It is time for Seattle City Light to address the damage its three hydroelectric dams have caused over the past 100 years to the Skagit River, the tribes who have always lived here and their treaty-reserved fishing rights. The utility has begun the process of relicensing the Skagit River Hydroelectric Project for 30-50 more years. A coalition of tribes, state and federal agencies, environmental groups and others have joined the Swinomish, Sauk-Suiattle and Upper Skagit tribes in demanding that Seattle City Light study the impact the dams have had on fish passage. The Gorge, Diablo and Ross dams were constructed from the 1920s to the 1950s and provide about 20 percent of Seattleâs electricity while blocking 40 percent of the Skagit River. The dams also disrupt the riverâs natural functions by choking off downriver transport of spawning gravel and woody debris that helps create diverse salmon habitat.Â