On April 2, 1984, diplomats from the United States and Canada sign the Skagit River Treaty, which terminates plans to build Ross Dam higher and thus allow the water level to rise. Present in Washington, D.C. at the ceremony is former Seattle Deputy Mayor Bob Royer, who negotiated the terms with British Columbia.
Under the treaty, Seattle agreed not to engage in construction to raise the water in Ross Dam 125 feet, a procedure that would have flooded large parts of British Columbia. In exchange for this, Seattle City Light was given the right to purchase electricity from British Columbia hydroelectric sources in amounts equal to the power that would have been generated by a higher Ross Dam.
Sources:
Ross Anderson, "Ross Dam Treaty Signed: Seattle Gets Power, B.C. Gets Beauty," The Seattle Times, April 3, 1984, p. A-14.
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