Controversial Hydropower Proposal Scuttled in Washington

"A hydroelectric project that threatened to diminish scenic waterfalls on the South Fork of the Skykomish River near Index will not be built," reports Bellamy Pailthorp.

The Sunset Falls hydropower project has been a possibility for seven years, proposed by the Snohomish County Public Utilities District.

"Signs with the slogan 'No Dam Way' went up around the area in Index as locals banded together to oppose it," according to Pailthorp. "And the environmental group American Rivers listed the South Fork of the Skykomish as one of the nation’s most endangered rivers in 2012 and 2017."

Snohomish County PUD says the project is no longer necessary because energy conservation can make up the difference over the next ten to 12 years, and save ratepayers $170 million in construction costs.