Lower Baker Dam

Lower Baker Dam
Lower Baker Dam from downstream
Country	United States
Location	Skagit County, Washington
Coordinates
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)
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

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.

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. The other dam on this river, Upper Baker Dam, lies about 8 miles (13 km) upstream, and serves a similar purpose to Lower Baker.