LIHI Pending Application -- (FERC Nos. 935, 2071, & 2111) Lewis River Hydroelectric Project, Lewis River, Washington

Notice: February 27, 2010 - LIHI received a comment letter from Mike Hayden. This comment letter can be found at the bottom of this page at this link: ...The problems myself and other people from Cougar have had with the licensing of the Lewis river project ...

Notice: March 1, 2010 - LIHI received a comment letter from Curt Leigh, Hydropower Coordinator, State of Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife This comment letter can be found at the bottom of this page at this link: Lewis River Comment Letter 3-1-10

Notice: March 8, 2010 - LIHI received the following Comment from Jim Malinowski:

"As the Fish First representative to the Aquatics and Terrestrial Advisory Committees I wish to support the application for the Low Impact Hydro Project designation for the Lewis River.

While the impact of the project on area aquatic resources have been significant it is my understanding this application relates to how an existing project is being managed to reduce impacts. I was a member of the relicensing negotiating team and have been impressed at how well the utilities have done in following the terms of the negotiated license agreement. They are working very closely with the advisory committees as agreement provisions are being implemented."

Jim Malinowski

360-992-6115

360-247-6404 cell

Notice: March 25, 2010 - LIHI received a comment letter from the Applicant in response to earlier public comments. This comment letter can be found at the bottom of this page at this link: Pending Appl for Low Impact Hydro Cert.pdf

Swift No. 1

Portland, Maine (December 31, 2009) – The Low Impact Hydropower Institute (LIHI) announced today that PacifiCorp Energy ("PacifiCorp" or "Applicant") has submitted an application for certification of the Lewis River Hydroelectric Projects ("Projects").

PacifiCorp's Lewis River projects consist of three separately-licensed hydroelectric projects on the Lewis River, in Cowlitz, Clark, and Skamania counties in the state of Washington. There is also a Swift No. 2 facility, situated between the Swift No. 1 and Yale projects, that is owned by the Public Utility District No. 1 of Cowlitz County ("Cowlitz PUD") but it is not included in this LIHI application. The PacifiCorp facilities consist of a series of three dams and associated reservoirs. Progressing downstream from east to west, the facilities are referred to as the Swift No. 1, Yale, and Merwin projects.

Yale Dam and Reservoir with Mount St. Helens

A Settlement Agreement covers all three PacifiCorp facilities and Cowlitz PUD's Swift No. 2 project. As a result of a collaborative process, on November 30, 2004, twenty-six Parties (including two Licensees, five federal agencies, two state agencies, eight local/county agencies, two tribes, two citizens-at-large, and five non-governmental organizations) signed the Lewis River Settlement Agreement (PacifiCorp et al. 2004). In December 2004, the Licensees filed the settlement agreement with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) along with a Joint Explanatory Statement and Supplemental Preliminary Draft Environmental Assessment.

The Settlement Agreement reflects the interests of all Parties; provides significant investments in fish and aquatic resources, wildlife and recreation; includes monitoring and evaluation and adaptive management; and includes ongoing coordination with the Parties through the Aquatics and Terrestrial Coordination Committees. The Settlement Agreement includes support for 50- year licenses to allow the projects to continue to provide benefits to the Utilities' customers.

Forest Dawn...Lewis River Wildlife Habitat Area

Licenses for the Lewis River Projects were issued by the FERC on June 26, 2008 and the projects are all currently operating under new licenses. PacifiCorp is implementing the terms of the SA and the new licenses and is conducting design studies and planning efforts.

The Lewis River Hydroelectric Projects consist of four separately licensed projects. The projects begin approximately 10 miles east of the town of Woodland, Washington. The sequence of the projects moving upstream from the confluence of the Lewis and Columbia rivers is as follows: Merwin, Yale, Swift No. 2, and Swift No. 1. The Merwin, Yale, and Swift No. 1 projects are owned and operated by PacifiCorp and are the subject of this application (Figure 1). Swift No. 2 is owned by the Public Utility District No. 1 of Cowlitz County (Cowlitz PUD) and operated and maintained by PacifiCorp under contract with Cowlitz PUD. The Merwin, Yale, and Swift No. 1 projects represent linked reservoir/powerhouse systems covering more than 30 miles of the Lewis River. The Swift No. 2 Project does not include a dam and reservoir. It utilizes water directly from the tailrace of Swift No. 1, which flows into a 3.2-mile-long canal that discharges through the Swift No. 2 powerhouse into Yale Reservoir.

The 3-reservoir system is operated in a coordinated fashion to achieve optimum benefits for power production, provide for stewardship of natural and social resources in the basin, and provide flood control. A summary of the project information is provided in the following table

Mount St. Helens From Yale Reservoir 

Public Comments

We encourage public comments on this application. Specifically, we are interested in knowing whether you think the Lewis River Project meets our LIHI criteria. Review the program and criteria in greater detail and then review the Lewis River Project's application. Comments that are directly tied to specific LIHI criteria (flows, water quality, fish passage, etc) will be most helpful, but all comments will be considered.

Comments may be submitted to the Institute by e-mail at info@lowimpacthydro.org with " Lewis River Project comments" in the subject line; by fax at (206) – 984-3086; or by mail addressed to LIHI, 34 Providence Street, Portland, ME, 04103. Comments must be received at the Institute on or before 5 pm Eastern time on March 3, 2010 to be considered. All comments will be posted to the web site and the applicant will have an opportunity to respond. Any response will also be posted.

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