Cowlitz Falls Dam facts for kids
The Cowlitz Falls Dam is a large dam in Lewis County, Washington. It's a special kind of dam called a hydroelectric dam. This means it uses the power of moving water to create electricity. The dam was built in the early 1990s and finished in 1994. It stands about 140 feet (43 meters) tall and stretches 700 feet (213 meters) wide.
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Cowlitz Falls Dam: Making Electricity
The Cowlitz Falls Dam is very important because it helps power homes and businesses in the area. It can produce 70 megawatts of electricity. That's enough power for many thousands of homes!
How the Dam Works
The dam holds back the water from the Cowlitz River, creating a large lake behind it. This lake is called Lake Scanewa. When water is released from the lake, it flows through giant turbines inside the dam. These turbines spin generators, which then create electricity. It's a clean way to make power because it doesn't burn fossil fuels.
Lake Scanewa: The Dam's Reservoir
Lake Scanewa is the big lake formed by the dam. It's located where the Cowlitz River and Cispus River meet, near a town called Randle, Washington. The lake covers an area of about 700 acres (283 hectares). It's not just for power; it's also a place where people can enjoy nature.
Powering the Community
The Cowlitz Falls Project, which includes the dam and Lake Scanewa, produces a lot of electricity every year. On average, it generates about 260 gigawatt-hours of power. This electricity goes to the Lewis County Public Utility District, which is the local company that provides electricity to people in the area. The dam provides about one-third of all the electricity needed by the Lewis County Public Utility District each year.
Working Together
The dam project was built with help from the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA). The BPA is a federal agency that helps provide electricity across the Pacific Northwest. They also help pay for the daily costs of running and maintaining the Cowlitz Falls Dam. This partnership helps make sure the dam keeps working smoothly and provides reliable power to the community.
