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GRAND COULEE, Wash. - The Bureau of Reclamation awarded a $697,000 contract March 10 to the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation to provide security and law enforcement services on Reclamation lands and at Reclamation facilities located on the east side of the Columbia River.

The security and law enforcement services include the Third Powerplant, Downriver Trail and dam tour building. These services will be provided 24 hours a day, seven days a week beginning April 1.

The contract also allows the Colville Tribe to assist the Reclamation Security Response Force in case of an emergency. This contract will complement an existing law enforcement contract Reclamation has in place with the city of Grand Coulee.

“Security and law enforcement services are vital to providing a safe and secure environment for employees, visitors and the facilities,” said Acting Power Manager Kerry McCalman.

Grand Coulee Dam produces enough electricity to supply more than 1 million homes in an average water year. The project also provides about one-quarter of the total generation of hydroelectric power for the Federal Columbia River Power System.

Grand Coulee Dam, located on the Columbia River about 90 miles west of Spokane, Wash., was completed in 1941. It is a multipurpose facility providing water for irrigation, hydroelectric power production, flood control, recreation, fish and wildlife.