Glaciers in the Upper Skagit Watershed
Ancient water held in our iconic mountain glaciers provides valuable water storage and natural beauty. But due to warming temperatures, these essential water resources are declining throughout the world, including here in Washington.
The United Nations declared 2025 the International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation, which kicked off the Decade of Action for Cryospheric Sciences (2025-2034). The story of our past is written in the ice, and the ice also tells a story of our future.
This story also influences ours at City Light, where we partially depend on this resource for generating the power needed to support our customers. From the summer’s glacial meltwater high in the North Cascade Mountains to Seattle’s streetlights, the trend in water supply aligns with the available energy generation needed to meet our electricity demands as well as irrigation, recreation, and irrigation needs.
City Light has long recognized this relationship. We have supported monitoring and research of glaciers in the upper Skagit River Watershed – home to the Skagit Hydroelectric project and part of the largest collection of glaciers in the lower 48 states. In 2025, City Light acted by partnering with the University of Northern British Columbia to re-inventory the glaciers in the Skagit. This research is vital to understand the implications of continued ice loss on hydrology and summer streamflow in the Skagit River.
To learn more about glaciers and their importance to Seattle, check out the storymap below.
Glacial Melt in the Skagit
Rising temperature trends are causing glaciers to melt. What does this mean for City Light's hydropower generation, and how can we help?