Lake Chelan Dam
| Lake Chelan Dam | |
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Aerial view of dam looking up lake
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 Location of Lake Chelan Dam in Washington
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| Official name | Lake Chelan Hydroelectric Project |
| Country | USA |
| Location | Chelan, Washington |
| Coordinates | 47°50′4.05″N 120°0′43.23″W / 47.8344583°N 120.0120083°WCoordinates: 47°50′4.05″N 120°0′43.23″W / 47.8344583°N 120.0120083°W |
| Construction began | 1926 |
| Opening date | 1927 |
| Owner(s) | Chelan County P.U.D. No. 1 |
| Dam and spillways | |
| Type of dam | Gravity structure |
| Impounds | Chelan River headwater |
| Height | 40 feet (12 m) |
| Length | 490 feet (150 m) |
| Reservoir | |
| Creates | Raised Lake Chelan 21 ft (6.4 m) |
| Total capacity | 15,800,000 acre·ft (19.5 km3) |
| Catchment area | 924 sq mi (2,390 km2) |
| Power station | |
| Commission date | September 1927 |
| Hydraulic head | 40 |
| Installed capacity | 59.2 megawatts |
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Steel-reinforced concrete |
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Lake Chelan Hydroelectric Power Plant
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| Location | Southwestern end of Lake Chelan to Columbia River |
| Coordinates | 47°49′36″N 120°00′11″W / 47.82664°N 120.00306°W |
| Area | 20 acres (8.1 ha) |
| MPS | Hydroelectric Power Plants in Washington State, 1890--1938 MPS |
| NRHP Reference # | 88003442 |
| Added to NRHP | December 15, 1988 |
Steel-reinforced concrete
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, near the geographic center of Washington state. The dam is located at the lower or southeasterly end of 50.4 miles (81.1 kilometres) long Lake Chelan, and is within the limits of the city of Chelan. The powerhouse is located near the community of Chelan Falls. The reservoir has 677,400 acre feet (835,600,000 m3) of usable water storage. The 10-year average generation for the Project is 365,000 megawatt hours.
The Chelan River has a history of dam development for navigation, power generation, and water supply. In 1894, floodwaters pushed the lake level 11 feet (3 m) above the old (pre-project) high-water mark. The future spillway segment of the dam was calculated and built to avoid a recurrence of such flooding. The dam was built to raise the level of Lake Chelan and completed in 1892. It was constructed to provide water for south Chelan real estate and navigation to the city of Chelan. It washed out during June of that year, only to be replaced by another structure built by the newly formed Chelan Water Power Company in 1893. The larger and stronger dam was designed to raise the lake level enough to allow steamships to land at Chelan. Nevertheless, this structure lasted only a year before washing out in a massive flood in June 1894. In early 1899, M.M. Kingman purchased the Chelan Water Power Company and built another dam, for power generation. The "turning on of lights" was celebrated in Chelan during May 1903. The Chelan Water Power Company was purchased by the Chelan Electric Company in 1906. It was then purchased by Spokane-based Washington Water Power Company in 1925. A year later, Washington Water Power received a 50-year federal license to construct the existing dam and powerhouse. The first generating unit was placed in commercial operation in September 1927, followed by the second unit 11 months later.
The Chelan County Public Utility District purchased the Lake Chelan Hydro Project from Washington Water Power (now Avista Corp.) in July 1955, with the proceeds of a $21 million bond issue. All of the power generated by the Project is available for Chelan County homes and businesses.
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