THE DAMYIATION OF A DAM: TIIE HIGH ROSS DAM CONTROVERSY TERRY ALLAN SIblMONS A. B., University of California, Santa Cruz, 1968 A THESIS SUBIUTTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS in the Department of Geography SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY May 1974 All rights reserved. This thesis may not b? reproduced in whole or in part, by photocopy or other means, without permission of the author. APPROVAL Name: Terry Allan Simmons Degree: Master of Arts Title of Thesis: The Damnation of a Dam: The High Ross Dam Controversy Examining Committee: Chairman: F. F. Cunningham 4 E.. Gibson Seni Supervisor / /( L. J. Evendon / I. K. Fox ernal Examiner Professor School of Community and Regional Planning University of British Columbia PARTIAL COPYRIGHT LICENSE I hereby grant to Simon Fraser University rhe righc to lcnd my thesis or dissertation (the title of which is shown below) to users of the Simon Fraser University Library, and to make partial or single copies only for such users or in response to a request from the library of any other university, or other educational institution, on its own behalf or for one of its users. I further agree that permission for multiple copying of this thesis for scholarly purposes may be granted by me or the Dean of Graduate Studies. It is understood that copying or publication of this thesis for financial gain shall not be allowed ' without my written permission. Title of' ~hesis /mqqmkm: The Damnation nf a nam. ~m -Author: / " (signature ) Terrv A. S.imrnonze (name ) July 22, 1974 (date) ABSTRACT In 1967, after nearly fifty years of preparation, inter- national negotiations concerning the construction of the High Ross Dan1 on the Skagit River were concluded between the Province of British Columbia and the City of Seattle. Under the terms of the agreement the dam would raise the level of Ross Lake by 122 feet flooding additional portions of the Ross Lake National Recreation Area in Washington and of the upper Skagit Valley in British Columbia. The purpose of raising the height of the dam is to provide additional hydroelectric capacity in order to meet peak period demands in Seattle. Only two years after the conclusion of the negotiations, a major international controversy erupted over the proposed dam construction. This study examines the history of the High Ross Dam controversy and of hydroelectric development on the Skagit River in order to explaln why this controversy arose. This controversy focuses upon the essential resource issue: is the environmental impact caused by the further flooding of the Skagit Valley justified by the additional electric power received by Seattle? The, present study addresses this general question by comparing the decision making processes in British Columbia and Washington and argues that the controversy results from the introduction by the conservation movement in Washington and British Columbia of a set of public interests in environmental issues which previously had not been articulated. iii Data, found in many scattered places, are taken from primary and secondary documents, field work, personal interviews, and from materials arising from the author' s position as a partici- pant observer. This study documents a convergence in'the development of the conservation movement between British Columbia and Washington in 1969. It is argued that the emergent climate of opinion allowed the conservationists in both areas to launch cooperative efforts to challenge Seattle's priority for the exploitation of the upper Skagit River region and the right of Seattle City Light to expropriate the upper river system for its own use. The conservationists therefore revived the High Ross Dam issue by creating a public debate, the existence of which depended upon the articulation of diff er5nt environmental value judgements and consequent resource management options. In the light of the trends identified, the study concludes by appraising the future of hydroelectric development on the Skagit River. ACKNOWLEDGMENT This thesis is about people and dams. The dams may be damnzd; but the people must. he thanknd for their part in the preparation of this thesis. Thousands of lives have been touched by the High Ross Dam controversy. This thesis reflects their experiences. Many of them have been consulted. In particular, I wish to thank Kenneth Farquharson and the members of the ROSS Committee and Patrick Goldsworthy and the North Cascades Conservation Council for their assistance and access to their files. I am grateful to Edward Gibson for his encourage- ment and advice. TABLE -014' CONTENTS Page Chapter One Introduction 2 The Thesis 2 The Perspective 3 The Data 8 The Method 10 The Organization 12 Part One Genesis Chapter Two From Mineral Claims to Water Claims: Early Obstacles to Hydro~lectricDevelopment 18 Mining Activity 19 Early Settlement and Condemnation 21 Land Tenure in the B, C. Skagit Valley 23 Conclusion 24 Chapter Three City Building in the Wilderness: J. D. Ross and the Skagit River Development 27 Electrical and Political Power- A Grand Speculative Venture 27 City Building and the Origins of Seattle City Light 29 J. D. Rosk 33 Municipal D3velopment on the Cedar River 36 -The Battle for the Skagit River 39 Early Planning on the Skagit River 44 The Gorge Dam 48 The Diablo Dam 49 The Ross Dam Conclusion Page I versy I Early Negotiations- Ignorance Compensation for Timber The International Joint Commission 1 The Skagit Valley Land Act i New Considerations-Downstream Benefits The 1967 Agreement Conclusion Chapter Five The Creation of Controversy: The Role of the Conservationists I The Conservation Movement as a Movement The Conservation Movement in Historical Pattern The Conservation Movement- Its Variety of Ocganizat ions 1 Run Out Skagit Spoil.ers North Cascades Conservation Council i Comparison of Two Organizations The Creation of the High Ross Dam Controversy in British Columbia The Campaign to Create the North Cascades National Park Conclusion I Part Three Synthesis vii Chapter Six Public Forum for Damnation: The Int ernat ionai Joint Commission Development of the Controversy The International Joint Commission Referencs and Public Hearings Legal Considerations Seattle City Light1s Submission Support for Seattle City Light Opposition to Seattle City Light The Hearings in Perspective The Final Report of the International Joint Commission Conclusion Chapter Seven Conclusions Summary Prospects Concluding Observations Bibliography Appendices A. Onomastic Notes Terminology Ross Dam/Skagit Valley Conservat ion/Environment/Ecology Preservationist viii Page B. Letter By Alex Robinson, April 1, 1931 198 C. International ~ointComrnissiorl Order of Approval 201 D. Agreement Between the Province of British Columbia And the City of Seattle 204 E. Threats to the North Cascades National Park 211 "Threat to Cascades", Letter by Grant McConnell, JU~Y20, 1969 211 11 North Cascades Dam ~hreat",New York Times, February 23, 1970 213 Do You Want THIS In Your Brand-New National Park And Recreation Area? 215 F. The 1971. International Joint Commission Hearings 216 Summary of Submissions to the International Joint Commission, 1971 216 Persons Presenting Briefs Or Testimony At The International Joint Commission Public Hearings 222 Text of Reference to the International Joint Commission '-LA33~ Figures Page Proposed High Ross Project, Location Map 7 Project Area 17 North Cascades National Park, Ross Lake and Lake Chelan National Recreation Area 227 CHAPTER I Tntrodu~t~ion . the historical achievement of science and tech- nology has rendered possible the translation --of val- -ues into technical tasks -- the materialization of values. Consequently, what is at stake is the re- definition of values in technical terms, as elements in the technological ends, would then operate in the project and in the construction of the machinery, and not only in its utilization. Moreover, the new ends might assert themselves even in the construc- tion of scientific hypotheses -- in pure scientific theory. From the quantification of secondary quali- ties, science would proceed to the quantification of values. --- Herbert Marcuse1 Were it situated almost anywhere else, the Skagit would be a major international river. While the Skagit is the largest river to flow into the Puget Sound, it has remained until re- cently remote and dwarfed in its significance by its neigh- boring continental giants, the Fraser and the Columbia, in one of the best watered regions of North Amsrica. Today, however, the Skagit River is the subject of several international natural resource management issues with significant implications for bi- lateral policy. The most important these issues currently concerns the High Ross Dam or Skagit Valley contro- versy. That is whether or not the City of Seattle, Department of Lighting, known commonly as Seattle City Light, should raise the height of Ross Dam 122.5 feet in order to provide more head for the generat ion of of peaking capacity . Despite its history of trapping, mining and hydroelectric development, the Skagit River country remains isolated. Its character is rugged and .wild. The Skagit is a full, fast, but regulated river. It rises in the mountains of Manning Provincial Park and flows approximately 125 miles to the shores of Puget Sound near Mount Vernon, Washington. It drains about 3105 square miles. Although about 13 percent of the total watershed area, about 400 square miles, lies in British Columbia, 94 percent of the runoff originates in Washington. The distance from the ocean and the configuration of the mountain ranges cause the upper basin to be drier. The basin has an average annual rainfall of 71 inches with an an- nual runoff of about 30 inches from the upper basin and of about 140 inches from the tributaries nearer the coast. The average annual runoff, measured at Marblemount, is about The Thesis This is a comparative study of the international decision making process concerning the High Ross Dam. After nearly fifty years of preparation, international negotiations for the High Ross Dam were completed between the Province of British Columbia and the City of Seattle in 1967.