Cowlitz PUD Secures $3 Million to Underground Power Lines Serving Ryderwood Senior Community

Cowlitz Public Utility District has received $3 million in combined federal and state grant funding to relocate and underground a 5.4-mile distribution power line serving the senior citizen community of Ryderwood and nearby rural areas in Cowlitz and Lewis Counties. The project will reduce wildfire risk, prevent extended outages during severe weather, and improve electric reliability for more than 700 rural residents, most of whom are seniors. 

“Undergrounding power lines in Ryderwood is not just an infrastructure upgrade; it is a critical public safety project for our elderly and vulnerable residents,” said the Ryderwood Improvement and Service Association (RISA). “Frequent outages put lives at risk by disrupting heating, medical devices, refrigeration for medications, and emergency communications. Cowlitz PUD’s proactive efforts will significantly reduce wildfire risk and improve the reliability our community depends on to stay safe and healthy.” 

The funding includes $1.15 million secured through a Congressionally Directed Spending request by U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez and Senator Maria Cantwell in the Fiscal Year 2026 Homeland Security Appropriations Bill, recently signed into law. The appropriation supplements a $1.9 million Washington Grid Resilience Program Grant awarded by the Washington State Department of Commerce, using federal grid resilience funds from the U.S. Department of Energy.

 “Cowlitz PUD is pleased to receive Grid Resilience funding to help keep the lights on for the rural senior citizen community of Ryderwood and reduce wildfire risk in this remote, forested area,” said Cowlitz PUD General Manager Gary Huhta. “Extreme weather and high wind events have repeatedly disrupted electric service, resulting in extended outages when reliable power is needed most. This funding will allow us to virtually eliminate these outages and mitigate wildfire risk by undergrounding the power line serving Ryderwood and nearby rural residents.” 

The existing overhead distribution feeder runs from the Vader Substation along State Route 506 before passing through a densely forested abandoned railroad corridor near Ryderwood. Between 2016 and 2025, the line experienced 38 outages over 29 days, averaging 7.2 hours per outage, including winter storm events lasting up to 18 hours. These outages pose heightened risks for Ryderwood’s elderly population, many of whom depend on electricity for heating, medical devices, and communications.

The project will relocate and underground the feeder primarily along SR 506, virtually eliminating extended outages and preventing contact between electric infrastructure and dry vegetation, reducing wildfire ignition risk during summer months. Total project costs are estimated at $5.5 million.

Cowlitz PUD will enter grant agreements with the Washington State Department of Commerce and FEMA in the coming months and begin environmental review. Project design is planned for 2027, with construction and commissioning anticipated in 2028.