Yale Dam

Yale Dam
Yale Dam, north side
LocationClark / Cowlitz counties, Washington, USA
Coordinates45°57′51″N 122°19′57″W / 45.96417°N 122.33250°W / 45.96417; -122.33250
StatusOperational
Opening date1953
Designed byEbasco Services Inc.
Operator(s)PacifiCorp
Dam and spillways
Type of damEmbankment dam
ImpoundsLewis River
Height323 feet (98.5 m)
Length1,500 feet (457 m)
Elevation at crest460 feet (140 m)
Spillway typeGated concrete ogee/chute
Spillway length195 feet (59.4 m)
Reservoir
CreatesYale Lake
Total capacity402,000 acre-feet (0.496 km3)
Catchment area600 square miles (1,550 km2)
Power Station
Hydraulic head240 square miles (622 km2)
Turbines2
Installed capacity134,000 kW

Yale Dam is a 323-foot high earth-type hydroelectric dam on the Lewis River, in the U.S. state of Washington, owned by PacifiCorp. It is located on the border between Cowlitz County and Clark County. Its reservoir is called Yale Lake. The dam's power plant capacity is 134 megawatts.

In January 2020, PacifiCorp, the dam owner, lowered the reservoir level 10 feet below normal operating level in order to reduce the probability of an accidental release due to an earthquake.