Buckley Dam

The Buckley Dam, located about a mile upstream of the Highway 410 bridge on the White River, was constructed in the early 1910s as part of the White River–Lake Tapps hydroelectric system. The dam functions as a diversion structure, routing water into a flume that feeds Lake Tapps. The system was originally built to supply water to the White River Hydroelectric Project at the outlet of Lake Tapps, historically operated by Puget Sound Energy’s predecessors and producing hydropower for nearly a century before generation ended in 2004. Today, the dam is still used to divert water to refill Lake Tapps for municipal supply and recreation under the management of Cascade Water Alliance, although substantially less water is diverted than during the hydropower era, leaving more flow in the White River to support downstream ecological conditions. The system and water rights were purchased by Cascade (with the acquisition finalized in 2009), and recent investments have also improved fish screening and passage facilities to help restore salmon and steelhead migration while maintaining water supply operations.