We’re working on safety and modernization projects at the Lower Baker Dam. This work helps us maintain the dam’s structural integrity so we can deliver safe and reliable hydroelectric power to customers for decades to come. 

Seepage reduction project (complete) We finished installing a grout curtain to reduce seepage in early 2026. This involved drilling three rows of holes and filling them with cementitious and bituminous grout to seal rock fractures.

Crest improvement project (upcoming)
The next project we’ll be working on at the Lower Baker Dam this year will include widening spillway gates and protecting dam abutments. Check back for project updates or contact us with questions.

The Baker River Hydroelectric Project is PSE’s largest hydropower facility. The power project is located on a tributary of the Skagit River in northwest Washington and includes two concrete dams and their associated powerhouses and facilities.

Upper Baker Dam:

• Completed in 1959
• 312-foot-high concrete gravity dam
• 107 megawatts of power-generating capacity

Lower Baker Dam:

• Completed in 1925
• 285-foot-high concrete arch dam
• 111 megawatts of power-generating capacity

The Baker River Hydroelectric Project covers almost 300 square miles in Washington state. Several entities own land within the Baker River basin, including the U.S. Forest Service, the National Park Service, the Washington State Department of Natural Resources, and PSE.

The project reservoirs, Baker Lake and Lake Shannon, are fed by runoff from the flanks of Mount Baker and Mount Shuksan. They create more than 7,203 acres of water surface that provides public recreation, fisheries, flood risk management, and hydropower benefits for the communities in the Skagit River Valley and the greater Northwest.

We also operate extensive salmon-enhancement systems within the power project, including a fish hatchery and innovative facilities for moving migrating fish both upstream and downstream around PSE's two dams.

We comply with strict federal regulations to ensure public safety while operating the dams.  We developed a comprehensive Dam Safety Program and were awarded a 50-year federal operating license for the power project in October 2008.

As part of our Dam Safety Program and Emergency Action Plan, we upgraded the early-warning siren system in 2018. The upgrade increased the sound coverage area, taking the system from three sirens to eight. Learn more about our commitment to public safety here.

We test the sirens on the second Monday of every month at 6:00 p.m. The sirens sound for less than one minute during the test. To hear the siren messages and tone, download the audio files below:

• Test message
• Evacuation message
• Siren tone

The public day use-park at the Lake Shannon boat launch site opened in 2022. The park features a concrete boat launch — newly updated in March 2026 — covered picnic shelter, picnic tables, charcoal barbecues, restrooms, and expanded parking. We developed the day-use park to help us meet our Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) requirements as part of our Baker River Hydroelectric Project licensing agreement.

Hours of operation:
April 15-October 31
From dawn until dusk

At this time, we’re not accepting reservations for the picnic shelter —  it is available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Photo: Pamela Snavely (left), PSE Baker Hydroelectric Project Plant Manager and Tony Fuchs, PSE Consulting Resource Scientist, cut the ribbon at the Lake Shannon Day-Use Park opening celebration.

Questions?
Tony Fuchs
Park Manager
1.888.404.8773
major.projects@pse.com

Renovated in 2021, the Baker River Club House Visitor and Interpretation Center provides information about PSE’s mission, the hydroelectric project and its facilities, and the cultural and natural resources of the area.

Historic preservationists, archaeologists, and cultural resource experts worked with community, government, and tribal stakeholders to develop a design that honors the original Club House’s character and history. The updated Club House will be a place for visitors to enjoy for years to come.

Hours of operation:
First Wednesday of May through the last weekend of September
Wednesday-Sunday
10:00 AM – 5:00 PM

Before and after

Photo: (Left to right) Pamela Snavely, PSE Baker Hydroelectric Project Plant Manager; Rick Hartson from the Upper Skagit Indian Tribe; Mayor of Concrete, Jason Miller; and Ron Roberts, PSE Vice President of Generation cut the ribbon at the Grand Opening Ceremony in Concrete, WA.

Questions?
Elizabeth Dubreuil
Consulting Resource Scientist
1.888.404.8773
major.projects@pse.com