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Dams interrupt the migration of anadromous fish. Salmon and steelhead return to the stream in which they were born to spawn; where dams prevent their return, entire populations of salmon die off. Some of the Columbia's dams employ [[fish ladder]]s, which are effective to varying degrees at allowing these fish to travel upstream; others, like the [[Grand Coulee Dam]] and several on the Columbia's tributaries, entirely block migration. Fish are also transported around dams in some cases. Sturgeon have different migration habits, and can survive without ever visiting the ocean. In many upstream areas cut off from the ocean by dams, sturgeon simply live upstream of the dam.
[[Image:Hanford N Reactor.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Nuclear reactors at the [[Hanford site]] along the river.]]
[[Image:Columbia River near The Dalles.jpg|left|thumb|250px|The Columbia near [[The Dalles, Oregon]]]]
The Grand Coulee Dam, originally intended primarily for irrigation, was ultimately designed to produce enormous quantities of hydroelectric power, as [[World War II]] escalated. The power was used to fuel the [[Hanford Site]], constructed in the 1940s in southeastern Washington. Part of the [[Manhattan Project]], the site served as a [[plutonium]] production complex with nine [[nuclear reactor]]s and related facilities. Most of the facilities were shut down in the 1960s. The site is currently under control of the [[United States Department of Energy|Department of Energy]], and is a [[Superfund (environmental law)|Superfund]] site. The Superfund cleanup is expected to be completed in 2030.{{Fact|date=November 2007}}
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