The Condit Hydroelectric Project is located in south-central Washington on the White Salmon River in Klickitat and Skamania
Counties (
map of Condit Hydro Project). The project has a generating capacity of 14.7 MW. Condit dam is located 3.3 miles (5.3 km) upstream
from the confluence of the White Salmon and Columbia Rivers. Constructed between 1911 and 1913 by Northwestern Electric Company,
the facility includes a concrete gravity dam, a powerhouse, a wood-stave pipe connecting the dam, a surge tank and two penstocks
leading to the powerhouse, and a 1.7-mile (2.7 km) project impoundment, and Northwestern Lake. PacifiCorp Electric Operations
(PacifiCorp) acquired the project in 1947.
The White Salmon River originates on the southwestern slope of Mount Adams. The river flows south, draining a basin of approximately
386 square miles (1,004 km
2) before entering Bonneville pool on the Columbia River (NPPC 1990a). Major tributaries upstream of Northwestern Lake include
Rattlesnake and Trout Lake creeks. Other tributaries that enter Northwestern Lake include Buck, Mill, and Little Buck creeks.
No significant tributaries enter the White Salmon River downstream of Condit dam.
The project is located within portions of four land-use planning jurisdictions: Klickitat County, Skamania County, U.S. Forest
Service (USFS), and the Columbia River Gorge Commission. The White Salmon River upstream of Northwestern Lake (RM 5.0 to RM
12.7) is part of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers system. The portion of the river downstream of Northwestern Lake (RM
3.3 to the mouth) is included in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area (CRGNSA).
