fish, wildlife, recreation and communities
Up to 174 miles of habitat to be re-opened to
salmon
A wide-ranging settlement over 50 years
recognized as good for the environment and the customers of PacifiCorp and
Woodland, Wash.— A far-reaching relicensing plan for four
Lewis River dams that will re-open up to 174 miles of potential salmon habitat,
improve local flood management, boost recreational opportunities, and
preserve the energy resources of the Lewis River in southwest Washington state was signed today by negotiators representing
utilities, Native American tribes, federal and state resource agencies, three
counties and environmental groups.
The settlement
agreement, which provides for 50 years of continued operation of Merwin, Yale,
Swift 1 and Swift 2 dams, was applauded by Washington Gov. Gary Locke.
“A great variety of interests came together to craft this comprehensive
and far-reaching agreement,” said Locke. “Each of the
The settlement details a complex and
far-reaching plan where anadromous fish will be transported around three high
dams to reopen access to large amounts of productive fish habitat. At the same
time, scientific examination and coordination continues to ensure, to the maximum
extent possible, the success of the reintroduction program.
Three dams on the Lewis River, Merwin, Yale, and Swift No. 1, are owned
by PacifiCorp and together generate 510 MW, enough electricity to serve more
than a quarter of a million typical residential customers. The fourth
The utilities began the federal licensing
process in 1995, and since March 2002 have been in intensive negotiations aimed
at reaching a comprehensive settlement. Under today’s agreement, future capital
investment, over the proposed 50-year license term of approximately $290
million by PacifiCorp and $19 million by Cowlitz County Public Utility
District, will fund protection, mitigation and enhancement measures covering
fish, wildlife, recreation, cultural and flood management.
“This is a good settlement for Cowlitz PUD’s
customer-owners, for
Up to 174 miles of
salmon and bull trout habitat to be opened
The
“PacifiCorp’s overall investment in
wildlife, recreation, and especially in fisheries is very significant,” said
Judi Johansen, PacifiCorp president and CEO. “But that investment is in keeping
with the company’s commitment to being a good steward of the natural resources
affected by our projects. Also importantly, this agreement allows us to retain
significant benefits for our customers in the form of cost-effective
electricity.”
State-of-the-science fish passage systems
are envisioned that would transport adult fish around all three dams while
surface collectors guide juvenile fish for transport downstream. Hatchery fish would
initially be used to kick start the reintroduction program. Over time, as
naturally produced fish increase in numbers, hatchery supplementation would be
tapered off. Similar systems would be installed to open up Yale and Merwin
reservoirs in years 13 and 17 respectively, unless other information gleaned
from the reintroduction effort into the Swift Reservoir indicates these actions
are no longer appropriate.
Alternately, if reintroduction does not
proceed at Merwin and Yale, a $30 million “in-lieu fund” would be used for a
variety of other aquatics projects supporting fish habitat restoration and
enhancement in key tributaries upstream and downstream from the projects.
The agreement also includes several specific
measures that will protect bull trout, a native fish species listed as
threatened under the Federal Endangered Species Act, and support recovery
efforts for the species in the basin. Currently, several local populations of
bull trout are affected by the projects, which inhibit or prevent migration and
genetic interchange, vital factors to the recovery of the species. A specific
fund will be established to enhance and restore habitat for anadromous fish and
bull trout.
Continued
coordination, scientific evaluation and adaptive management a hallmark
Continued collaboration and cooperation is a
priority for the settlement parties in recognition that that implementation of
settlement measures will occur over the long-term. Rigorous scientific
monitoring and evaluation are built into the agreement to provide for adaptive
management as new data and information become available. The agreement also calls for the formation of
an Aquatics Coordination Committee to oversee and guide future programs.
Wildlife funding
and management
Based on a plan in the agreement, up to $12
million will be spent to protect and enhance wildlife habitat for a broad range
of big game and other species in the
Recreation to
receive $20 million boost
Currently, PacifiCorp operates 14 parks and
day-use facilities along the
Flood management
focus
PacifiCorp’s three reservoirs have played a
critical role in flood management since the 1930s, and the settlement brings
several new management features to the system: PacifiCorp has agreed to pay up
to $25,000 to Clark and
Next steps in the
process
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)
is the licensing authority for hydroelectric projects, and both utilities
submitted license applications to that agency earlier this year. The settlement
will now be submitted to FERC amending those applications and identified as the
preferred outcome for relicensing. FERC will conduct its environmental review
before issuing new licenses, which are anticipated in April 2006 to coincide
with expiration of existing licenses.
In 1999, PacifiCorp and Cowlitz PUD
petitioned FERC to use its "alternative licensing process" to promote
collaboration with interested stakeholders and to ensure a coordinated analysis
of the operational and environmental impacts of the projects.
Cowlitz PUD is a
publicly-owned utility serving 45,500 electric customers in
More than 1.6 million customers in six Western
states look to PacifiCorp for safe, reliable electrical service. Operating as
Pacific Power and
Parties
to the settlement agreement are: PacifiCorp, Cowlitz PUD, the Cowlitz Indian
Tribe, the Yakama Nation – a banc of eight tribes, the Wash. Dept. of Fish and
Wildlife, the Wash. Dept. of Natural Resources, the Wash. Interagency Committee
for Outdoor Recreation, the National Marine Fisheries Service, the National
Park Service, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, the U.S. Forest Service; Trout Unlimited, the Native Fish Society,
Clark, Cowlitz and Skamania counties, the City of Woodland, the Lower Columbia
Fish Recovery Board, American Rivers, Trout Unlimited, Fish First, the Rocky
Mountain Elk Foundation, the Cowlitz-Skamania Fire District No. 7, the North
County Emergency Services, the Woodland Chamber of Commerce, the Lewis River
Community Council, and a group of Lewis River citizens at-large.
Editors: An executive summary of
the settlement is available on request. Additional quotes are available on the
following pages. Television broadcast outlets can receive a Betacam roll of
stock images from the
Media Contacts:
Lois Schwennesen, Mediator – (206) 605-9529
Dave Andrew,
Dave Kvamme, PacifiCorp – 503-813-7279
Margaret
Ainscough, WDFW Public Affairs – 360-902-2408
Doug
Zimmer, US Fish and Wildlife Service – 360-753-4370
Brian
Gorman, NOAA Fisheries - 206-526-6613
Amy
Souers Kober, American Rivers – 206-213-0330, ext. 23