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Central Washington Dust Storm at the Chief Joseph Dam
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Chief Joseph Dam is a 5,962 foot (1,817.2 m) long hydroelectric dam spanning the Columbia River, 1.5 miles (2.4 km) upriver from Bridgeport, Washington, USA. The dam was authorized as Foster Creek Dam and Powerhouse for power generation and irrigation by the River and Harbor Act of 1946. The River and Harbor Act of 1948 renamed the project Chief Joseph Dam in honor of the Nez Perce chief who spent his last years in exile on the Colville Indian Reservation. Like the nearby Grand Coulee Dam, Chief Joseph Dam completely blocks salmon migration on the upper Columbia River.
Construction began in 1949, with the main dam and intake structure completed in 1955. Installation of the initial generating units was completed in 1958. Eleven additional turbines were installed between 1973 and 1979, and the dam and lake were raised 10 feet (3 m), boosting the capacity 2,620 MW, making Chief Joseph Dam the second largest hydropower producer in the United States.[1]
The dam is 545 miles (877 km) upriver from the mouth of the Columbia at Astoria, Oregon. It is operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Chief Joseph Dam Project Office, and the electricity is marketed by the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA).
The reservoir behind the dam is named Rufus Woods Lake, and runs 51 miles (82 km) up the river channel. Bridgeport State Park, on the lake, is adjacent to the dam.
We didn't even know we were a part of this till we got home. We left our cabin because of the wind. Oct. 5--A dust storm caused several accidents in Central Washington and closed Interstate 90 in both directions west of Ritzville on Sunday, while gusting winds brought scattered power outages to areas of Spokane and North Idaho.
By Sunday afternoon, 11 people had been injured in Grant County traffic accidents caused by reduced visibility. None of the injuries was life-threatening.
I-90 was closed from midnight until 8 p.m. due to blowing dust and near-zero visibility between Moses Lake and Ritzville,
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