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Priest Rapids Dam
 Priest Rapids Dam is located on the Columbia River, 24 miles south of Vantage and 200 miles downstream from Grand Coulee Dam.
The dam was named in recognition of the Wanapum religious leader Smowhalla and the small band of indigenous people that lived during the winter at a village near the last of seven rapids, called Priest Rapids. A small group of the Wanapum continues to live alongside the tailrace of the dam.
| Construction Start |
July 1956 |
| Power Generation Began |
October 1959 |
| General Construction Contract Cost |
$91,880,625 |
| Length |
10,103 feet |
| Maximum Height from Deepest Excavation Point |
178 feet |
| Spillway Length |
1,142 feet |
| Amount of Tainter Gates |
22 (each gate is 40 feet X 50 feet) |
| Amount of Turbines |
10 |
| Horsepower of Each Turbine |
114,000 |
Priest Rapids Dam Images
Tours and Event Guidelines (pdf)
History of the Priest Rapids Project Video
Turbine Passage
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