Lewis River Hydroelectric Projects
Columbia River Basin; Lewis River, Clark, Cowlitz & Skamania Counties, Washington
Project Profile
The three dams and four powerhouses (Merwin, Yale, Swift numbers 1 and 2 hydropower projects) that comprise the Lewis River Hydroelectric Complex block passage for ESA-listed fish.
Listed Species
Lower Columbia River steelhead
Licensees
PacifiCorp & Cowlitz Public Utility District No. 1
FERC Relicensing Status
The parties reached a settlement agreement in 2004. The agreement calls for minimum streamflows, habitat improvements, and opening up more than 170 miles of river habitat that is now blocked to migrating fish, plus numerous protection, mitigation, and enhancement measures for fisheries and other resources. NMFS complete a biological opinion on August 27, 2007. FERC issued a new 50-year license in 2008. Fish have been reintroduced above the upper dam (Swift #1) beginning with adult transport in 2012 and juvenile collection in 2013. For this to happen, a Swift Reservoir Floating Surface Collector to collect downstream migrants and a Merwin upstream passage system was constructed.
Resources
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
FERC eLibrary: Dockets #P-935 (Merwin), P-2071 (Yale), P-2213 (Swift #2), P-2111 (Swift #1)
NOAA Fisheries Biological Opinion dated August 27, 2007; NMFS Consultation No. 2005/05891
