Chelan River

BW

The Chelan River is a tributary of the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington. With a length of only 6.5 km, it is the shortest river in Washington. The Lake Chelan Dam is located at the origin of the river, the outlet of Lake Chelan. Here the total runoff is almost diverted into the power plant, which is located 6.3 km downstream near its mouth. Therefore, the flow is almost always almost dry. The flow rate is measured directly below the power plant, so that the derivation of water on the statistic has no effect. The river's name goes back to the Indian tribe of Chelan.

Run

The Chelan River has its origin at the outlet of Lake Chelan in the town of Chelan, which lies at the southern end of the lake. The dam blocked the river. Below the usually dry river bed runs about 6.3 km through a steep and rocky canyon before the river near the settlement Chelan Falls flows into the Columbia. The down pipe has a length of 3.5 km and a total drop of 122 m. The Lake Chelan Powerhouse is located at the former mouth of the river. The derived water drives the turbines and then flows at river mile 503.3 (810 km above the mouth ) into the Columbia. This estuary channel is actually the Columbia, but has due to its impoundment by the Rocky Reach Dam no gradient.

Hydraulic

Although the Lake Chelan is a natural lake, its water level and the discharge flow through the Lake Chelan Dam are controlled since its construction in 1927. Because of the dam, the river bed is almost always dry, occasionally, water flows over the weir into the actual river, especially in the spring and early summer when the snow melt can increase the water level of the lake. The river water is not only exclusively of hydroelectric development, but also for irrigation and drinking water supplies. In the summer months the water level at Lake Chelan is also kept high for recreational purposes.

Because of the steep slope in the canyon of the Chelan River migratory fish were not to go well before the construction of the dam in a position in the Lake Chelan. The lake and its tributaries, but there are a number of fish species that do not migrate.