Wanapum Reservoir level to begin rising

WANAPUM - After nearly 10 months of working around the clock to repair and strengthen Wanapum Dam's spillway, Grant PUD will be able to raise the reservoir behind the dam as early as this week.

But don't head to the reservoir for lake water fun just yet. According PUD publicist Thomas Stredwick, shoreline enforcement patrols will remain in effect and the Wanapum shoreline will remain closed.

"Once engineers, law enforcement and cultural resource workers have determined that it is safe to restore access to the shoreline, the utility will notify the public," he said.

The river level will begin to gradually rise sometime between Nov. 24-Dec. 11, based on river flows and structural-integrity measurements. When complete, the reservoir will be restored to approximately 17 feet above current levels.

This partial refill will take 6-18 days to reach the target elevation. According to Stredwick, this increased reservoir level will allow fish ladders to resume normal operations and allow the utility greater flexibility in managing hydroelectric generation over the winter months.

The ongoing repairs will bring the spillway structure back into compression and allow the continued safe generation of renewable hydroelectricity, Stredwick said. Repairs will continue throughout the winter months. The PUD expects to resume normal operations in time for the 2015 recreation season.

To date, 13 steel anchor tendons and four anchor bars have been installed, and 83 monitoring drains have been drilled in the spillway.

Stredwick said the collective contributions of tribes, agencies, upstream hydro operators, consultants and Grant PUD staff have led to this milestone.

"We didn't ask for this to happen but I believe that we have had the right people on the job," said Commission President Bob Bernd. "The fact that we are seeing the river level increase less than a year after we found an unprecedented fracture in our spillway is nothing short of incredible."