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INTERNATIONAL JOINT COMMISSION

IN THE MATTER OF THE APPLlCATlUN OF THE GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED STATES FOR APPROVAL OF THE CONSTRUCTION AND OPERATION OF THE GRAND COULEE DAM AND RESERVOIR

ORDER OF APPROVAL

OTTAWA - WASHINGTON December 15, 1941

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Septeinber 30, 1940

In reply refer t o Le 711.4216 Grand Uoulee/30

The In t e rna t iona l Joint Gomission,

Washington, D, U., UEited S t a t e s of America; and

Ottawa. Ontario, Dominion of Canada.

Sirs:

1. The Goverment of t he United S t a t e s hereby sub-

m i t s to the International Jo in t Comj~ission, under the

provisions of Article XV of the Treaty of January 11,

1909, between the United Sta tes and Great B r i t a i n , t h i s

application requesting that t h e Conmission give consid-

e r a t i o n to such e f fec t s , if any, as the cons t ruc t ion

and operation of the Grand Coulee Dari and Reservoir,

Oolumbia River, tashington, may have on l eve l s or stages

of t h e said Columbia River at and above the international

boundary between the United States of Aiaerica and the

Dominion of Canada, and the consequences thereof; and

that the Gomission enter an appropriate order in the

premises, expressly approving the constmction and

operation of the said Grand Ooulee Dam and Reservoir.

2. Conservation,

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2. Oonservatlon, and u t i l i z a t i o n in the public

interest, of the waters of the Columbia River having been

under consideration for many years , the Congress of the

United State8 by an Act approved August 30, 1935

(49 Stat. l028), provided in part :

"That f o r t n e purpose of con t ro l l i ng f loods , im- proving navigat ion, regulating the flow of the streams of the United Sta tes , providing f o r s to r - age.and for the delivery of the a t o r e d waters t h e r e o f , for the r'eclmatfon of public l ands and Indian reservations, and other benef ic ia l uses, and for the generation of e lec t r i c energy a6 a means of f t n m c i a l l y aiding and assisting such undertakings, the projects known as tParker Damt on the Oolorado River i&~d 'Grand Ooulee Damt on the Uolumbia River, are hereby authorized a d adopted, and a l l cont rac ta and agreements which have been exscuted in connection therewith are hereby validated and r a t i f i e d , and t h e P res iden t , ac t ing through such agents a8 he may designate, is horcby authorized to construot, operate , and maintain dams, fltructurcs , canals, and incidental works necessary t o such projects , and in connec- t i o n thcrewi th to make and enter into any and all necessary contracts including contracts amcndntory of or supplemental t o those hereby v a l i d a t e d and ratif ied."

3. Pursuant t d this Congreaeional a u t h o r i z a t i o n ,

the United States, acting through the Bureau of Reclam&

tion, Department of t h e I n t e r i o r , has, since December 1933,

been engaged in the construction of the aforesaid Grand

Coulee Dam, located in the Columbia River, in the ex-

treme northeastern portion of Township 28 North,

Range 30 East, W.M., State of Washingtonl This d a m ,

now

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nom nearing coupletion, w i l l be a massive, straight-

gravity-type s t ruc ture * r i s ing about 550 feet above the

lowest part of the foundat ion, and raising the water

surface of the river approximately 355 feet t o elevation

1290 f e e t above mean sea l e v e l , the reservoir thus

created being about 151 mileg long, and having gross

capacity of approximately 10,000,000 acre f e e t .

4. That part of the Columbia FUver Basin l y i n g

above the Grand Coulee D m has an area of 74,100 square

miles, of which 39,000 square mtles are in Canada. m- t imate ly , the power i m t a l l a t i o n a t t h i s dam w i l l be

1,890,000 ki lowat t s , in 18 generating units of 105,000

kilowatts each. The project will regula te - the f l o w of

t he Columbia River and rmke possible the reclamation o f

1,200,000 acres o f arid land.

5. The Grand Coulee D m project is not designed

t o prejudice t he ex is t ing rights of any i n t e r e s t on

e i ther s ide of the in te rna t iona l boundary.

the necessity for securing thc approval of the Oomfs-

aion of t he construction and operation of t he project

might reasonably be qucstioned, but nevertheless, in

view o f the p o s s i b i l i t y that operation of the control d a m

may at t imes moderately increase t h e levele or stages of

t he Columbia River a t and for a s h o r t distance above the

in t e rna t iona l boundary, t h e Government of the United States

Technically,

desires

desires that t h e Comiss ion give its approval to the

project works and t o the plsn of operation which t he

Bureau of Reclamation proposes to adopt, in order tha t

the matter may be beyond controveray.

6 . lmprovementa in the channel of the Columbia River

at the L i t t l e Dal le s , 15 miles d o m s t r e m from the inter-

national boundary, as contemplated by the Bureau of Reel+

mation, w i l l have the effect, it appears, of compensating

very substantially f o r minor stage increases at the inter-

national boundary which otherwise might obtain at certafn

times as a reault of the operation of the aforesaid Grand

Coulee Dam and Reservoir,

7. Accordingly, t he Government of the United States

asks t h a t the International J o i n t Commission approve the

Grand Coulee Dam and the proposed method of operation of

t h e reservoir to elevation 1290 feet above mean sea levelr

8 . This cormmication w i l l , it is believed, be found

by the Commission t o contain a l l essential averments re-

garding the facts upon which thifl application ia based

and the nature of the orde'r of approval desired, and to

be in conformity with the provisions of Paragraph (a) of

Rule 6 and with Rule 7 of t h e Commission's mlea of

Procedure.

9. In submittbg t h i s application to the Oomiseion,

the hope $8 expressed, on behalf of the United Sta tes ,

that

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tha t in view of the importaace of the matters involved

aid t he exigent need f o r immediate a c t i o n , t h e Commis-

s ion will expedite i t s cons idera t ion thereof and its

ac t ion thereon in order that the projsct works and the

plan of operation thereof may receive the approvd of

the Oormniesion with the least possible delay.

10, Attached to t h i s application and made a part

thereof are the following maps and drawings showing the

Bituation and extent of t h e pro jec t works:

1.

2.

3.

4.

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Columbia Basin Project - Rashington, map no. 39-84, mrked t lExhibit A' . Map of Columbia River Reservoi r , drawing no. 222-D-5880, marked "Exhibit Bli

Work surface pro f i l e , Columbia River and Reservoir, drawing 222-D-6389, marked "Exhibit . P l a n - Grand Coulee Dam power and pumping plants, drawing 222-13-1907, marked "Exhibit Illt

Elevations and sections, Grand tloulee Dm power and pumping plants, drawing 223-Ik1908, marked "Exhibit E"

The required additional copies of the application

are being forwarded t o you under separate cover,

Very t r u l y yours

Enclosures:

Maps and drawings, as l i s t e d above.

- EXHIBIT B

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EXHIBIT E

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D Q ~ N S ~ R E A M L : L C V A T I O N