Seattle City Light Power Management Records, 1909-1986

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Seattle City Light
Title
Seattle City Light Power Management Records
Dates
1909-1986 (inclusive)
Quantity
6.8 cubic feet, (8 boxes)
Collection Number
1206-04
Summary
Records concerning Seattle electric power production and related topics
Repository
Seattle Municipal Archives
Seattle Municipal Archives
Office of the City Clerk
City of Seattle
PO Box 94728
98124-4728
Seattle, WA
Telephone: 2062337807
Fax: 2063869025
archives@seattle.gov
Access Restrictions

Records are open to the public.

Languages
English
Sponsor
Funding for processing this record series was provided through a grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.

Historical NoteReturn to Top

City Light provides electricity and electrical and conservation services to its public and private customers. It is the largest public utility in the Pacific Northwest. Public responsibility for electrical energy dates to 1890 with creation of the Department of Lighting and Water Works. In 1902, Seattle voters passed a bond issue to develop hydroelectric power on the Cedar River under the administration of the Water Department. Electricity from this development began to serve Seattle in 1905. A City Charter amendment in 1910 created the Lighting Department. Under the leadership of Superintendent James D. Ross, the department developed the Skagit River hydroelectric project which began supplying power in 1924. Both public and private power was supplied to Seattle until 1951 when the City purchased the private electrical power supply operations, making the Lighting Department the sole supplier. The Boundary Project in northeastern Washington began operations in 1967 and supplied over half of City Light's power generation. By the early 21st century, approximately ten percent of City Light's income came from the sale of surplus energy to customers in the Northwest and Southwest with the remainder of City Light's financial support coming from customer revenue. The current name of the agency was adopted in 1978 when the Department was reorganized.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

Records of the Power Management Division/Branch including correspondence, memos, reports, statistics, agreements, subject files, legal files and technical data concerning the production, sale and delivery of electric power to customers in Seattle. Subjects include promotion of electricity for industrial, commercial and residential use; electric rates; development of sources of energy, including hydro-electric generating facilities on the Columbia River; transmission and distribution systems; power contracts, World War II-related restrictions and defense plans; the Bonneville Power Administration and power exchanges. Also included are correspondence with the City Law Department, copies of early Superintendents of Lighting correspondence and early records of other divisions.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Preferred Citation

[Item and date], Seattle City Light Power Management Records, Record Series 1206-04. Box [number], Folder [number]. Seattle Municipal Archives.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Arrangement

Arranged into three sub-series: Subject files, Legal files, and Energy Resources Planning and Management Division.

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.

:  Subject Files, 1908-1986Return to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder
1/1
Billing - Combined Billing and Posting Change-Over
1941-1942
1/2
Billing - Combined Billing Rate Data - Bartell Drug Company
1941
1/3
Billing - Report On Billing Costs
1937
1/4
Commercial - Bartell Drug Company, Electric Cooking
1939-1940
1/5
Commercial - Cooking Rates, Tacoma and Others
1939
1/6
Commercial - Electric Cooking
1935-1942
1/7
Commercial - Edgewater Park Apartment Project - Simultaneous Load Tests
1943
1/8
Commercial - Electric Cooking Costs - Ben Paris
1939
1/9
Commercial - Hot Water Survey - Bartell Drug Company
1928
1/10
Commercial - Seattle Ice Arena, Operating Conditions
1938
1/11
Commercial - Washington Co-operative Egg and Poultry Association
1927-1939
1/12
Electric Heating - Estimates
1939-1940
1/13
Electric Heating - Methods and Short Cuts For Figuring Electric Heating
1925-1941
1/14
Electric Heating - House Heating, Rates, Policy and Load Characteristics
1945
1/15
Electric Heating - House Heating Rates
1946
1/16
Electric Heating - House Heating Rates
1947-1948
1/17
Electric Space Heating - Correspondence
1936-1943
1/18
Electric Heating - Special "House" and Water Heating Problems
1925
1/19
Expenses - Bond Sales - Amounts Outstanding
1937
1/20
Expenses - Capitalization of Losses - Load Cycle Calculations
1931
1/21
Expenses - Cost of Power
1925-1938
1/22
Expenses - Depreciation
1936-1943
1/23
Expenses - Financial Outlook
1936
1/24
Expenses - Taxation
1939
1/25
Expenses - Unit Costs
1942-1945
1/26
Generation - Installed Generator Capacity
1928-1952
1/27
Hydro - Electric Generation - Cedar Falls
1919
1/28
Hydro - Lake Union Hydro Plant Report
1933
1/29
Hydro - Sources of Hydro-Electric Power in the State
1936-1945
1/30
Industrial - American Can Company - Solder Bath Heaters Rate
1936
1/31
Industrial - Electric Galvanizing Costs
1938
1/32
Industrial - Industrial Heating Calculations and Data
1935-1936
1/33
Industrial - Kaiser Aluminum
1952
1/34
Industrial - Lake Union Dry dock and Machine Works
1941
1/35
Industrial - Large Industrial Loads
1936-1939
1/36
Industrial - Metropolitan Laundry Power Factor Tests
1941-1942
1/37
Industrial - Northwest Steel Rolling Mills
1939-1941
1/38
Industrial - U. S. Plywood Corp
1940
1/39
Industrial - Washington Iron Works and Portland Electric, Steel Furnaces
1917
1/40
Meter Division Reports
1940-1955
1/41
Overhead - Short Circuit Study
1931
1/42
Overhead - Gaseous (Fluorescent) Lamps
1941
1/43
Street Lighting - Mercury Vapor Light Correspondence
1951-1957
1/44
Street Lighting - Method of Assessment
1937
1/45
Street Lighting - Overhead and Ornamental
1944-1967
1/46
Street Lighting Costs
1920-1955
1/47
Street Lighting Data
1937-1947
1/48
Street Lighting - U.S. Office of Civilian Defense and Army Dim-Out Regulations
1942
1/49
U.S. Office of Production Management Supply Priorities and Allocation Rules
1941-1942
1/50
Voltage and General Service Complaints
1936-1942
1/51
Street Lighting - Westinghouse
1946-1947
1/52
Purchased - Northwest Power Pool, Reactive Component Interchange
1943-1944
1/53
Purchased - Puget Sound Power and Light Proposed Interconnection
1937
1/54
Rates - Proposed Bake Oven Schedules
1936
1/55
Rates - Commercial Bakery Estimates
1938
1/56
Rates - Port of Seattle Rate Reports
1928-1939
1/57
Rates - Port of Seattle Rate Survey
1939-1941
1/58
Rates - Residential Rate Data
1940
1/59
Rates - Residential Rate Tables
1940-1944
1/60
Rates - School Board and Parks
1936-1937
1/61
Rates - Surplus Energy Rates
1956-1962
1/62
Rates - Tacoma Municipal System Rates
1944-1945
1/63
Revenues - Comparison of City Light and Puget Sound Power and Light
1939-1943
1/64
Revenues - Electricity
1918-1940
1/65
Revenues - Projected Revenue Study
1943
1/66
Revenues - Residential Service Data
1935-1943
1/67
Revenues - Residential Use Data
1939-1940
2/1
Services - Adams and Lowell School - Lunch Room Water Heating
1938
2/2
Services - King County Courthouse Estimate - Willis T. Batcheller
1918
2/3
Services - Federal Office Building Power Service
1944
2/4
Steam Plants - Billings to Washington Water Power
1946-1957
2/5
Steam Plants - Centralia Steam Plant
1983
2/6
Steam Plants - Garbage Incineration (Proposed)
1962-1963
2/7
Steam Plants - Georgetown Steam Plant Feasibility Study
1980
2/8
Steam Plants - Isolated Plant Calculations - Boilers and Engines
1940
2/9
Steam Plants - Lake Union Steam Plant - Tests, Costs, Plant Factors
1937-1947
2/10
Steam Plants - Lake Union
1916-1956
2/11
Steam Plants - Lake Union, Emergency Operations and Repairs
1944
2/12
Steam Plants - Operation (Washington Water Power Company)
1945-1947
2/13
Steam Plants - Operations and Military Deferments
1942-1944
2/14
Steam Plants - Steam Production Cost, For BPA
1951-1957
2/15
Steam Plants - Steam Production Cost, For BPA
1951
2/16
Steam - System Out-Put; Hydro, Steam and Loads
1911-1920
2/17
Steam Plants, Including University of Washington
1940-1945
2/18
Steam Plants - University of Washington, Generating and Heating
1936
2/19
Statistics and Surveys - Burns and McDonnell Engineering Company, Kansas City (re Rates, etc.)
1933-1951
2/20
Statistics and Surveys - Electrical West Questionnaires
1944-1965
2/21
Statistics and Surveys - Electrical World Surveys
1934-1947
2/22
Statistics and Surveys - Electrical World Peak (Load Statistics and Operating Survey)
1949-1968
2/23
Statistics and Surveys - McGraw Hill Publications
undated
2/24
Statistics and Surveys - "Electric Industry System Peak Survey," Middle West Service Co.
1956-1962
2/25
Statistics and Surveys - Economic
1935-1943
2/26
Statistics and Surveys - Population Statistics
1926-1964
2/27
Statistics and Surveys - Power Statistics
1925-1962
2/28
Statistics and Surveys - Power Statistics
1935-1959
2/29
Statistics and Surveys - Source and Disposition of Electric Energy
1938-1956
2/30
Statistics and Data
1935-1946
2/31
Systems - Comparisons, Electric With Coal, Oil and Hog Fuel
1929
2/32
Systems - House Heating, Frederick A. Osborn
1916
2/33
Systems - Petley's Electric Steam Radiator Tests
1936-1939
2/34
Systems - Radiant Heating
1940-1946
2/35
Systems - Reversed Refrigeration
1936-1937
2/36
Test Data - Lambert Metallurgical Company
1940
2/37
Test Data - Small Hydro-Electric, Thyrite Voltage Control
1937
2/38
Test Data - Water Heaters, Commercial, Industrial and Misc. Water Heating Projects
undated
2/39
Test Data - Water Heaters
1913
2/40
Test Data - Water Heating, Commercial - Tools and Equipment
1938-1941
2/41
Test Data - Water Heater Tank Tests
1936-1939
2/42
Transmission - Cedar Falls
1937-1946
2/43
Transmission - Distribution Substations Prior To 1956
1942-1955
3/1
Transmission - Ground Resistance Report
1939
3/2
Transmission - High-Tension Lines and Territory Service by Private Companies
1937
3/3
Transmission - Line Service Division Reports
1948-1959
3/4
Transmission - Pole Line Extensions, Recommendations
1939-1940
3/5
Transmission - Substation Tie Lines
1945-1961
3/6
Transmission - Substation Tie Lines - Economic Comparison Between 26kv & 55kv Primary Network
1951
3/7
Transmission - Substation Tie Lines - Study of 26kv vs 4kv Primary Distribution Network
1961
3/8
Transmission - Substations
1932-1960
3/9
Transmission - Unit Substation - Distribution System
1946-1948
3/10
Transmission - White Center Substation
1946
3/11
Transmission Data
1937-1949
3/12
Transmission System Maps
1924-1943
3/13
Transformers
1908-1913
3/14
Transformers
1914-1917
3/15
Transformers
1920-1944
3/16
Underground - Commercial Underground, Network System
undated
3/17
Underground System
1937-1967
3/18
Memos and General Orders
1939-1947
3/19
Memos - Interdepartmental
1972-1973
3/20
Alternative Resources
1981
3/21
Alternative Resources
1982
3/22
Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) - Allocation of Costs (Bonneville Project)
1945-1958
3/23
BPA Contract Regulation Studies and Allocation Tables
1952-1961
3/24
BPA - Plant Costs
1934-1953
3/25
BPA Power Contract
1957-1975
3/26
BPA Sales Contract
1953-1968
3/27
BPA Sales Contract
1958-1963
3/28
BPA Sales Contract
1955-1964
3/29
BPA Studies
1946-1954
4/1
Bonneville System Data
1956
4/2
Bonneville System Diagrams
1942-1950
4/3
Bonneville System Diagrams
1937-1959
4/4
BPA Transmission Agreement
1982
4/5
BPA Typical Net Monthly Bills
1941-1963
4/6
British Columbia Dominion Water and Power Correspondence
1934-1967
4/7
British Columbia - Whitworth Ranch (Stream Gaging) - Includes Photographs
1931-1955
4/8
Canadian Streamgaging
1947-1954
4/9
Canadian Streamgaging
1955-1959
Box/Folder
4/8
Cedar Falls Headwork Map
1981
4/11
CH2M-Hill Power Management Studies and Related Correspondence
1980-1983
4/12
Chief Joseph Dam
1949-1970
4/13
Columbia River Power Possibilities
1937-1954
4/14
Columbia Valley Authority, Proposed
1934-1949
4/15
Combustion Turbine Project, With Puget Sound Power and Light
1979
4/16
Combustion Turbines
1979-1980
4/17
Congressional Appropriation For Columbia River Project
1947-1951
4/18
Congressional Authority, Columbia River Projects, Testimony
1952-1954
4/19
Dam Protection
1943
4/20
Drainage Basin Committee Report, North Pacific Basins
1936-1938
4/21
Energy Curtailment Programs
1975-1980
4/22
Energy Curtailment Programs
1980-1981
5/1
Federal Legislation - Water Resources
1952-1956
5/2
Federal Water Resources Policy
1949-1959
5/3
Hell's Canyon Dam, Idaho
1937-1952
5/4
Hell's Canyon Dam, Idaho
1953-1956
5/5
Los Angeles Water and Power Correspondence
1955-1959
5/6
Natural Gas
1953-1956
5/7
Pacific Northwest Power (Incl. Map)
1922-1953
5/8
Proposed Methods of Development
1934-1956
5/9
Proposed Projects - Columbia River and Others
1923-1959
5/10
Public and Private Ownership, Comparison
1940-1949
5/11
Public Ownership
1936-1966
5/12
Public Utility Districts
1942-1959
5/13
Public Utility Districts, Clippings
1938-1941
5/14
Public Utility Districts
1940-1962
5/15
Public Utility District Condemnation Cases
1948
5/16
Public Utility District, King County
1940
5/17
Recapture and Relicensing of Hydro-Electric Projects
1966-1969
5/18
Rocky Reach Project (Chelan County PUD)
1954-1963
5/19
South Columbia Basin Irrigation District Steering Committee
1985-1986
5/20
Thanksgiving Power Failure - Report, U.S. War Production Board
1942-1943
5/21
U.S. Geological Service Streamgaging Agreements
1932-1959
5/22
U.S. Geological Service Cooperative Agreements - Snow Survey and Streamgaging
1960-1965
5/23
Washington Department of Highways
1935-1954
5/24
Washington State Planning Council Correspondence
1934-1937
5/25
Washington State Power Commission
1953-1957
6/1
Washington State Power Commission Steam Studies
1955
6/2
Washington State Power Commission Steam Studies
1955
6/3
Washington Department of Public Service, Orders
1937-1938
6/4
Water Division Correspondence
1971-1973
6/5
Wells Project, Douglas County PUD (Columbia River)
1962-1964
6/6
Wind Generators
1954

Legal Files, 1979-1982Return to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder
6/7
Fisheries Litigation
1980-1981
6/8
Fisheries Litigation
1979
6/9
Law Department Correspondence
1980
6/10
Law Department Correspondence
1981
6/11
Law Department Correspondence
1981
6/12
Law Department Correspondence
1981
6/13
Law Department Correspondence
1981
6/14
Law Department Correspondence
1981
6/15
Law Department Correspondence
1981
6/16
Law Department Correspondence
1981
6/17
Law Department Correspondence
1981
6/18
Law Department Correspondence
1981
6/19
Law Department Correspondence
1981
6/20
Law Department Correspondence
1981
7/1
Law Department Correspondence
1981
7/2
Law Department Correspondence
1981
7/3
Law Department Correspondence
1981
7/4
Law Department Correspondence
1981
7/5
Law Department Correspondence
1981
7/6
Law Department Correspondence
1981
7/7
Law Department Correspondence
1981
8/1
Law Department Correspondence
1981
8/2
Law Department Correspondence
1981
8/3
Law Department Correspondence
1982
8/4
Law Department Correspondence
1982

Energy Resources Planning and Management Division, 1983-1985Return to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder
8/5
Cedar Falls, Morse Lake Project
1983
8/6
Survey of Large Industrial Customers
1985-1992
8/7
Weekly Activity Reports - Resource Planning and Load Forecasting (incl. ERPM Project Status)
1983
8/8
Interdepartmental Memos - Resource Planning and Load Forecasting
1983

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Dams--Washington (State)
  • Electric power--Washington--Seattle
  • Electric apparatus and appliances--Washington--Seattle
  • Electric power transmission--Washington
  • Hydroelectric power plants--Washington (State)
  • Lake Union Steam Plant (Seattle, Wash.)
  • Public utility districts--Washington (State)

Corporate Names

  • Seattle City Light
  • Seattle (Wash.). Law Dept.
  • Seattle (Wash.). Lighting Dept.
  • United States. Bonneville Power Administration

Geographical Names

  • Seattle (Wash.)