News Release Archive

Reclamation Awards $3.9 Million Contract for Replacement Radio System at Grand Coulee Dam

Media Contact: John Redding , (208) 378-5212, 07/14/2003 16:12

For Release: July 14, 2003

The Bureau of Reclamation awarded a contract for approximately $3.9 million for replacement of the radio system at Grand Coulee Dam that will update and improve overall communications.

Engineered Systems, Inc., Omaha, Nebraska, was awarded the contract on July 7, 2003, and will complete the work by October 1, 2004. The contractor will install and replace a variety of electronics equipment located throughout the Grand Coulee Project.

The new radio system is required to meet federal requirements, which mandate that all government radio operations in the VHF (Very High Frequency) bands must be narrow-banded in order to take advantage of advanced technology and to enhance system operations.

Grand Coulee Dam is a key feature of Reclamation's Columbia Basin Project in central Washington. A multi-purpose project, it provides flood control, irrigation, hydropower production, recreation, stream flows, and fish and wildlife benefits. The dam includes three powerplants, a pump-generating plant, and three switchyards. Franklin D. Roosevelt Lake behind the dam is 151 miles long with over 5,000,000 acre-feet of active storage. Water is pumped for irrigation in the Columbia Basin to irrigate approximately 550,000 acres with an ultimate potential of 1.1 million acres.

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The Bureau of Reclamation is a federal agency under the U.S. Department of the Interior and is the nation's largest wholesale water supplier and second largest producer of hydroelectric power. Our facilities also provide substantial flood control, recreation opportunities, and environmental benefits. Visit our website at https://www.usbr.gov and follow us on Twitter @USBR; Facebook @bureau.of.reclamation; LinkedIn @Bureau of Reclamation; Instagram @bureau_of_reclamation; and YouTube @reclamation.