Water valve mysteriously opened in Grand Coulee Dam

A valve deep in the Third Powerhouse at Grand Coulee Dam was opened last week, partially flooding an elevator shaft and an elevator control room, authorities said.

Police Chief John Tufts, of the Grand Coulee Police Department, was called to the Third Powerhouse at about 4 p.m. March 19, his written report states.

Tufts was told that sometime between noon and 3 p.m. someone had opened a water valve on the “919 level,” that is, 919 feet above sea level, and that the valve was left open for about three hours, partially flooding the inside of an elevator shaft and elevator control room.

“I attempted to lift latent prints from the valve, but no discernable prints were observed from the lifts,” the report states. “The area was coned off by Security and the valve was going to be secured so that only authorized employees would be able to open the valve. A note left taped to the wall in the area of the valve was taken to be sent to the state crime lab to attempt to obtain latent prints from the paper. Photographs were taken of the note.”

“I can confirm that there was a valve left open on a water line,” said Lynne Brougher, a public affairs specialist for the bureau told The Star in an email. “Water did spill onto the floor and into the bottom of the south elevator shaft. No personnel were injured, and no equipment was damaged.”

“The note was a message left from one employee to another and does not appear to have a connection to the open valve,” Brougher continued. “What caused the valve to open is currently under review. The local police were asked to investigate why the valve was left open, since this is their area of expertise and they have a contract with Reclamation to perform these types of services. We do not suspect a crime has been committed.”

Tufts told The Star he wouldn’t rule out the possibility of it being a crime, but the note appeared unrelated. “The valve was open for some reason, but I don’t (know) why,” he stated.

Tufts also said that if it were a crime, it could be either on the federal or state level.

The incident is still being investigated.