A HISTORIC CONTEXT FOR THE TRANSMISSION OF HYDROELECTRICITY BY THE BONNEVILLE POWER ADMINISTRATION, 1939-1945
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Date
1998-06
Authors
Curran, Christine Ann
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Oregon
Abstract
The Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) was created in 1937 to market
power from Bonneville Dam and later, Grand Coulee Dam, two New Deal relief projects
on the Columbia River. Between 1939 and 1945 the BPA built a long-distance, high voltage
electrical transmission network that connected Bonneville and Grand Coulee
Dams with population centers in Oregon's Willamette Valley and Washington State's
Puget Sound area. Known as the "master grid," the original transmission system included
2,736 circuit miles of transmission line and fifty-five electrical substations. This study
provides a historic context for the properties that comprise the master grid. It also
identifies and describes the grid's two main property types: the electrical substation and
the transmission line, discussing ranges of variation and distribution patterns for each
type. This study also sets forth registration requirements and evaluation criteria for the
master grid properties, as well as treatment recommendations and mitigation measures for
their preservation .
Description
215 pages
Keywords
Willamette Valley, Grand Coulee Dam, Puget Sound, WA