The owner of the Bigfork Hydropower Project on the Swan River has notified regulators that they have decided to sell or decommission the project due to significant costs of required safety-related dam repairs. While a buyer could come forward, the project’s poor economics makes decommissioning a possible outcome of the forthcoming process. This development could cause big changes for the local community, the river’s ecology, and boaters, as the project regulates flows, controls access, and includes lands along the popular Wild Mile section of the Swan River.
Timeline
The project owner is accepting letters of interest from buyers until September 4th of this year and will consider potential offers through February 2027, according to a schedule they filed recently. If the project is sold, then the transfer would likely happen with federal approval relatively quickly. If the project is not sold, a license surrender and decommissioning process would begin that includes significant opportunity for public involvement and could take up to several years to complete.
Potential Outcomes
Project is Sold: A sale would require federal approval and the new owner would be required to comply with the existing federal license, which includes several whitewater releases, maintenance of the access areas, and the riverside trail and corridor lands. Some of these requirements would be federally mandated, and others would be required under a settlement agreement signed by the owner, American Whitewater, and other entities in 2002 as part of the relicensing process. If a sale occurs, the public should notice no difference in project operations or public access.
Project is Decommissioned: Decommissioning means the project would no longer divert water to generate power, at which point the Wild Mile of the Swan River would flow naturally. This would extend optimal whitewater boating flows for roughly a month, through July, and would likely leave the river navigable all the time. The few current whitewater releases from the dam just let natural inflows pass into the Wild Mile for a few hours, whereas after decommissioning those inflows would always be in the Wild Mile. The dam should and likely will be removed as part of decommissioning, which would restore fish passage between Flathead Lake and the Swan River and improve paddling opportunities. Access areas and other lands associated with the project should be sold or otherwise transferred to public ownership, but this outcome is not necessarily guaranteed. Exactly how all of this plays out in a manner that is in the public interest is yet to be determined, and there are both potential risks and potential benefits for the public and the river.
Public Role
No matter what path this project takes there will be opportunities for public involvement through the federal review process. American Whitewater, as a party to the relicensing process and settlement signatory, will be closely following this process and seeking to support the local community and protect the river, its environment, and its enjoyment regardless of whether the project is sold or decommissioned. Stay tuned, as we’ll alert boaters to any forthcoming opportunities to speak up for the Swan River and it’s Wild Mile.