Rocky Reach Dam
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Rocky Reach Dam is a hydroelectric dam located on the Columbia River about seven miles upstream from Wenatchee, Washington and four miles upstream from the confluence of the Wenatchee River and the Columbia. It is owned and operated by the Chelan County, Washington Public Utility District. The dam and associated buildings and machinery are referred to as the Rocky Reach Hydro Project.
The original Project License was issued July 11, 1957 by the Federal Power Commission, the precursor to the current licensing agency, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. The license expires in 2006. The initial seven generating units, which cost $273.1 million, began commercial operation November 1961. The companies that signed 50-year contracts for electricity at the time, to back the construction bonds, are PacifiCorp, Portland General Electric Company, Puget Sound Energy, Avista Corporation, and the Aluminum Company of America (ALCOA) which has a plant just south of Wenatchee.
The construction of four additional generating units, which were financed by a revenue bond issue of $40 million, began in 1969, with construction finished in 1971.
The reservoir formed by the dam, Lake Entiat, extends upstream about 43 miles (69 km), with a surface area of over 98,000 acres (397 km²).
Locals and tourists visit the dam to see the fish ladder and the rabbits and guinea pigs that live on the dam grounds and are fed by the PUD staff.Template:US-struct-stub