Wells Dam is a

hydroelectric Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other Renewable energ ...

embankment dam An embankment dam is a large artificial dam. It is typically created by the placement and compaction of a complex semi-plastic mound of various compositions of soil or rock. It has a semi-pervious waterproof natural covering for its surface ...

located on 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 ...

, downstream from the confluence of the

Okanogan River The Okanogan River (known as the Okanagan River in Canada) is a tributary of the Columbia River, approximately 115 mi (185 km) long, in southern British Columbia and north central Washington. It drains a scenic plateau region called t ...

Methow River The Methow River ( ) is a tributary of the Columbia River in northern Washington in the United States. The river's watershed drains the eastern North Cascades, with a population of about 5,000 people. The Methow's watershed is characterized by ...

, and the Columbia River in

Washington state Washington, officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is often referred to as Washington State to distinguish it from the national capital, both named after George Washington ...

. The dam, associated structures, and machinery make up the Wells Hydroelectric Project. It is owned and operated by Douglas County Public Utility District. It has produced electricity since August 22, 1967. Its operating license from the US

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is an independent agency of the United States government that regulates the interstate transmission and wholesale sale of electricity and natural gas and regulates the prices of interstate transport ...

is next up for renewal in 2052. The Wells project has ten generating units rated at a combined 840 megawatts. In addition to the Douglas County and Okanogan County public utility districts, the project provides electricity to

Puget Sound Energy Puget Sound Energy, Inc. (PSE) is an energy utility company based in the U.S. state of Washington that provides electrical power and natural gas to the Puget Sound region. The utility serves electricity to more than 1.2 million customers in I ...

Portland General Electric Portland General Electric (PGE) is a Fortune 1000, ''Fortune'' 1000, publicly-traded energy company based in Portland, Oregon, that generates, transmits and distributes electricity, serving almost two-thirds of Oregon's commercial and industria ...

PacifiCorp PacifiCorp is an electric power company based in the Lloyd Center Tower in Portland, Oregon with operations in the western United States. PacifiCorp has two business units: Pacific Power, a regulated electric utility with service territory thro ...

Avista Corporation Avista Corporation is an American energy company which generates and transmits electricity and distributes natural gas to residential, commercial, and industrial customers. Approximately 1,550 employees provide electricity, natural gas, and othe ...

, and the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation. Its reservoir is named

Lake Pateros Lake Pateros is a reservoir on the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington (U.S. state), Washington. It was created in 1967 with the construction of Wells Dam. The reservoir lies almost entirely in Douglas County, Washington, Douglas and Ok ...

. Just below and adjacent is Carpenter Island boat launch and fish hatchery river access. Lake Pateros is not deep but a high volume of water moves through it. Thus, low-head, high-volume

Kaplan turbine The Kaplan turbine is a propeller-type water turbine which has adjustable blades. It was developed in 1913 by Austrian professor Viktor Kaplan, who combined automatically adjusted propeller blades with automatically adjusted wicket gates to a ...

runners drive generation.

References

{{Crossings navbox , structure = Crossings , place =

, bridge = Wells Dam , bridge signs = , upstream = Brewster Bridge , upstream signs = , downstream = Beebe Bridge , downstream signs = Buildings and structures in Chelan County, Washington Dams on the Columbia River Dams in Washington (state) Buildings and structures in Douglas County, Washington Hydroelectric power plants in Washington (state) United States local public utility dams Dams completed in 1967 Energy infrastructure completed in 1967 Gravity dams 1967 establishments in Washington (state)

See also

References