The Dalles Dam was built by the US Army Corps of Engineers and completed in 1957. This photo was taken from the sidewalk on the US Highway 197 bridge. The water depth under the waves in the foreground is 255 feet. For much of the year, most of the river's flow is directed through the dam's generators to generate electricity. During the spring and early summer, there is more water than the generators can handle, so the excess flow has to be dumped over the spillways. BPA electrical generators excess water spring runoff 10 foot high waves.
