Albeni Falls Dam: Cutting red tape to rebuild infrastructure
An aerial view of Albeni Falls Dam, located in Oldtown. Authorized for construction under the Flood Control Act of 1950, in response to the 1948 flood that swept over the river valleys of the Columbia Basin. The operating project's authorized purposes include flood risk management, hydropower generation, navigation, fish and wildlife conservation and recreation.
Photo courtesy NICOLE CELESTINE / U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERSINE
A partially painted Gate 3, prepared to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ specifications, is placed ready for its return to Albeni Falls Dam in Oldtown, for fiber reinforced polymer application onsite anticipated to begin in the summer 2025, before its reinstallation and return to service in August 2025.
Photo courtesy NICOLE CELESTINE / U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERSINE
Gate 3‘s return to Albeni Falls Dam in Oldtown on May 12, 2025. The USACE team recently completed their fiber reinforced polymer installation certification course, April 8-10, 2025, to apply FRP to the gate and have it ready for service in August 2025.
Photo courtesy NICOLE CELESTINE / U.S. ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERSINE
When the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers awarded a $20,395,700 contract Feb. 26, it marked more than just a maintenance milestone for Albeni Falls Dam, located in Oldtown.
It signaled a shift in how federal infrastructure projects are delivered — prioritizing efficiency and community transparency over bureaucratic hurdles and working as a regional team, leveraging engineering expertise from U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Walla Walla District, to efficiently deliver the design.
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