Wells Dam at night with lights on

Contact Info

The Wells Hydroelectric Project operated by the Douglas County PUD has a unique hydrocombine design that incorporates the powerhouse, spillway, switch-yard and fish facilities into one unit instead of many separate structures. The hydrocombine structure is 1,165 feet in length and the dam is 4,460 feet long overall. The dam has ten generating units rated at a combined 840 megawatts. Eleven gated spillway openings have the ability to pass over 8,800,000 gallons of water per second.

The Wells Dam Hatchery is one of two hatcheries in the Columbia Basin dedicated to the enhancement of the important summer Chinook salmon stocks. Adult summer Chinook are collected for brood stock in July and August. They may be seen in the holding ponds at the Wells Hatchery during those months. Juvenile summer Chinook are released from the hatchery in April and June. Approximately 3 million juvenile salmon and steelhead are released annually into the Columbia River and tributaries above Wells Dam.

Wells Dam is located in North Central Washington between Seattle and Spokane at river mile 515.8 on the Columbia River. It can be reached by driving north from Wenatchee along Highway 97 up the Columbia River.

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