Box Canyon Dam’´s Visitor Center is open Monday-Friday, 7:00am to 3:30pm year round. During the summer months, our staff would be glad to discuss our facility with you.

Tours begin in the Visitor Center with an explanation and demonstration of how electricity is generated at Box Canyon Dam. Just outside the building, the tour will continue with a narrative description of specific points of interest. Also available to visitors are many interesting historical photos and videos of the dam’'s construction.

For more information, questions, or reservations, please contact information@popud.com or 509-447-3137 ext. 700.

Our campground, boat launch, and swimming area is open 24 hrs. with no fees.

Box Canyon Hydroelectric Project

Public Utility District No. 1 of Pend Oreille County

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 (Pond-er-ray), 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 Public Utility District. Construction of the project began in 1952 and was completed in 1956. Pend Oreille Public Utility District 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.

Today, as it has since generation first began in 1956, the Box Canyon Hydroelectric Project provides its customers with clean, reliable, and competitively priced energy. Power from Box Canyon is transmitted along Pend Oreille PUD's transmission line for distribution to its customers.

Recreation along the Pend Oreille River

Discover the beauty of the Pend Oreille River. The 55-mile reservoir between Newport and Box Canyon is a gateway for visitors to enjoy the splendor of this natural wonderland.

Campbell Park, at Box Canyon, provides a beautiful campground, swimming, and other outdoor activities for travelers and local outdoor enthusiasts. Boat launches at Ione, Cusick, and Newport provide easy access to the river. Boaters enjoy mile after mile of clear, sparkling water and panoramic views. Resorts and campgrounds along the river provide year-round accommodations for visitors.

Bald eagles, heron, swans, osprey, Canadian geese and other waterfowl can often be seen along the river. Pend Oreille P.U.D. and the Kalispel Indian Tribe have worked together to provide goose and osprey nesting sites. An abundance of wildlife inhabits the bordering forests. It's not unusual for visitors to catch a glimpse of deer, elk and even an occasional moose or bear.

Pend Oreille PUD's Stewardship and Habitat Enhancement Efforts Continue

As part of its continuing stewardship and commitment toward preserving the environment and beauty of the river, Pend Oreille PUD participates in many collaborative environmental efforts, including fish net pens located with the local Chamber at Metaline and Metaline Falls, where over 45,000 trout are released into the river each year; and with Pend Oreille County, the Milfoil Control Project, the goal of which is the removal of milfoil for safety and aesthetic reasons near boat ramps and swimming areas, and to provide pathways in other areas to provide varied habitat for fish.

In recent years, Pend Oreille PUD purchased over 750 acres along the Pend Oreille River, which are maintained for wildlife habitat. Continual efforts to enhance the habitat of these properties are being made by the PUD. Cattle, which had overgrazed the lands, have been fenced out, allowing the natural grasses to return; hazardous materials, old buildings, and tons of debris have been removed; and riparian corridor tree planting is ongoing.

Hydropower is an environmentally clean and renewable source of electrical energy. Snow and rain that fall in the mountains are the sources of the power that we manage. Our relationship with nature is much more than it's utilization as a resource; it is an important stewardship. We are proud to work with the river, the cycle of the seasons and human ingenuity to produce hydroelectric energy for our customers.

The creation of hydroelectricity begins at the dam, where the power plant converts the force of water into electricity. Water from the river flows through the intake trash racks located in the upstream side of the dam structure. The water then flows over the turbine inside the powerhouse. The turbine shaft is turned by the force of water pushing against the turbine blades. Generators connected to the turbine's shaft rotate as the turbine moves, producing electricity. The same amount of water that entered the hydro project returns to the river unchanged. Water not used for energy production is released over the spillway.