Dam(n) it!

So, our last day up at the ELC ended with a natural history of the Diablo & Gorge Dam. Both dams were created in the first half of the 20th century along with Ross dam, and currently supply about 40% of the power to the city of Seattle (i think that's the right percentage).

We spent most of the day just walking around the dams, but also taking the time to think about what the river would have looked like pre-dam and then post dam. Here are a few shots i took and then what i found online:

Below is a photo of what the Skagit looked like before the dam was erected:


And here is a photo of what it looks like today:


This part of the Skagit used to be known as the grand canyon of the North West. Water would come screaming down from tributaries as far north as Canada, and would rush through the rock carving such steep walls. Now, the water located here is the result of a lower dam, Gorge Dam, which has created Gorge Lake. Also, with the creation of the three dams, a lake now reaches into Canada, and has flooded what once was a river valley and is now Ross Lake. When you travel on the lake, you can look down and see the massive trunks of trees that were removed for the flooding of the dam.

It's one of those situations where you can't hate or love having the dam since there are so many pros & cons to both sides. One of the "pros" to have the dam is clean energy for the city, and also Seattle City Light has had to invest in both the park & the North Cascades Institute.

Here's also a photo of Ross Dam just for some perspective