The Goldendale Sentinel, Goldendale, WA., July 18, 1968, page 1

JOHN DAY DAM POWER ACTIVATED WEDNESDAY

     Wednesday became a momentous day in the history of John Day Dam, when water flowing through the dam was put its first work of generating electrical energy.
     In a short ceremony held at 3 p.m., Col. Robert J. Giesen, Walla Walla district engineer, activated the controls to start up the first generator to be put into service, putting 135,000 KW into the Northwest power grid. Newsmen and supervisory personnel from the U.S. Corps of Engineers and Vinnel, Maimix, McNamara and Fuller looked on.
     The Colonel's action put electric power from the first of 16 of the nation's largest hydroelectric generators into service in the largest man-made structure in the Pacific Northwest, and marked the final harnessing of the Columbia River between the Pacific Ocean and the Tri-Cities area.
     Each John Day Dam generator is approximately twice the size of the 70,000 KW units at McNary Dam which were installed in 1953. Bonneville Dam's generators, installed in 1936, each produce 54,000 KW. Installed in 1960, The Dalles' units are rated at 78,000 KW each. Each John Day Dam generator puts out 135,000 KW.
     Power from the four John Day Dam generators will feed over a single transmission line into the BPA substation near Rufus, Or., and thence into the Northwest power grid.
     Sixteen generators are in the original plan for John Day Dam, With an additional four, making a total of 20 units planned ultimately. The first 16 units will have a total power output of 2,160,000 KW which is larger than the present production of Grand Coulee Dam.

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©  Jeffrey L. Elmer