WDFW Lewis River Hydroelectric
Projects Public Meeting

For photos taken at the meeting, click here.

Recreation and natural resource issues raised by the proposed federal re-licensing of four hydroelectric facilities on the Lewis River were the topic of a Jan. 29 public meeting hosted by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW).

The meeting was held 7 to 9 p.m. at WDFW regional headquarters, 2108 Grand Blvd., Vancouver.

The meeting was well attended and citizens were updated on WDFW's involvement in re-licensing settlement negotiation process. Public comments on issues surrounding the re-licensing including mitigation for recreation, flood control, water and land management and user fees were noted.

Among the issues discussed were angler preferences that could influence fish management; access needs for recreation; wildlife habitat needs and recreation preferences; enforcement; and recovery and re-introduction of salmonids in the watershed.

The settlement agreement, expected to be reached this spring, is part of the re-licensing process for the Merwin, Yale, Swift and Swift Number 2 hydroelectric facilities. The Swift Number 2 project is owned by the Cowlitz Public Utility District, and the remaining three facilities are owned by PacifiCorp.

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Lewis River Relicensing