Upper Baker Dam is a dam spanning the Baker River

Baker River (Washington)

The Baker River is an approximately , southward-flowing tributary of the Skagit River in northwestern Washington in the United States. It drains an area of the high North Cascades in the watershed of Puget Sound north of Seattle, and east of Mount Baker...

 in northern Washington in the United States of America. It is one of two dams on the river, the other one being the Lower Baker Dam

Lower Baker Dam

Lower Baker Dam is a dam across the Baker River one mile north of Concrete, Washington. It forms a reservoir called Lake Shannon which stretches upstream. The dam is operated by Puget Sound Energy as part of the Baker River Hydroelectric Project.The dam has a thick arch design, and is high and ...

 a few miles downstream. The dam is used to generate hydroelectricity

Hydroelectricity

Hydroelectricity is the term referring to electricity generated by hydropower; the production of electrical power through the use of the gravitational force of falling or flowing water. It is the most widely used form of renewable energy...

 and provide flood control.

Construction of the dam was finished in 1959 by Puget Sound Energy

Puget Sound Energy

Puget Sound Energy is Washington state's oldest local energy utility providing electrical power and natural gas in the Puget Sound region of the northwest United States...

 as part of a power generating scheme, the Baker River Hydroelectric Project. The dam is a concrete gravity structure 312 feet (95.1 m) high and 1200 feet (365.8 m) long, and is capable of producing 91 MW. Its reservoir stretches 9 miles (14.5 km) upstream and contains 285000 acre.ft of water.