Tribe Wins in Hydro Dispute at Snoqualmie Falls

Tribe Wins in Hydro Dispute at Snoqualmie Falls

Apr 06 - The Seattle Times

The Snoqualmie Tribe has made "a significant step" in its long-running legal battle with Puget Sound Energy to scale back the amount of water used to generate power at Snoqualmie Falls, a site the tribe considers sacred.

The Federal Regulatory Energy Commission (FERC) ruled last month that Puget Sound Energy must decrease the amount of water diverted to its two hydroelectric plants at the falls in May and June.

The tribe has been fighting to shut down Puget Sound Energy's Snoqualmie Falls operations since the early 1990s, but this latest move shows some respect for the tribe's religious beliefs, said Matt Mattson, tribal administrator. The mist from the waterfalls is considered sacred by the tribe, he said. "The tribe believes the mist connects heaven and Earth."

The diversion of water flow to the power generators affects the falls' mists and spray and prevents the tribe from practicing its religion, the tribe argues. Water is diverted from the river into two power plants and funneled back below the falls.

Puget Sound Energy has filed an appeal to FERC's ruling.

"If you have less water at your disposal, it increases the cost of the output," said Roger Thompson, spokesman for the power company. "With a hydro-power project, water is your fuel; it's what makes your project turn."

Puget Sound Energy sees the falls as a source of cheap power generation. But, he said, decreasing the amount of water to the generators will have a "very minute" impact on customers.

"Snoqualmie is just one of a variety of sources of energy for PSE customers," he said.

FERC's ruling found that increasing water flows for two months of the year would not be a financial hardship for Puget Sound Energy. The ruling ordered the company to increase water flow to the falls in May from 45,000-90,000 gallons per minute to 450,000 gallons per minute. In June, the amount would jump from 90,000 gallons per minute to 202,500 gallons per minute. That would produce larger mists and offer the tribe a spiritual gathering place.

"So now the 'church' is open only two months out of the year, but it's still better than nothing," said Mattson, who called the FERC ruling a "significant step" in the tribe's efforts to have more water sent down the falls. Puget Sound Energy has been operating the two plants under a 40-year license granted last June. Its previous, 37-year-old license expired in 1993, and until last year the company produced power through yearly licenses.

The legal dispute between the tribe and Puget Sound Energy began when the company sought a long-term license in 1991.

For the tribal members, decommissioning the plants would be ideal, but they are open to negotiating, Mattson said.

This recent development "is substantially greater than anything FERC has ever done in the past," Mattson said. "If PSE agrees, we're willing to sit down and try to work through mediators to come up with a solution."

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