Nooksack Falls Hydroelectric Plant, Route 542, Glacier, Whatcom County, WA

Significance: With a generating capacity of 1,500 kilowatts, the Nooksack plant is the second oldest operating hydroelectric facility in western Washington (only the Snoqualmie Falls plant (1899) is earlier the Electron plant, although completed in 1903, was rebuilt in 1939 after a landslide completely destroyed the power station). Some modifications have been made to this facility through the years (most notably the replacement of the turbine in 1910 and the installation of a new dam and water conveyance system in 1931); but much of the Nooksack plant has remained unchanged for the eighty years of its existence. Importantly, the power plant retains its original Westinghouse generator and the Pelton wheels installed in 1910.

Unprocessed Field note material exists for this structure: N4

Survey number: HAER WA-18

Building/structure dates: 1906 Initial Construction

Building/structure dates: 1910 Subsequent Work

Building/structure dates: 1931 Subsequent Work

hydroelectric power plants glacier nooksack falls nooksack falls whatcom whatcom county washington state energy generation bellingham bay improvement company pierre b cornwall historic american engineering record kimberly jones charles stone edwin webster photo nooksack falls hydroelectric plant ultra high resolution high resolution power plants library of congress electric power

1969 - 1980

Library of Congress

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