LIHI Certificate # 8 - Nisqually Project, Nisqually River, Washington, (FERC #1862)
City of Tacoma's Nisqually Hydroelectric Project is Re-Certified as Low Impact
Portland, ME - (August 28, 2008) - The Low Impact Hydropower Institute (LIHI) announced today that at their August 28, 2008 Board Meeting, the Nisqually Project earned renewal of LIHI's Low Impact Certification. The Nisqually Project continues to meet LIHI's eight environmentally rigorous Low Impact criteria addressing river flows, water quality, fish passage and protection, watershed health, endangered species protection, cultural resources, recreation use and access, and whether or not the dam itself has been recommended for removal. The Nisqually Project successfully completed LIHI's application process, which includes a public comment period, review by an independent technical consultant, consultations with state and federal natural resource agencies, and evaluation by the LIHI Governing Board, including leaders in the river conservation and renewable energy fields.
PORTLAND, ME– (April 19, 2008)—The Low Impact Hydropower Institute (LIHI) announced today that they have received a LIHI Re-Certification application for the Nisqually Hydroelectric Project (LIHI Certificate No. 8) located on the Nisqually River, in Pierce, Thurston, and Lewis
Counties, Washington. The Nisqually River originates from the Nisqually Glacier on Mount Rainer and flows about 80 miles west to Puget Sound.
PORTLAND, ME – (September 17, 2003)—The Low Impact Hydropower Institute (LIHI) announced today that the Nisqually Hydroelectric Project, located on the Nisqually River in western Washington, south of the City of Tacoma had earned LIHI low impact certification. The Nisqually River originates from the Nisqually Glacier on Mount Rainer and flows about 80 miles west to Puget Sound.
The Nisqually Project became the third hydropower facility to earn LIHI certification in Washington State and the eighth nationwide. The LIHI certification program is relatively new, having certified its first plant in March 2001. The Institute's voluntary certification program is designed to help consumers identify environmentally sound, low impact hydropower facilities for emerging "green" energy markets. While some hydropower plants will not qualify, the certified total is expected to grow significantly.
The Nisqually project is comprised of two facilities. The upstream facility is the Alder development which has an installed capacity of 64 MW and is operated in a peaking mode. Alder Dam is 285 feet high and creates Alder Lake which is 7.4 miles long and has a maximum surface area of 3,065 acres. Just downstream from the Alder development is the LaGrande development which has an installed capacity of 50 MW and is operated in run of river mode. LaGrande Dam is 192 feet high and creates LaGrande resevoir which is 75 surface acres. The LaGrande reservoir is located within a steep gorge area, which extends about 1.5 miles to the base of Alder Dam. The project creates a bypassed reach of the Nisqually River between the LaGrande dam and the LaGrande powerhouse (water is diverted at the dam into penstocks or pipelines that go directly to the powerhouse, bypassing the natural channel of the river). The bypass reach is about 1.7 miles long.
The Nisqually project was relicensed in 1997 based on consultations with state and federal resource agencies and the Nisqually Tribe. These consultations resulted in new operating conditions to provide increased minimum flows in the bypassed reach and modified flows overall to provide for minimum flows in the river below the LaGrande powerhouse. There are anadromous fish (salmon species that spawn in fresh water and migrate to saltwater) in the lower portion of the LaGrande bypassed reach. There are historic barriers to fish passage in the LaGrande gorge. The Nisqually Tribe has treaty fishing rights in the Nisqually River, and operates the Clear Creek Hatchery downstream of the project area.
SUMMARY
Facility location: Nisqually River, Washington
Installed capacity: 114 MW total
Average annual generation: 573 million killowatt hours
FERC license: issued 1997
Applicant: City of Tacoma
Applicant contact: Brett Forester, phone: (253) 502-8782
Date application posted to website: April 15, 2003
Date public comment period closed: June 16, 2003
Date of certification decision: September 17, 2003
Effective date of certification: April 15, 2003
Date certification ends: April 15, 2008
