The Chelan River is a
tributary
A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drainage ...
of the
Columbia River
The Columbia River (Upper Chinook: ' or '; Sahaptin: ''Nch’i-Wàna'' or ''Nchi wana''; Sinixt dialect'' '') is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, C ...
, in the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...
of
Washington
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...
. Just long, it is the shortest river in Washington.
Lake Chelan Dam
Lake Chelan Dam officially known as the Lake Chelan Hydroelectric Project is located approximately 32 miles (51 km) north of the city of Wenatchee in Chelan County. The dam is located at the lower or southeasterly end of long Lake Chelan, ...
is located at the river's source: the outlet of Lake Chelan. Nearly the entire river's flow is diverted to the Lake Chelan Powerhouse, downstream near the river's mouth. Thus the Chelan River is almost always dry. Statistics on the streamflow are taken at the tailrace of the powerhouse, measuring the water that would flow through the river were it not diverted,
although not including small tributaries, including
Daybreak Canyon, that join the Chelan riverbed from the Lake Chelan Dam to the canal outlet.
Course
The Chelan River originates at the outlet of Lake Chelan, in the city of
Chelan at the southern end of the lake. Lake Chelan Dam, also in the city of Chelan, blocks the river. The dry riverbed runs through a steep and rocky gorge, dropping before reaching the Columbia River near the community of Chelan Falls. Only the first short section of the river between Lake Chelan and Lake Chelan Dam is filled with water. The rest is called the "bypassed reach".
The Lake Chelan Powerhouse is located adjacent to the river's former mouth. Diverted water is dropped through hydroelectric turbines and released into the Columbia River at Columbia
river mile
A river mile is a measure of distance in miles along a river from its mouth. River mile numbers begin at zero and increase further upstream. The corresponding metric unit using kilometers is the river kilometer. They are analogous to vehicle road ...
503.3 (810 km).
The tailrace is essentially an arm of the Columbia River with no gradient due to the impoundment of the Columbia by
Rocky Reach Dam
Rocky Reach Dam is a run-of-the-river hydroelectric
Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, whi ...
.
River modifications
Although Lake Chelan is a natural lake its water level and discharge via the Chelan River has been controlled by Lake Chelan Dam since construction was completed in 1927. Due to the dam, the river is nearly always dry, although sometimes water is spilled over the dam, temporarily recreating a small streamflow in the old Chelan River. The river's water is used not only for hydroelectric power but also irrigation and drinking water. In addition, during the summer the water level of Lake Chelan is maintained at a relatively high elevation for scenic and recreational purposes.
Normally water flow in the dry bypassed reach occurs in spring and early summer, when snow melt raises Lake Chelan to levels requiring spill for flood control.
The river's water is diverted through a long power tunnel, which ends with a drop through turbines at the powerhouse.
Most of the Chelan River's "bypassed reach" is owned by Chelan County PUD No. 1, the utility which also owns and operates Lake Chelan Dam.
In 2009 a different release pattern from the Lake Chelan Dam has allowed the riverbed to hold water again.
Natural history
Due to the steepness of the Chelan River canyon,
anadromous
Fish migration is mass relocation by fish from one area or body of water to another. Many types of fish migrate on a regular basis, on time scales ranging from daily to annually or longer, and over distances ranging from a few metres to thousan ...
fish were not able to migrate up the river to Lake Chelan even before the dam was built. The lake and the river's upper reach supports various non-anadromous fish species. Columbia River fish have been found in the powerhouse's tailrace.
See also
*
List of Washington rivers
This is a list of rivers in the U.S. state of Washington.
By drainage basin
This list is arranged by drainage basin. Respective tributaries are indented under each larger stream's name and are ordered downstream to upstream.
Fraser River (Britis ...
*
Tributaries of the Columbia River
Tributaries and sub-tributaries are hierarchically listed in order from the mouth of the Columbia River upstream. Major dams and reservoir lakes are also noted.
List of major tributaries
The main river and tributaries are (sorted in order from t ...
Video tour of Chelan river Features drone footage of the Chelan Gorge - amazing views! River at @ 0:56-5:18
References
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Rivers of Washington (state)
Rivers of Chelan County, Washington
North Cascades of Washington (state)
Tributaries of the Columbia River