Grand Coulee Dam power plant to be renamed after Ephrata men
Nathaniel “Nat” Washington Sr., left, and Nat Washington Jr. will have a power plant named after them at Grand Coulee Dam.
Courtesy photos
The Third Power Plant of Grand Coulee Dam will be renamed the “Nathaniel ‘Nat’ Washington Power Plant,” in honor of the father-son duo and Ephrata men who were pivotal in the creation of the nation’s largest power station, the U.S. Department of Interior announced Aug. 12.
The announcement was made during a virtual roundtable event hosted by Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Sunnyside, who has for years worked to honor the Ephrata men and introduced a bill last year to rename the power plant, and comes hot on the heels of the Department of Interior Secretary Bernhardt’s visit to the dam in July.
“Grand Coulee Dam is responsible for transforming our region from an arid desert to one of the most productive agricultural regions in the country, and it provides the lifeblood of the Pacific Northwest,” Newhouse said. “We know that our way of life would not have been possible without the tireless advocacy and service of Nat Washington and his son, Nat Washington Jr. Until now, their story has been largely untold.”
In 1908, Nat Washington Sr., a descendant of President George Washington’s family, left Virginia and made his home in the Columbia Basin, not far from where the Grand Coulee Dam sits today, Newhouse said in his 2019 remarks introducing the bill to Congress. Shortly after arriving in Washington, Nat Sr. was elected as Grant County prosecutor and became involved in projects to develop hydropower and irrigation in the region. As the first president of the Columbia River Dam, Irrigation, and Power District, Nat Sr. played a key role in the conception, approval and construction of Grand Coulee Dam.
Nat Jr. followed in his father’s footsteps, serving as Grant County prosecutor and later serving in the state legislature for 30 years. During this time, Nat Jr. was instrumental in the development of several hydropower projects across the region, including the Columbia Basin Project, Newhouse said on the floor of Congress.
“This naming is fitting since the Washington family was an early supporter of hydropower and advocated for infrastructure investment,” Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt said in a press release. “Their efforts helped put thousands to work, and their infrastructure legacy continues to meet the needs of current and future generations through the largest hydropower producing structure in North America.”
Newhouse thanked Bernhardt and other federal officials for taking steps to honor the Ephrata men who helped bring water to the desert.
“Thank you, Secretary Bernhardt, Assistant Secretary Petty, and Director Gray for listening to local voices and taking action to finally give these local pioneers of hydropower the recognition they deserve,” Newhouse said in a press release.