Skagit River Hydroelectric Project

The Skagit River Hydroelectric Project is a series of dams with hydroelectric power-generating stations on the Skagit River in northern Washington State. 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.

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 48°41′52″N 121°12′30″W / 48.69778°N 121.20833°W / 48.69778; -121.20833 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 feet, 91 meters) to replace the original Gorge Dam. This dam was featured in Alan Pakula's 1974 thriller The Parallax View, starring Warren Beatty.

Skagit River

The Skagit River (/ˈskædʒᵻt/ SKAJ-it) is a river in southwestern British Columbia in Canada and northwestern Washington in the United States, approximately 150 mi (240 km) long. The river and its tributaries drain an area of 1.7 million acres (6900 km²) of the Cascade Range along the northern end of Puget Sound and flows into the sound.

The Skagit watershed is characterized by a temperate, mid-latitude, maritime climate. Temperatures range widely throughout the watershed. Recorded temperatures at Newhalem range from a low of −6 °F (−21 °C) to a high of 109 °F (43 °C), with greater extremes likely in the mountains. The highest temperatures are commonly recorded in July; the lowest are in January.

Course

The Skagit River rises at Allison Pass in the Canadian Cascades of British Columbia. From there it flows northwest along the Crowsnest Highway, which follows the river into Manning Provincial Park. It turns abruptly south where it receives Snass Creek from the right, then enters Skagit Valley Provincial Park at the point where it receives the Sumallo River from the right. It receives the Klesilkwa River from the right, and turns southeast to flow into Ross Lake, where it crosses the Canada-United States border and into Washington state.