401 Water Quality Certifications for hydropower licenses

401 Guidance Manual

The Water Quality Certifications for Existing Hydropower Dams Guidance Manual spells out our expectations of applicants who want us to certify that a hydropower project meets Washington's water quality standards. This manual is useful for utility districts, local governments, tribes, and the public.

Current draft certifications

We accepted public online comments on the draft 401 Certification for Meyers Falls Hydroelectric Project which is required for the project’s Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) license (No. 2544). Please read the public notice and draft certification for more information. Our final 401 certification decision is due on May 1, 2024.

Existing 401 certifications for dams

We have a 401 Water Quality Certification decision for the following projects. If you would like to access a copy of these decisions, please access our list of existing 401 certifications for dams.

• Anderson Creek
• Baker River Hydroelectric Project
• Bear Creek
• Boundary
  • Amended Certification Order No.11636
• Box Canyon
  • Box Canyon Amendment
• Burnham Creek
• Calligan Creek
• Cedar Creek Waiver
• Cispus Denial
• Condit Certificate
• • 401 certification for decommissioning (2010)
• Cowlitz Falls 401
  • Cowlitz Falls License Order
• Cowlitz River
  • Amended Order No. DE 02WQSR-4098A-01
  • Supplemental Order in #01SEASR-3367 on Remand from PCHB #02-022
• Cushman No. 2 Dam
• Cushman WQC 401
• Elkhorn
• Elwha Dam
• Enloe Dam
  • Appendix A: Fish Management Plan
  • Appendix B: Water Quality Management Plan
  • Appendix C: Construction Sediment Management Plan
  • Appendix D: Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan
  • Appendix E: Erosion and Sediment Control Plan
  • Appendix F: Construction QAPP
  • Appendix G: Spill Response Plan
  • Appendix H: Operation QAPP
  • Appendix I: Aquatic Invasive Species
  • Appendix J: Revegetation and Wetlands Management Plant
• Hancock Creek
• Jackson, Henry M. Hydroelectric Project Order No. 7918 
• Koma Kulshan Project 401 (Sulfur and Rocky) 
• Lake Chelan Water Quality Certification No. 637 
  • Amended 401 Certificate: Order No. 1233
  • Amended 401 Certificate: Order No. 5406
  • Non-capacity License Amendment – Order No. 6215
  • Amended 401 Certification - Order No. 9389 
  • Amended 401 Certification: Order No. 15481
• Lewis River Hydroelectric Projects:
  • Merwin 
    • Amendment No. 1
    • Amendment No. 2
    • Amendment No. 3 
    • Amendment No. 4
  • Swift No. 1
    • Amendment No. 1 
    • Amendment No. 2 
    • Amendment No. 3
    • Amendment No. 4
  • Swift No. 2
    • Amendment No. 1
    • Amendment No. 2 
    • Amendment No. 3
    • Amendment No. 4 
  • Yale 
    • Amendment No. 1
    • Amendment No. 2 
    • Amendment No. 3
    • Amendment No. 4 
• McNary Northshore
• Meyers Falls 
• Monroe Street
• Morse Creek
  • Final Water Quality Amendment to Certification
  • Morse Creek Amendment Order No. 7732
• Newhalem Creek Hydroelectric Project
• Nisqually
• Packwood Lake Hydroelectric Project
• Priest Rapids Hydroelectric Project
  • Turbine Upgrade: Order No. 1026
• Rock Island
• Rocky Creek
• Rocky Reach
  • Rocky Reach Pool Raise
• Skagit Waiver
• Snoqualmie Falls 401 WQC
  • Amended Certification Order No. 9311
• Spokane River 401 Final Certification
  • Amended Order No. 7792 for FERC license 2545
  • Amended Order No. 9802 for FERC license 2545
• Sullivan Creek
• Tolt, South Fork 401 Cert
  • Revision of Certification - Public Notice No. 93-4-00272
• Trinity Hydro 401 Cert
• Twin Falls Hydro License
  • Amended Order
• Upriver Dam Spokane
• Wells Dam
• White River
• Wynoochee River
• Yelm Centralia Diversion 
• Youngs Creek:
  • Ecology Letter to Hydro West Group, Inc.