plants fueled the growing industries of the Northwest U.S. during World War II. Through a series of upgrades and the installation of pump-generators, the dam now supplies four power stations with an installed capacity of 6,809 MW. The reservoir is called Franklin Delano Roosevelt Lake, named after the United States President who presided over the authorization and completion of the dam. The dam has also prevented the migration of salmon and other fish upstream to spawn, interrupting their habitat and reproductive cycle. (more...)

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