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.

History
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.

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 upriver from the dam. Ross Lake National Recreation Area surrounds the lake.

Construction of Gorge Dam began in 1921 and the first power was delivered to Seattle in 1924. The cost of the dam was $13 million ($153,339,181 in 2006 dollars). In 1961 a new Gorge High Dam was completed (300 ft) to replace the original Gorge Dam. This dam was featured in Alan Pakula's 1974 thriller The Parallax View, starring Warren Beatty.

Construction of Diablo Dam was begun in 1927, five miles upstream from Gorge Dam. Diablo Dam was completed in 1930, and at that time was the tallest dam in the world at 389 ft until Owyhee Dam was built. Although the dam was complete, financial problems due to the Great Depression delayed building the powerhouse, so the dam produced no electricity for Seattle until 1936.

Construction of Ruby Dam at the Rip Raps below Ruby Creek began in 1937. This dam was renamed Ross Dam after the death of James Delmage Ross (1872–1939), the superintendent of the Skagit River Project. Construction of Ross Dam was to take place in three stages and the first stage was completed in 1940. The second and third stages were completed in 1953 when the dam was built to its final height of 540 ft.

All three dams are listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The total cost of the Skagit River Hydroelectric Project was $250 million over 50 years.

Tourism
From 1928 until the start of World War II, City Light offered guided tours of the Skagit Project. From Rockport, visitors rode City Light's steam locomotive 23 miles to Newhalem. Dormitories were provided, as were meals in The Gorge Inn. The next day, visitors boarded another train to Diablo, where they toured the powerhouse and rode an incline lift to the top of the dam. Next, they rode a barge or tour boat to Ruby Creek, then returned to Rockport. Over 100,000 people visited the Skagit Project by 1941. After the war, shortened tours resumed.

Current tours sponsored by City Light include a boat tour, a walking tour, and a combination walking-and-van tour.