Grant PUD employee air lifted from Wanapum Dam

EPHRATA, Wash. — At 8:40 a.m. a male hydro mechanic for Grant PUD was performing maintenance at Wanapum Dam inside a dewatered draft tube — the exit for water that has passed a turbine — when he slipped and hit his head. He was with other employees during the accident, and the dam’s rescue personnel requested an emergency transport. The employee was air-lifted by helicopter from Wanapum Dam to Central Washington Hospital in Wenatchee. 

He is currently in a stable and responsive condition at the hospital. The employee has been with the district since 2003. Grant PUD Safety personnel are investigating the accident.