The Hanford Reach is a free-flowing section of the
Columbia River
The Columbia River (Upper Chinook language, Upper Chinook: ' or '; Sahaptin language, Sahaptin: ''Nch’i-Wàna'' or ''Nchi wana''; Sinixt dialect'' '') is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river headwater ...
, around long, in eastern
Washington state. It is named after a large northward bend in the river's otherwise southbound course.
Hanford Reach is the only section of the Columbia in the United States that is not tidal nor part of a reservoir, excluding a short reach between the Canada–United States border and the upper end of
Franklin D. Roosevelt Lake, the reservoir of
Grand Coulee Dam
Grand Coulee Dam is a concrete gravity dam on the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington, built to produce hydroelectric power and provide irrigation water. Constructed between 1933 and 1942, Grand Coulee originally had two powerhous ...
. Much of the Hanford Reach flows through the
Hanford Site
The Hanford Site is a decommissioned nuclear production complex operated by the United States federal government on the Columbia River in Benton County in the U.S. state of Washington. It has also been known as SiteW and the Hanford Nuclear R ...
, a nuclear production facility established during World War II. It is also the site of the
Hanford Reach National Monument, created from the original protection area around the Hanford Site. Upstream of the Hanford Reach is
Priest Rapids Dam and downstream is the
McNary Dam, which also impounds the last stretch of the
Snake River
The Snake River is a major river in the interior Pacific Northwest region of the United States. About long, it is the largest tributary of the Columbia River, which is the largest North American river that empties into the Pacific Ocean. Begin ...
, the largest tributary of the Columbia.
The Hanford Reach includes the still extant
Coyote Rapids and supports over forty species of fish including significant numbers of spawning fall
chinook salmon
The Chinook salmon (''Oncorhynchus tshawytscha'') is the largest and most valuable species of Oncorhynchus, Pacific salmon. Its common name is derived from the Chinookan peoples. Other vernacular names for the species include king salmon, quinn ...
See also
*
Locke Island
*
Ringold Formation
*
Savage Island
References
External links
*
Columbia River
Landforms of Benton County, Washington
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