Ice Harbor Dam near Tri-Cities turns 50

KENNEWICK — Officials are marking 50 years of the Ice Harbor Lock and Dam on the lower Snake River in Washington with a public celebration Saturday.

Since it was dedicated in 1962, the dam has provided river navigation, hydroelectric power, irrigation for farms and recreation.

The dam located in Burbank southeast of Pasco was the first of four dams built by the Army Corps of Engineers on the Snake River. The project developed from the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1945.

The Tri-City Herald said it cost the corps $217 million to build the dam, lock, powerhouse, six generating units and two fish ladders. Nearly 40 additional miles of the Snake River became navigable because of the lock and dam, which also created a 32-mile long reservoir called Lake Sacajawea.