Nisqually

FLOWS:  The releases occurred at 800 & 1,000 cfs.  It is unknown what the run is like outside of those flows, when the river runs from spills or releases aimed to draw down the reservoir.

SEASON: As a condition of a new license issued by FERC in 1997, whitewater releases were scheduled on two weekends between November 15th and December 31st. After a fatality in 2000, Tacoma City Light decided to halt all future releases and informed FERC of this decision. American Whitewater joined with local affiliate clubs in protesting this action and formally requested summer releases. Although summer releases would have been more convenient and safer for paddlers, concerns were raised over their impact on fish. In December of 2002, FERC issued a ruling that whitewater releases would no longer be a license requirement for the Nisqually project (FERC project 1862). For now American Whitewater and local affiliates have accepted this ruling and opportunities for whitewater boating are not available. There may be an opportunity to appeal this decision but it would require the efforts of a dedicated local volunteer. You would need to review the history of this relicensing through FERC's web site.

DESCRIPTION:

Originating on the slopes of Mt. Rainier, the Nisqually River flows through the Puget Sound lowlands where it's diverted at LaGrande Dam (185' high) for the Nisqually Hydroelectric Project. This project provides power for Tacoma City Light but leaves LaGrande Canyon dewatered for 1.7 miles throughout the year except during extreme flood events. In 1994 Tom Wolf, Jennie Goldberg, Steve Uren, Gary Shillhammer, Randolph Pierce, Mike Deckert, Greg Dore, Pete Flanagan, Rick Williams, Shawn Wickstrom, and Tom Baker descended into the canyon for the first descent as part of a flow release study to assess this reach for its wh

...