Ione, WA

Nestled in the Selkirk Mountain Range in the northeast corner of Washington State, the Box Canyon Hydroelectric Project produces low-cost electricity from water, a clean and renewable energy source. Flanked by steep rock cliffs and situated in a narrow portion of the state’s second largest river, the Pend Oreille, Box Canyon operates in a “run-of-the-river” mode, using water as it is available.

The Box Canyon Hydroelectric Project is owned by the people of Pend Oreille County and operated by Pend Oreille PUD. Construction of the project began in 1952 and was completed in 1956. The Pend Oreille PUD was the first PUD in the state to build its own dam. There were no local, state, or federal tax dollars used in its construction.