USGS Activities at Lake Roosevelt and the Upper Columbia River
Fact Sheet
2010-3056
Links
- More information: USGS Index Page (html)
- Download citation as: RIS | Dublin Core
Abstract
Lake Roosevelt (Franklin D. Roosevelt Lake) is the impoundment of the upper Columbia River behind Grand Coulee Dam, and is the largest reservoir within the Bureau of Reclamation's Columbia Basin Project (CBP). The reservoir is located in northeastern Washington, and stretches 151 miles from Grand Coulee Dam north to the Canadian border. The 15-20 miles of the Columbia River downstream of the border are riverine and are under small backwater effects from the dam. Grand Coulee Dam is located on the mainstem of the Columbia River about 90 miles northwest of Spokane. Since the late 1980s, trace-element contamination has been known to be widely present in Lake Roosevelt. Trace elements of concern include arsenic, cadmium, copper, lead, mercury, and zinc. Contaminated sediment carried by the Columbia River is the primary source of the widespread occurrence of trace-element enrichment present in Lake Roosevelt. In 2001, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) initiated a preliminary assessment of environmental contamination of the Lake Roosevelt area (also referred to as Upper Columbia River, UCR site, or UCR/LR site) and has subsequently begun remedial investigations of the UCR site.
Suggested Citation
Barton, C., and Turney, G.L., 2010, USGS Activities at Lake Roosevelt and the Upper Columbia River: U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet 2010-3056, 6 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/fs20103056.
ISSN: 2327-6932 (online)
ISSN: 2327-6916 (print)
Study Area
| Publication type | Report |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | USGS Numbered Series |
| Title | USGS Activities at Lake Roosevelt and the Upper Columbia River |
| Series title | Fact Sheet |
| Series number | 2010-3056 |
| DOI | 10.3133/fs20103056 |
| Year Published | 2010 |
| Language | ENGLISH |
| Publisher | U.S. Geological Survey |
| Contributing office(s) | Washington Water Science Center |
| Description | 6 p. |
| Online Only (Y/N) | N |
| Additional Online Files (Y/N) | N |