COULEEDAM, Wash. -- Water is spilling over the top of Grand Coulee Dam for the first time in years.
There has been so much rain along the Columbia River this spring that officials had to lower the floodgates and spillways to let millions of gallons of water out of Lake Roosevelt behind it.
Dam officials say the water starts off slow, about 4 m.p.h. But by the time it hits the bottom, it is going freeway speed, about 75 m.p.h.
'The last time Grand Coulee Dam looked like this was 1997. Most people can't remember that far back. But this is even bigger. That spill is three feet deep and pouring 500 thousand gallons of water every second,' said tour guide Mike Sullivan.
Usually it does not take much to keep the lake behind the dam at the same level. A few holes and controlled releases do the job -- just not this spring.
The dam is not even producing more power than normal. It does not generate power unless other states need it. And right now, no one does.
The dam is attracting dozens of additional tourists who stop to see the strange sight.
