How the Blue Lake Dam is costing Sitka

Sitka’s Electric Department is in crisis. There isn’t enough money to both keep up with bond payments on the Blue Lake Dam and address needed infrastructure repairs. To fix this, the Assembly plans to increase rates by another 5% rate increase this year and draw money from other funds. (Blue Lake Expansion photo by Desiree Brandis)The city of Sitka is struggling to pay off the Blue Lake Dam in a big way. The project was largely funded through bond proceeds. But due to a major decline