Cowlitz Falls Dam

Cowlitz Falls Dam is a 70 megawatt hydroelectric dam in Lewis County, Washington. It was constructed in the early 1990s and completed in 1994. The dam is 140 ft high and 700 ft wide.

Its reservoir, Lake Scanewa, is located at the confluence of the Cowlitz River and Cispus River downstream of Randle, Washington with a surface area of about 700 acres. The lake is accessible by way of the Cowlitz Falls Park, a day use area situated near the junction with the Cispus River.

The Cowlitz Falls Project impounds the Cowlitz River and produces on average 260 gigawatt hours annually for the local public utility, the Lewis County Public Utility District, or about one-third of its annual electrical needs. The facility was developed jointly with the Bonneville Power Administration, and the BPA bears the direct cost of operating and maintaining the dam.