Lower Baker Dam

Lower Baker Dam
Lower Baker Dam from downstream
Country United States
Location Skagit County, Washington
Coordinates 48°32′51″N 121°44′28″W / 48.54750°N 121.74111°W / 48.54750; -121.74111Coordinates: 48°32′51″N 121°44′28″W / 48.54750°N 121.74111°W / 48.54750; -121.74111
Status In use
Opening date 1925
Owner(s) Puget Sound Energy
Dam and spillways
Type of dam Concrete thick-arch
Impounds Baker River
Height 285 feet (87 m)
Length 550 feet (170 m)
Spillway type Uncontrolled overflow
Reservoir
Creates Lake Shannon
Total capacity 161,470 acre feet (199,170,000 m3)[1]
Catchment area 250 square miles (650 km2)
Surface area 2,190 acres (890 ha)
Power Station
Hydraulic head 280 feet (85 m)
Installed capacity 79 MW
Annual generation 344,850,000 KWh[2]

Lower Baker Dam (or simply Baker Dam) is a dam across the Baker River one mile north of Concrete, Washington. It forms a reservoir called Lake Shannon which stretches 7.5 miles (12.1 km) upstream. The dam is operated by Puget Sound Energy as part of the Baker River Hydroelectric Project.[3]

The dam has a thick arch design, and is 285 feet (87 m) high and 550 feet (170 m) long. It spans the Baker River in a narrow reach known as Eden Canyon, just above the river's confluence with the Skagit River. It is able to hold 161,470 acre feet (199,170,000 m3) of water, of which 29,426 acre feet (36,296,000 m3) is reserved for flood control. At full capacity the dam's hydroelectric plant can generate 79 megawatts of power.[4] The other dam on this river, Upper Baker Dam, lies about 8 miles (13 km) upstream, and serves a similar purpose to Lower Baker.

References

  1. "SKAGIT RIVER BASIN 112193000 LAKE SHANNON AT CONCRETE, WA" (PDF). wa.water.usgs.gov. Retrieved 18 March 2016.
  2. "LOWER BAKER". carma.org. Retrieved 18 March 2016.
  3. "3.3 Water Quantity" (PDF). Baker River Project, FERC No. 2150. Puget Sound Energy. March 2002. Retrieved 2011-01-17.
  4. "Fact Sheet" (PDF). "Baker River Hydroelectric Project Fact Sheet" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-11-06.


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