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The Locks and Dams in Seattle District

Locks and Dams

Seattle District Locks and Dams

Photo of Lake Washington Ship Canal and Hiram M. Chittenden Locks, Seattle, Washington
Lake Washington Ship Canal
Photo of Lake Washington Ship Canal and Hiram M. Chittenden Locks, Seattle, Washington
M/V Puget at the Chittenden Locks
M/V Puget at the Chittenden Locks
The M/V Puget is a 104-foot debris recovery vessel operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, originally built for the U.S. Navy in 1944. The M/V Puget patrols the inland waters of Puget Sound to collect logs, derelict objects, and navigational obstructions to keep waterways safe.
Photo of Chief Joseph Dam, the second largest hydropower producing dam in the U.S. It is the largest hydropower producing dam operated by USACE. The single powerhouse is over a third of a mile long and holds 27 house-sized turbines. Alone, it produces enough power to supply the whole Seattle metropolitan area.
Chief Joseph Dam
Chief Joseph Dam, the second largest hydropower producing dam in the U.S. It is the largest hydropower producing dam operated by USACE. The single powerhouse is over a third of a mile long and holds 27 house-sized turbines. Alone, it produces enough power to supply the whole Seattle metropolitan area.
Photo of Libby Dam located 17 miles north of Libby, Montana.
Libby Dam
At 422 feet tall, Libby Dam holds back the waters of the Kootenai River, to form the 90-mile-long Lake Koocanusa reservoir, 42 miles of which are is in Canada.
Aerial photo of a dam with 11 spillway gates, a hydropower generating unit, and a lake in front of it.
Albeni Falls Dam
Albeni Falls Dam, located in Oldtown, Idaho. Authorized for construction under the Flood Control Act of 1950, in response to the 1948 flood that swept over the river valleys of the Columbia Basin. The operating project's authorized purposes include flood control, hydropower generation and recreation.
Photo of Mud Mountain Dam inlet tower
Mud Mountain Dam Inlet Tower
View of Mud Mountain Dam's inlet tower. Mud Mountain was completed in 1948 to protect the lower White and Puyallup valleys by holding back water from heavy rains and snow melt then releasing it slowly into the river. Between flood events, the reservoir is usually empty except for normal flows of the White River.
Photo of Howard A. Hansom Dam.
Howard A. Hansom Dam
Howard A. Hanson Dam is located on the upper reach of the Green-Duwamish River in King County, 63 river miles above the mouth. Since dam operations first began in December 1961, the dam has provided flood risk reduction in the Green-Duwamish River Basin by capturing excessive water runoff from the upper drainage area of the river and releasing the water under controlled conditions.

Seattle District Locks and Dams

Flood Risk Management

Seattle District plans, designs, constructs, operates and maintains flood risk management projects, and provides flood plain management services. Mud Mountain Dam on the White River and Howard Hanson Dam on the Green River are two Corps flood risk management dams located in western Washington. Libby Dam on the Kootenai River in western Montana and Albeni Falls Dam on the Pend Oreille River in northern Idaho also provide flood risk management benefits.

Hydropower

The Seattle District operates and maintains three hydropower projects. Albeni Falls Dam, Libby Dam and Chief Joseph Dam on the Columbia River system produce 3,025 megawatts of electricity—more than enough to power a city the size of Seattle.

Recreation

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is the largest provider of water-based outdoor recreation in the nation. Its 422 lake and river projects in 43 states provide a diverse range of recreational opportunities. Visitors of all ages can enjoy traditional activities like hiking, boating, fishing, camping and hunting, and for those slightly more adventurous there is snorkeling, windsurfing, whitewater rafting, mountain biking and geo-caching.

Recreation Program Statistics

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is one of the nation’s leading federal providers of outdoor recreation with more than 400 lake and river projects in 43 states. Our recreation program provides quality outdoor public recreation experiences to serve the needs of present and future generations and contributes to the quality of American life, while managing and conserving natural resources consistent with ecosystem management principles.

  • Visits per year: 250 million
  • Number of recreation sites: 5,041 at 403 USACE Projects (2,839 USACE-operated; 2,202 operated by others)
  • Percentage of USACE lakes/rivers with recreation sites within 50 miles of a metropolitan area: 90%
  • Acres of recreation lands and waters: 12 million in 43 states
  • Miles of shoreline: 55,390
  • Number of campsites: 93,101
  • Miles of trails: 7,892
  • Number of picnic sites: 36,449
  • Number of boat ramps: 3,748
  • Share of all U.S. freshwater fishing: 18%
  • Fishing tournaments per year: 3,000
  • Marina concessionaires on USACE projects: 562 marinas
  • Visitor spending on trips to USACE projects: $10.7 billion
  • Total jobs supported by visitor trip spending: 180,000
  • Volunteers at USACE projects: 45,104 volunteers provided 1.56 million hours of service
  • National Public Lands Day participation: 280 miles of shoreline cleaned, 60,000 pounds of trash collected & 450 tires removed
  • For more on USACE recreation sites and opportunities, visit us at www.CorpsLakes.us - Corps Lakes Gateway (dren.mil)
  • (Statistics as of May 2017)