The city built a town at Cedar Falls for the workers operating the storage dams and later a hydroelectric plant. In 1914, the concrete and stone Masonry Dam was finished, increasing the storage in Chester Morse Reservoir. In the deal, Seattle got its first hydroelectric plant. With its two turbines, the plant can produce up to 30 megawatts of power, or enough electricity for 30,000 homes. It's highly unlikely, however, that Seattle would forsake its primary mission to manage the river for drinking water just to ease the pain of the energy crisis, say city officials.
Fish habitat is next on the priority list, followed by power production.
The city might boost power production if public safety was at stake, he said, but not simply for financial reasons. Typically, the power plant produces about 17 megawatts. When operating at full capacity, the plant meets about 1.5 percent of Seattle City Light's total needs. Immediately below the Masonry Dam, most of the naturally flowing Cedar River ceases to exist. Runoff still fills deep ponds in the river's channel and spills over falls that have blocked the passage of migratory fish upriver for thousands of years.