Columbia-Pacific Northwest Region

Programs & Activities

Alphabetical List | Environmental Documents | Activities by State

In this region, water for irrigation and power generation is supplied from 54 reservoirs with a total active capacity of approximately 18 million acre-feet. Power production facilities at Grand Coulee Dam are among the largest in the world. Programs in the Pacific Northwest Region are managed from three offices based in Yakima and Grand Coulee, Washington and Boise, Idaho, with support and oversight from a regional office in Boise, Idaho.

The region is involved in numerous anadromous fish initiatives, from cooperative watershed planning to the design and installation of fish passage devices. Regional staff consult with the NOAA Fisheries and the US Fish and Wildlife Service to ensure that project operations and other activities do not jeopardize threatened and endangered species or their critical habitats.

Working in concert with the Northwest Power and Conservation Council, state and local agencies, and irrigation districts, Reclamation is participating in water conservation demonstration projects and model watershed programs.

Reclamation works with the non-profit Deschutes River Conservancy (DRC) to support restoration projects in central Oregon's Deschutes River basin.

Reclamation developed resource management plans to create a balance of resource development, recreation, and protection of natural and cultural esources for the lands and waters being managed.

Each dam in the region is periodically reviewed for resistance to seismic stability, overtopping, internal stability, and physical deterioration. Long-term stability of dams is our goal in order to save lives, protect property, and insure the physical integrity of what we build or maintain.

Reclamation employees are involved in a variety of projects and programs throughout the Pacific Northwest. As part of our mission to manage water, we have programs in areas such as water conservation and wetlands.