Chelan PUD owns and maintains Tumwater Dam just outside of Leavenworth, Washington.
Tumwater Dam was originally constructed at the turn of the century to provide clean energy for trains travelling through the long tunnel at Stevens Pass. Chelan PUD acquired the dam in the 1950s and the fishway was rebuilt in its current configuration in the late 1980s.
Fishway
The fishway includes a 19-step fish ladder, high- and low-flow entrances and an underwater counting window to identify different species as they pass the dam, including spring Chinook salmon, summer Chinook salmon, coho salmon, sockeye salmon, bull trout and lamprey.
The fishway at Tumwater Dam is instrumental in helping Chelan PUD to collect adult fish to meet its hatchery obligations under its Habitat Conservation Plans for Rocky Reach and Rock Island hydro projects. It is also an important site for fish study for several agencies, including Yakama Nation Fisheries, Washington State Fish & Wildlife and Grant PUD.