The Lewis County Public Utility District (PUD) on Tuesday announced the purchase of 81 acres on the eastern border of the Cowlitz Falls Campground in the Randle area.
The price of the property was $790,000. It is located at 807 Peters Road in Randle.
“The property will be a cornerstone of our relicensing program with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) for the Cowlitz Falls Project,” said PUD General Manager Chris Roden. “This is a unique piece of land given it’s shared border with our existing site and presents exciting recreational opportunities that we wouldn’t have without it.”
The Cowlitz Falls Project’s license with FERC expires in 2036 and the process for relicensing could begin as early as 2026.
“The land purchase will be used in concert with other measures to satisfy recreational, fish and wildlife requirements encountered during the relicensing process,” Roden said.
In the news release, the PUD stated it is excited to “find the best way to utilize the property to serve our community moving forward.”
The Cowlitz Falls Hydroelectric Project is a 70-megawatt hydroelectric dam that was constructed in the early 1990s. The dam and power generation facility were completed in 1994. The dam is 140 feet high and spans approximately 700 feet across the Cowlitz River. The reservoir behind the dam has a surface area of approximately 700 acres, according to the PUD.
“The Cowlitz Falls Project helps bring affordable, renewable and reliable electric power to Lewis County, but the benefits do not end there; recreational and scenic opportunities abound, made available by this project,” the release stated.
As part of the federal license to construct the Cowlitz Falls Project, Lewis County PUD must provide a variety of environmental and mitigation programs.
“Additional lands were purchased by the PUD for reservoir buffer zone vegetation and wildlife management, providing nesting sites for eagle and osprey and creating meadows for deer and elk,” the PUD stated. “The PUD stocks trout in the reservoir (Lake Scanewa) for sport fishing annually.”
