Namesake of the Brownlee Dam & Reservoir, July 2008
The dam is part of the Hells Canyon Project that also includes Hells Canyon Dam and Oxbow Dam, all built and operated by Idaho Power Company. The first and upper-most of the three dams,[5] its contractor was Morrison-Knudsen of Boise.[1][2][6] Filling started 66 years ago on May 9, 1958 (1958-05-09),[3] flooding the community of Robinette, Oregon.
The dam's powerhouse contains five generating units with a total nameplate capacity of 585.4 megawatts.
Lacking passage for migrating salmon, the three Hells Canyon Project dams blocked access by anadromous salmonids to a stretch of the Snake River drainage basin from Hells Canyon Dam up to Shoshone Falls, which naturally prevents any upstream fish passage to the upper Snake River basin.[7]
Heliport
There is a 100-by-60-foot (30 by 18 m) private heliport, Brownlee Heliport (FAA LID: OR75), located near the dam.