Hydropower offers a multitude of benefits that are essential to our everyday lives. Primarily, it is touted for providing affordable, reliable, carbon-free energy. In the Northwest, around half of our energy capacity comes from dams.

Hydropower’s reliable affordable electricity has also helped grow our economy and create jobs in our local communities. Likewise, dams on the Columbia and Snake rivers allow for marine navigation–creating a river highway. Barging is cost-effective and lower in emissions than truck or rail — farms as far as the Midwest utilize this shipping method to sell these vital crops across the world. This results in billions of dollars of economic activity, and many farms receive irrigation water from the same river that carries the food they produce.

Our dams also help control floods, protecting communities throughout the river basin from deadly disasters. And, on a lighter note, the reservoirs provide excellent recreational opportunities–from kitesurfing to cruises. There’s lots to love when it comes to our hydro system!