Chelan PUD Dealing with Record High Water Levels
A large snowpack followed a hot early spring has resulted in the Chelan PUD trying to deal with all the water coming through the rivers. Commissioner Garry Arseneault says levels are the highest since at least the 1960s.
"What has happened is we have had to spill water in order to not flood behind the dam. If you've been to any of the parks, you see water coming up over picnic tables already. Most of that is gone and it's going back to normal levels."
High monthly averages for May were 259,000 cubic feet per second (cfs) in 1971 and 249,000 cfs in 1997
The PUD has been spilling more water than they can use for power generation as a flood control measure.
The level of Lake Chelan was more than 2 feet above the June 1 target of 1,094 feet above sea level. Generation continues at capacity, along with spill into the Chelan Gorge, to manage lake level for an estimated 14.5 feet of remaining runoff from snowmelt. The average May inflow was the highest on record – since 1929.