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28-703: Built as part of the Skagit River Hydroelectric Project by Seattle City Light , the dam is part of a series of three dams through the Skagit Gorge that were built primarily to generate hydroelectricity from the massive elevation drop of over 1,000 feet (300 m) from the Canada-U.S. border to Newhalem . The other two dams are Diablo Dam , directly below Ross Dam, and Gorge Dam , further downstream. Ross Dam can generate up to 460 MW of electricity. Prior to construction of

56-465: A total discharge capacity of just over 127,000 cubic feet per second (3,600 m/s). 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

84-523: A treaty was signed between the City of Seattle and Province of British Columbia to supply Seattle with the equivalent amount of power from other, existing dams in British Columbia in exchange for Seattle not raising the dam. The Skagit Environmental Endowment Commission was created at this time to oversee joint USA/Canada stewardship of the upper Skagit River watershed. The Ross Dam is situated in

112-683: Is an American-Canadian commission that aims to conserve the Skagit River basin. SEEC MANDATE: The responsibilities of the Commission are described in an annex to the High Ross Treaty . Under the Treaty, the Commission’s mandate is to conserve and protect wilderness and wildlife habitat, enhance recreational opportunities, eliminate mineral and timber rights consistent with conservation and recreation purposes, conduct studies and plan for

140-568: 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

168-416: 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

196-529: The Province of British Columbia $ 250,000, as well as an annual payment of $ 5,000. Two years prior to the reservoir reaching full pool, construction of the Ross Dam power plant began, and two turbines first went on line in 1956, generating 360 MW of power. Another two generators were added later, increasing the capacity to its current 460 MW. A controversy later arose over the planned fourth stage of

224-453: The Ross Dam site. In 1937, construction began on the dam, originally slated to be called Ruby Dam , on the first two of four planned construction phases. The name originates from Ruby Creek, a Skagit River tributary that flows southwest to meet the Skagit just upstream of the dam site. By 1940, phases 1 and 2 of the dam were complete, and the dam stood 305 feet (93 m) above the river. While

252-597: The Skagit Hydroelectric Project James Delmage Ross has died, so Ruby Dam was renamed Ross Dam in his memory. In 1943 a consortium of contractors including Morrison-Knudsen , which had previously participated in construction of Hoover Dam , began new construction on the dam ultimately raising its height to 475 feet (145 m). Energy demands during World War II coincided with an energy shortage in Seattle , requiring that

280-653: The Skagit River Hydroelectric Project was $ 250 million over 50 years. 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

308-511: The Skagit River to where it turns away from the river at Ross Dam and follows Ruby Creek instead. The power plant of Ross Dam is located just downstream of its base and produces 460 MW of power from four hydroelectric turbines. The dam has two over-the-crest spillways on its flanks, each with six individual spillway bays. The capacity of each individual spillway bay at full pool is rated at 10,600 cubic feet per second (300 m/s), for

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336-485: The ancient forest of Big Beaver Creek which would have been flooded, and showed that City Light's statements that no unique forest environments would be lost were not true. On the Canadian side the raising of the dam was halted primarily by the extensive work by Curley Chittenden - logger turned environmentalist, who worked tirelessly to rally opposition to this additional flooding of the upper Skagit River basin. Ultimately

364-579: 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 upriver from the dam. Ross Lake National Recreation Area surrounds

392-493: The canyon and surround it on both sides. Directly upstream of the dam, Ruby Creek flows into the reservoir, forming the Ruby Arm of Ross Lake. Directly downstream, Diablo Dam forms Diablo Lake, much smaller than Ross Lake. Other creeks that flow into Ross Lake include Little Beaver Creek and Big Beaver Creek from the west, and Lightning Creek from the east. North Cascades Highway , also known as Washington State Route 20 , follows

420-514: The construction of Ross Dam. This argument over land became known as the High Ross Dam Controversy . The dam was built with the potential to be raised 125 feet (38 m) further, bringing the total height of the dam to 665 feet (203 m) and raising the reservoir to approximately 1,725 feet (526 m) above sea level . The stepped "concrete waffle" facing on the front of the dam was designed to accommodate this addition to

448-467: The construction of hiking trails, footbridges, interpretive displays and the like. THE COMMISSION: The Skagit Environmental Endowment Commission and its Skagit Endowment Fund were established in 1984 by the High Ross Treaty between the U.S. and Canada. The founding mandate of the Commission is to manage an endowment fund and to influence conservation and protection of wilderness and wildlife in

476-549: The dam be constructed quickly, but the dam did not generate any power until many years after the war ended. This third phase was finished in 1949, to 540 feet (160 m). This height would cause the reservoir at full pool to extend slightly past the Washington-British Columbia border. The reservoir, however, did not fill past the national border until 1954. As compensation for the flooded land, which totals about 500 acres (2.0 km), Seattle City Light paid

504-485: The dam the Skagit Gorge upstream of the dam was a wild, free flowing, completely undeveloped area. The canyon held an intact ancient forest of Douglas Fir, Western Hemlock and Western Redcedar, estimated to be millable into up to 340 million usable board feet of timber. With the creation of the Skagit River Hydroelectric Project in the 1910s, the first two dams, Gorge Dam and Diablo Dam, were constructed downstream of

532-586: 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

560-457: The gorge of the Skagit River about midway along its 150-mile (240 km) length, and 23 miles (37 km) south of the Canada–US border . It is a concrete thin arch dam 540 feet (160 m) high and about 1,300 feet (400 m) long, stretching across one of the narrowest spots in the Skagit Gorge. The North Cascades mountains rise nearly 5,000 feet (1,500 m) vertically from the floor of

588-690: The height. This would have flooded land into Canada approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) further, also extending up the Klesilkwa River , a Skagit River tributary, and provided the opportunity to generate about 272 MW of extra power, bringing the generating capacity to 732 MW. It wasn't until the 1970s when the High Ross project was finally ended. On the US side, the North Cascades Conservation Council inventoried

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616-464: 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 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. Construction of Diablo Dam

644-577: The reservoir filled, the Decco-Walton Logging Company was formed in 1945 with the awarding of a contract from Seattle City Light. Decco-Walton logged the Skagit Gorge as Ross Lake slowly rose, and floated logs up the river to British Columbia, where it was hauled to the Fraser River . By the time Ross Lake filled, only 30 million board feet remained in the basin, less than 10% of the original timber. In 1939, superintendent of

672-418: 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

700-424: 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. Skagit Environmental Endowment Commission The Skagit Environmental Endowment Commission ( SEEC )

728-515: The transboundary Upper Skagit watershed. WHO SEEC IS: This sixteen-member Commission is responsible for the strategic direction of the organization and stewardship of the endowment fund. The Commission consists of an eight-person Canadian delegation appointed by the Premier of British Columbia and an eight-person U.S. delegation appointed by the Mayor of Seattle. All are appointed to four year terms on

756-573: 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 feet (119 meters) 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

784-507: 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 feet (160 meters). All three dams are listed in the National Register of Historic Places . The total cost of

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