Word of firings at Grand Coulee Dam remains uncertain
A bust of Franklin Delano Roosevelt overlooks Lake Roosevelt and Grand Coulee Dam on Friday. (James Hanlon/The Spokesman-Review)
COULEE DAM – Rumors are swirling in the towns around the country’s largest hydroelectric dam that employees are being quietly laid off amid the recent slashing of the federal workforce.
Workers at the Grand Coulee Dam Visitor Center referred questions to the Bureau of Reclamation’s general email for news inquiries.
Reclamation did not immediately respond.
Municipal officials and residents from Grand Coulee, Coulee Dam, and nearby Electric City and Elmer City on Friday reported either not knowing anything or hearsay that a handful of employees had been fired.
The Star newspaper in Grand Coulee reported it is looking into tips about the firings from employees.
“So far, those affected may be in the tens, not hundreds, but the process seems to be in full bloom,” the Star wrote in an article Wednesday.
Of Reclamation’s 6,000 employees, about 550 work at the dam, according to a 2017 article by Cory Dunlap, training administrator for the bureau’s Grand Coulee Power Office.
The critical infrastructure manages water levels of Lake Roosevelt flowing into the Columbia River, generates 6,800 megawatts of electricity for eight western states and Canada, and provides irrigation for the Columbia Basin Project.