 The interim Corps of Engineers report was released in December 1963 , and reported that building the dam was feasible from an engineering standpoint . President John F. Kennedy supported the project , and lobbied for an appropriation of $ 197 @,@ 000 ( 1963 dollars ) to continue study of the project . The needed money was included in a House appropriations bill , and studies continued . The initial report included some figures about the size of the project . The dam would be a concrete structure 530 feet ( 162 m ) high and about 4 @,@ 700 feet ( 1 @,@ 430 m ) long . It would raise the height of the Yukon River from 215 feet ( 66 m ) above sea level to approximately 445 feet ( 136 m ) . The resulting reservoir would be 400 miles ( 640 km ) long , 80 miles ( 130 km ) wide , and have a surface area greater than that of Lake Erie . The power facilities for the project would produce a maximum of 5 gigawatts of electricity . In total , the proposed reservoir was anticipated to cover an area of 10 @,@ 700 square miles ( 27 @,@ 700 km2 ) and have a capacity of 1 @,@ 300 @,@ 000 @,@ 000 acre feet ( 1 @,@ 600 km3 ) . 
