COUGAR — Beginning Tuesday, Sept. 5, PacifiCorp will be drawing down the Swift Reservoir for dam safety work that begins after Labor Day weekend.
To reach the needed reservoir elevation for the work, water needs to pass downstream, resulting in increased flows out of the Merwin Project.
Flows will go from 1,200 cubic feet per second (CFS) to approximately 5,000 CFS. The higher flow is expected to last until mid-September.
As a reminder, the boat ramp at Swift Forest Camp on the Lewis River will be out of service starting late Labor Day for the remainder of the recreation season.
PacifiCorp, which operates the ramp as part of an extensive array of recreational facilities on the Lewis River, needs to lower the reservoir level to complete work that will make it possible to perform future spillway work on Swift Dam without affecting the reservoir level.
The result is part of PacifiCorp’s ongoing commitment to safe operations. The boat ramp will reopen when the recreation site opens next spring.
PacifiCorp has notified recreationists and private property owners along the reservoir’s shores about the Swift Forest Camp boat ramp closure.
For more detailed information on PacifiCorp’s Lewis River recreation sites and opportunities, visit www.pacificorp.com/community/recreation/washington.html.
