Puget Sound Energy investigates false alarm at Baker River Dam

Preston Massey feared the worst when sirens blared Friday morning near his riverfront home in Concrete.

“Run,” Massey thought. “That’s basically all you can do.”

Thankfully, the evacuation message that roared from the Baker River Dam’s warning system was a false alarm.

According to Massey, surrounding communities took the warning seriously.

“The community of Cape Horn, Cedar Grove, all the surrounding areas up and down South Skagit and Highway 20 immediately ran for the hills,” Massey said.

Puget Sound Energy (PSE) operates the Baker River Dam, and the utility company confirmed it is not failing.

“The alarm at Baker River Dam’s early warning siren system was activated at 10:12 a.m. and again at 10:30 a.m.,” PSE spokesperson Gerald Tracy said. “This is a false alarm, and the dam is not in failure. PSE is in contact with local authorities.”

PSE provided KIRO Newsradio with the following statement:

We want to provide more information regarding the siren activation at Baker Dam this morning at 10:12 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.

As soon as the early-warning system activated, PSE conducted a visual inspection of the dam and contacted local authorities, Whatcom/Skagit 911, and Skagit Department of Emergency Management. The visual inspection confirmed there were no physical failures at the dam; upon further inspection we determined the wires that trigger the alarm were damaged during construction work at the Lower Baker Dam. This wire system is designed so that if there is a break it automatically triggers the early-warning system.

As part of the community, we understand how disturbing these warnings can be. We appreciate all of our customers who began evacuation procedures. That is the appropriate action to be taken when the early-warning siren system activates. There was a siren activation in November 2024 due to equipment failure at a specific siren location. Today’s incident is very different in that the system performed as it was designed by sounding the alarm as soon as the wires were broken. The system is designed this way knowing there is a limited time for evacuation.

Safety is our top priority and we are committed to the safe operation of the Baker hydroelectric system and having early-warning systems for the Skagit Valley Community. The early-warning system has been repaired and is operational. We plan to conduct our annual siren testing drill in August and will provide more information in advance of the test date.

We apologize for any inconvenience and appreciate your patience.”

Massey said his home along the Skagit River would likely be a total loss if the dam were to fail.

“If we do have a major dam failure, it is not an exaggeration to say there would be a 200-foot wall of water heading downriver,” Massey said.

PSE is reaching out to customers about the false alarm. The utility did not explain what caused the sirens to go off.

Read more of Aaron Granillo’s stories here.

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