USACE Northwestern Division’s Garrison Dam generates $39M annually for federal coffers

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Northwestern Division generates enough electricity each year to put more than $39 million back into federal coffers from a single dam alone, underscoring the financial weight of the hydropower portfolio that stretches from the Great Lakes to the Pacific Ocean, the division reported.

Garrison Dam, near Riverdale, North Dakota, anchors that revenue story. Its power plant runs five generating units that produce an annual average of 2.6 million megawatt-hours of electricity — output valued in excess of $39 million.

A footprint that spans two river systems

The Northwestern Division’s hydropower responsibilities cover a vast terrain: the Missouri River and the Columbia River Basin, with districts that include Seattle. This location allows the division’s dams to serve multiple purposes: they control flooding, maintain waterway access, and produce carbon-free electricity.

Shipping is a key function on the Columbia River. The John Day Dam, which spans the river in the northwestern United States, includes a navigation lock with one of the highest lifts in the country — 110 feet — allowing barges to move between the reservoir it impounds, Lake Umatilla, and the river downstream.

Big Bend’s eight turbines

On the Missouri River side, the powerplant at Big Bend Dam consists of eight fixed-blade turbines with a maximum power generation capability of 494,320 kilowatts.

Set side by side, the figures show the scale of the division’s generation: Garrison’s five units average 2.6 million megawatt-hours a year, while Big Bend’s eight turbines can push output to nearly half a million kilowatts at full tilt.