Proposed Upper Chehalis Dam

In Feb 2009 Lewis County PUD released a draft study for a flood control dam and hydropower project that would innundate a 9.6 mile portion of this run. Various iterations of this proposed dam have continued to persist. The latest proposal is for a flood control dam with an outlet works at the base so the reservoir would fill during high water events and then slowly drain and allow the river to flow through the base of the dam during low water. The dam would be 270' high and 1550' long with an inundation zone extending 6.5 miles upstream. The facility would cause significant, unavoidable impacts to fish habitat, including inhibiting spring Chinook and steelhead trout, and would result in the permanent loss of recreational river access.