SNOQUALMIE – While the water that flows over Snoqualmie Falls may belong to everyone, Puget Sound Energy (PSE) owns just about every inch of dry land that surrounds it.

With a 40-year federal license allowing it to continue running the hydroelectric plant at the Falls in hand, the energy company is getting set to upgrade and update its facilities. It will be hosting a public hearing next week to get input about what should happen at the hydroelectric plant, one of the most historically significant sites in the state, and Snoqualmie Falls, a sacred spot for the Snoqualmie Tribe and one of the most visited sites in Washington.

“We will be asking what could the Falls look like and what should the Falls look like,” said Roger Thompson, spokesperson for PSE.

Thompson said the hydroelectric plant at Snoqualmie Falls is one of the most efficient and cleanest ways of producing energy for PSE. Water from the Snoqualmie River enters two openings called penstocks located near the top of Snoqualmie Falls that lead to two separate power plants, one located inside the mountain on the south side of the Falls, and the other downstream below the Falls on the north bank of the river. The water turns giant turbines that generate electricity.

A dam at the top of the Falls ensures that there is enough water feeding the penstocks during low flows. During high flows, water can be diverted around the turbines and straight back to the river through passageways called tailraces.

That water, and the mist it creates at the bottom of the Falls, means a lot to the descendants of the first inhabitants of the Snoqualmie Valley, the Snoqualmie Tribe. The Tribe considers the Falls a sacred site and has lobbied for anything that would bring the flow of the Falls back to its original state, including the removal of the plant altogether.

PSE has been working since 1991 to get its license for the plant renewed by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and the Tribe has contested the application every step of the way, but PSE got its license last year.

With the license, PSE is now starting to consider what will be done at what is not just an ordinary power plant. In addition to being a sacred Native American site, the power plant is also considered historical. Modeled after one at Niagara Falls, the plant was constructed in 1898 (before the old Weyerhaeuser mill was built) and was supplying power to Seattle by the following year. The second plant downstream was added after the turn of the century when most of the plant’s buildings were erected. Much of the original equipment is not only still on site, but still being used.

Thompson said the buildings are historic and they are showing their age. He said they are falling apart and PSE is actually nervous about having its employees in some of the buildings for too long of a time. Thompson said PSE is looking into how much it would cost to renovate the structures.

“No decision has been made [regarding the historic buildings],” Thompson said.

There has already been some work done at the site. PSE moved a road and some utility poles to help make way for the widening of the Snoqualmie River just above the Falls, a major component of a 2004 flood-reduction project known as the 205 Project. The major work planned, however, will involve the plant’s dam and major equipment. The dam will be replaced with inflatable weirs that can alter how deep the pool of water is that’s feeding the penstocks. A new generator will be placed in the first plant, and the second plant will have its generator rebuilt and will get a new penstock.

Thompson said that while there are no specific details in the FERC license regarding what PSE must do at the site in regards to the Falls’ natural and human history, the license does mandate that PSE do something to maintain and enhance the cultural and historical aspects of the area. PSE owns the land that is home to the observation deck, picnic area, trail, bathrooms and shop that are at the Falls. Thompson said PSE will be looking for public comment on what direction it should take.

What has been missing, however, is any mention of the Tribe, according to Snoqualmie tribal administrator Matt Mattson. He also said the park should have more of a natural setting than a developed one.

“It should not be an urban park,” Mattson said.

Thompson said that whatever ends up being at the Falls will be “in character” with the area.

“We are not going to put an amusement park there,” he said.

* PSE will be hosting its Snoqualmie Falls public hearing from 5-8 p.m., Tuesday, July 26, at the TPC Snoqualmie Ridge Golf Course, 36005 S.E. Ridge St., Snoqualmie. There will be a presentation at 6 p.m.

Editor Ben Cape can be reached at (425) 888-2311 or by e-mail at ben.cape@valleyrecord.com