Chief Joseph Dam
Bridgeport, WA

ISS provides turnkey integrated security components to the nation’s largest hydroelectric dam.

Chief Joseph Dam is a hydroelectric dam spanning the Columbia River, upriver from Bridgeport, Washington. The dam was authorized for power generation and irrigation by the River and Harbor Act of 1946. The dam is named in honor of the Nez Perce chief who spent his last years in exile on the Colville Indian Reservation. Chief Joseph Dam was constructed by and is operated by the Army Corps of Engineers with electricity marketed by the Bonneville Power Administration.

The reservoir behind the dam is named Rufus Woods Lake, and runs 51 miles up the river channel. Bridgeport State Park is adjacent to the dam.

 

The Challenge:
The design and implementation of a new security system for Chief Joseph Dam was part of a Nation-wide project called Critical Project Security Program (CPSP). The purpose of this project is to secure a group of critical dams located on the Columbia River, including Chief Joseph Dam, with recommendations based on the RAM-Dsm process for threat assessment. A design analysis serves to define the physical and electronic security system that will be deployed to meet the recommendations of the RAM-D assessment.

The new security system must combine physical and electronic attributes into one system to provide a cohesive, reliable and accurate security system. The ultimate goal of the system, is to provide intrusion detection and incorporate sufficient delays from that point to allow for security personnel to arrive prior to penetration of the would-be intruder to the critical asset.

The Solution:
ISS performed a site survey and design analysis of Chief Joseph Dam. The survey and design analysis encompassed the Access Control System (ACS), Intrusion Detection System (IDS) and integrated Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) system.