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Skagit River Hydroelectric Project
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Skagit River Hydroelectric Project
The Skagit River Hydroelectric Project is a series of dams with hydroelectric power-generating stations on the Skagit River in the north of the U.S. state of Washington. The project is owned and operated by Seattle City Light to provide electric power for the City of Seattle and surrounding communities.
In 2012, hydro-electric dams provided approximately 89.8 percent of the electricity used in Seattle. The Skagit Hydroelectric Project alone accounts for about 20 percent of Seattle City Light's electricity.
In 1917, James Delmage Ross, superintendent of lighting for Seattle, obtained approval from the Department of Agriculture to build dams on the Skagit River. The city council approved $1.5 million in bonds for construction and appointed Carl F. Uhden as the project superintendent. The construction camp was set up at the mouth of Newhalem Creek, giving the unincorporated community its name.
Uhden hired contractors to build a 25-mile rail line to Gorge Creek, allowing Seattle City Light to control access to the area. After the railroad reached the site above Newhalem, a two-mile tunnel was dug between the dam and the powerhouse. Work was frequently delayed by floods, mudslides, and avalanches. The schedule was further delayed by workers leaving to hunt for gold, labor troubles, a forest fire, and a shortage of electricity. Although Ross had estimated that the Skagit River operation would provide electricity to Seattle by 1921, those various delays pushed the date to 1924.
The Gorge Dam generators were formally started by President Calvin Coolidge on September 17, 1924.
In August 2021 Seattle City Light announced that it will undertake a study of the possibility of removing one or more of the Skagit dams for environmental reasons.
The dams were threatened by the Sourdough Fire in August 2023, which prompted the evacuation of City Light facilities in the area and reduction in output for the dams.
The three major dams in the Skagit River Project are (from lower to upper) Gorge Dam, Diablo Dam, and Ross Dam. The dams are located in Whatcom County above the town of Newhalem, which lies just west of North Cascades National Park. Ross Lake, formed by Ross Dam, extends into British Columbia, which is 20 miles (32 km) upriver from the dam. Ross Lake National Recreation Area surrounds the lake.
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Skagit River Hydroelectric Project
The Skagit River Hydroelectric Project is a series of dams with hydroelectric power-generating stations on the Skagit River in the north of the U.S. state of Washington. The project is owned and operated by Seattle City Light to provide electric power for the City of Seattle and surrounding communities.
In 2012, hydro-electric dams provided approximately 89.8 percent of the electricity used in Seattle. The Skagit Hydroelectric Project alone accounts for about 20 percent of Seattle City Light's electricity.
In 1917, James Delmage Ross, superintendent of lighting for Seattle, obtained approval from the Department of Agriculture to build dams on the Skagit River. The city council approved $1.5 million in bonds for construction and appointed Carl F. Uhden as the project superintendent. The construction camp was set up at the mouth of Newhalem Creek, giving the unincorporated community its name.
Uhden hired contractors to build a 25-mile rail line to Gorge Creek, allowing Seattle City Light to control access to the area. After the railroad reached the site above Newhalem, a two-mile tunnel was dug between the dam and the powerhouse. Work was frequently delayed by floods, mudslides, and avalanches. The schedule was further delayed by workers leaving to hunt for gold, labor troubles, a forest fire, and a shortage of electricity. Although Ross had estimated that the Skagit River operation would provide electricity to Seattle by 1921, those various delays pushed the date to 1924.
The Gorge Dam generators were formally started by President Calvin Coolidge on September 17, 1924.
In August 2021 Seattle City Light announced that it will undertake a study of the possibility of removing one or more of the Skagit dams for environmental reasons.
The dams were threatened by the Sourdough Fire in August 2023, which prompted the evacuation of City Light facilities in the area and reduction in output for the dams.
The three major dams in the Skagit River Project are (from lower to upper) Gorge Dam, Diablo Dam, and Ross Dam. The dams are located in Whatcom County above the town of Newhalem, which lies just west of North Cascades National Park. Ross Lake, formed by Ross Dam, extends into British Columbia, which is 20 miles (32 km) upriver from the dam. Ross Lake National Recreation Area surrounds the lake.
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