Dawson installed a 4.6 MW hydroelectric dam on the existing non-powered dam at Whitman Lake to provide power to the communities of Ketchikan, Petersburg, and Wrangell. The project produces 16,000 MWh per year and also included replacement of a penstock from the Whitman Lake Hatchery and creating a diversion from Achilles Creek to Whitman Lake.
The project was split into two phases. The first involved the construction of a new 2,400 square foot powerhouse, a switchyard, powerhouse crane, hatchery head tank, intake and valve house, and a half mile of new pipeline for water supply to the new powerhouse.
The second phase involved creating a new access road and bridge up to Achilles Creek, where a dam and reservoir was built. New water lines were tied into the lines from phase one to increase the water supply at the powerhouse.
Whitman Lake now generates approximately 16,000 MWh of clean renewable energy annually for Ketchikan, transforming an idle water resource into a community asset. The 4.6 MW facility reduces the city's dependence on diesel generation and provides long-term energy cost stability for a community that knows firsthand what volatile fuel prices mean.
From emergency repairs to ground-up builds, Dawson teams deliver across Southeast Alaska and Northwest Washington.
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