Dams and Hydroelectric Power in the Pacific Northwest

(View of Grand Coulee Dam. Rufus Woods Papers. Central Washington University Archives and Special Collections, Brooks Library.)

For information about the history, engineering, and environmental impact of dams in the Pacific Northwest, please see the tabs on the left, which feature resources located at Brooks Library, online, and in archives throughout the Pacific Northwest.

Please note that records about dams and hydroelectric power are created by a variety of U.S. government agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security, the Bureau of Reclamation, the United States Geological Survey, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. You may want to consult these agencies when beginning your research.

To locate more resources at Brooks Library, please use the online catalog. Try these subject headings to find more information about the following topics (once you have entered the catalog, you will need to click the subject heading again to see a list of resources): 

Columbia Basin Project (U.S.) -- History
Water resources development -- Columbia River Watershed -- History
Dams -- Washington (State) -- History 
Dams -- United States -- History
Dams -- United States -- Design and construction
Dams -- United States -- Handbooks, manuals, etc
Dams -- United States -- Maintenance and repair
Dams -- United States -- Statistics
Flood control -- Environmental aspects -- Columbia River Watershed
Streamflow -- Environmental aspects -- Columbia River Watershed
Dams -- Environmental aspects -- Columbia River Watershed
Environmental impact analysis -- Columbia River Watershed
Columbia River Watershed -- Environmental conditions