First Draft Study Report 1999 Aesthetic Resources Assessment Lake Chelan Hydroelectric Project FERC No. 637

October 1999

Prepared by: Public Utility District No. 1 of Chelan County Wenatchee, Washington and Duke Engineering & Services, Inc. Bothell, Washington First Draft Study Report 1999 Aesthetic Resources Assessment Lake Chelan Hydroelectric Project FERC No. 637

Table of Contents

1 INTRODUCTION...... 1

1.1 BACKGROUND...... 1 1.2 CONSULTATION PROCESS AND STUDY PLAN DEVELOPMENT...... 4 1.2.1 Forest Service Landscape Aesthetics Handbook ...... 4 1.2.2 Goals and Objectives...... 6 1.3 STUDY METHODOLOGY ...... 6 1.4 STUDY AREA...... 8

2 LAKE CHELAN VIEWSHEDS ...... 9

2.1 VIEWS OF THE UPPER LAKE FROM THE WATER...... 16 2.2 VIEWS OF THE LOWER LAKE FROM THE WATER ...... 25 2.3 VIEWS OF THE LOWER LAKE FROM THE LAND ...... 29

3 THE CHELAN RIVER GORGE...... 42

3.1 INTRODUCTION...... 42 3.2 VIDEOTAPING LOCATIONS ...... 43

4 SUMMARY...... 49

Aesthetic Resources Assessmenti Lake Chelan Project First Draft - October 1999 FERC No. 637 First Draft Study Report 1999 Aesthetic Resources Assessment Lake Chelan Hydroelectric Project FERC No. 637

List of Figures

1 Viewsheds in Upper Lake Chelan...... 12

2 Viewsheds from the South Shore in Lower Lake Chelan ...... 13

3 Viewsheds from the North Shore in Lower Lake Chelan ...... 14

4 Videotaping Locations in the Gorge ...... 43

Aesthetic Resources Assessmentii Lake Chelan Project First Draft - October 1999 FERC No. 637 First Draft Study Report 1999 Aesthetic Resources Assessment Lake Chelan Hydroelectric Project FERC No. 637

List of Tables

1 Dates and Water Levels for Still Photography on Lake Chelan...... 7

2 Flow Releases Videotaped in Gorge ...... 7

3 List of Viewsheds Photographed on Lake Chelan ...... 11

Aesthetic Resources Assessmentiii Lake Chelan Project First Draft - October 1999 FERC No. 637 Section 1 Introduction

1.1 BACKGROUND

Public Utility District No. 1 of Chelan County (Chelan PUD) owns and operates the Lake Chelan Hydroelectric Project (FERC No. 637) located on the Chelan River in Chelan, Washington. The original license was granted for the present Lake Chelan Project Hydroelectric (the Project) in May 1926 by the Federal Power Commission, now Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). On May 12, 1981, FERC granted Chelan PUD a new 30-year license for the Project, retroactive to 1974 when the original 50-year license expired. That license expires on March 31, 2004.

Chelan PUD is in the process of relicensing the Project. The FERC relicensing process is based on laws and regulations that require years of extensive planning, including environmental studies, agency consensus, and public involvement. Chelan PUD has requested and received approval from the FERC to employ an Alternative Relicensing Process for the Project, as allowed under FERC’s Final Rule issued on October 29, 1997 (Docket No. RM95-16-000; Order No. 596). The Alternative Relicensing Process proposed by Chelan PUD is intended to expedite the licensing process by combining the pre-filing consultation and environmental review processes into a single process, and by improving and facilitating communications among the participants in the licensing process.

Numerous studies are being conducted as part of the relicensing efforts. As part of the relicensing efforts, still photography and video were collected to characterize the aesthetic resources in the project area. This draft report presents the results of that effort and a summary of the study results will be included in the Report on Land Management and Aesthetics section of the Lake Chelan FERC license application.

1.1.1 Project Description

The Project is located approximately 32 miles north of the City of Wenatchee on the Chelan River. The 4.1-mile-long Chelan River flows from the lower end of the 50.4-mile-long Lake Chelan to the Columbia River. The project consists of a 40-foot-high concrete gravity dam, a 2.2-mile-long concrete-lined tunnel and steel penstock, a powerhouse located at the confluence of the Chelan and Columbia Rivers, and a switchyard. The powerhouse contains two Francis- type turbines each rated at 34,000 hp at 1,100 cfs and a net head of 377 feet. A detailed description of the project facilities can be found in the Initial Consultation Document issued on October 5, 1998.

The Project reservoir (Lake Chelan) is operated between a maximum water surface elevation of 1,100 feet (MSL) and 1,079 feet to meet a variety of needs, including power generation, fish and wildlife conservation, recreation, water supply, and flood control. The normal maximum surface elevation is at 1,098 feet, which assures the fullest possible utilization of the reservoir for generation of electricity while meeting flood control needs, irrigation requirements and

Aesthetic Resources Assessment1 Lake Chelan Project First Draft - October 1999 FERC No. 637 Section 1 Introduction environmental uses of Lake Chelan. The reservoir has 677,400 acre-feet of usable storage above 1,079 feet, of which 65,000 acre-feet is set aside for irrigation and domestic water uses.

Annual regulation of Lake Chelan is heavily dependent on yearly weather conditions. Chelan PUD uses annual snowpack surveys of the Chelan drainage basin system, along with information collected from four snowpack monitoring telemetry sites to determine runoff forecasts. Chelan PUD has been conducting these surveys since 1955. The forecasts are an important factor in assuring that the expected volume of runoff is equal to the volume available in storage. The forecasts are made available to the public and local news media. Over the years, these forecasts have proven to be within five percent of the observed actual inflow.

Typically, Lake Chelan begins to refill during April and May, as warmer temperatures melt the lower snowpack areas and stream flows into the lake increase. Lake Chelan is regulated to remain between elevations 1,098 and 1,100 feet from July 1 through September 30 each year. During October, the elevation begins to drop as streamflows into the lake decline. From October through April, water is released through the power tunnel for power generation, exceeding the amount of water entering the lake from inflows. The lowest annual lake elevation generally occurs during March or April. The average drawdown of the lake over the past 43 years of operation has been to about 1,084.2 feet. The lake refills again during April and May as the spring runoff exceeds the amount of water needed for power generation. Since the project was originally licensed in 1926, the lake has never been drawn down to the minimum allowable elevation (1,079 feet). The lowest drawdown on record was 1,079.7 feet in 1970. That occurrence coincides with the lowest annual precipitation on record.

1.1.2 Recreation and Aesthetic Overview

Recreation has been an integral part of the Chelan Basin since Euroamericans first entered the basin. President Grover Cleveland established the first “Forest Preserve” over the Chelan area on February 22, 1887. This area constituted one division (the Chelan Division) of the Washington Forest Preserve. Steam boats had already begun to travel the lake waters by 1889, providing tourists with a means to travel uplake to Lucerne and Stehekin. Packers and guides accompanied sportsmen on hunting and fishing expeditions in the uplake valleys. Hikers and horseback riders traveled in great numbers to the mines in Horseshoe basin between the 1890s and early 1900s, and Railroad Creek had become a popular camping, hunting, and recreation destination by this time as well. A variety of hostelries sprung up in the basin at Stehekin, Bridge Creek, Rainbow Falls, Moore’s Point, Meadow Creek, and Lucerne. These upper basin facilities were destination spots, where visitors would come to stay for weeks and months at a time.

In 1906, there was a strong movement to preserve the beauty of Lake Chelan by creating a National Park, but mining, grazing, and other timber interests remained strong, and it would not be until 62 years later that a park would be established with a final reshuffling of jurisdictions.

In the early 1900s, there were minor expansions of the Forest Reserve boundaries proclaimed on December 27, 1902; November 15, 1906; and January 13, 1907. In March 1907, the Forest Reserve was renamed the National Forest. On July 2, 1908, the National Forests were transferred from the jurisdiction of the Department of Interior to the Department of Agriculture. The Chelan

Aesthetic Resources Assessment2 Lake Chelan Project First Draft - October 1999 FERC No. 637 Section 1 Introduction

Division, of what was once the Washington Forest Preserve was subdivided into Chelan, Okanogan, Mount Baker, and parts of the Snoqualmie and Wenatchee National Forests. In 1910, the Entiat watershed was added to the Chelan National Forest. Until 1911, the Chelan and Okanogan National Forests were one, and constituted one of the largest units in the Forest System. There was a general decline in recreation activity during the depression, but the popularity of vacation and retirement homes in the Stehekin Valley grew during the 1940s, and recreational opportunities in the basin have continued to play a significant role in the shaping of the basin’s character into the present time.

The new (1911) Chelan and Okanogan National Forests were recombined in 1921 into a new, and again larger Chelan National Forest. In July 1942, the Tonasket Ranger District, which had been part of the Colville National Forest, was transferred to the Chelan National Forest, making the Chelan National Forest almost three million acres. In 1955, the Chelan National Forest was again eliminated as a jurisdictional entity, and the Okanogan National Forest resurrected. The Chelan Ranger District was placed under the Wenatchee National Forest.

On October 2, 1968 Congressional Bill PL90-544 established a North Cascades National Park of 505,000 acres; a Ross Lake National Recreation Area (NRA) of 107,000 acres; and in the Chelan Ranger District, a Lake Chelan National Recreation Area of 62,000 acres. The jurisdictional responsibilities of the National Park also passed into the hands of the National Park Service at this time. The National Recreation Area was established “to provide for the public outdoor recreational use and enjoyment of portions of the Stehekin River and Lake Chelan, together with surrounding lands, and for the conservation of the scenic, scientific, historic, and other values contributing to the public enjoyment of such lands and waters”. In 1988, 56,335 acres of the Lake Chelan NRA were designated as wilderness.

Today, the Wenatchee National Forest is a publicly owned natural area of marvelous beauty. The Forest includes a net area of 2,164,180 acres. It is 140 miles long and 25 to 55 miles wide, stretching from the spectacular Lake Chelan in the north through the rugged Goat Rocks Wilderness in the south. The 422,073-acre Chelan Ranger District lies within the Wenatchee National Forest. Included within the Chelan Ranger District is the 141,361-acre Glacier Peak Wilderness, the 54,802-acre Lake Chelan-Sawtooth Wilderness, and 113,654 acres designated by the Forest Service as roadless area.

Overall, the Wenatchee National Forest’s Chelan Ranger District and the Lake Chelan NRA surround approximately two-thirds of Lake Chelan.

Today, recreational opportunities in the Lake Chelan Basin are dependent primarily on the topography and the type of access available. “The North Cascades Joint Plan” (National Park Service/Forest Service 1974) aptly summarizes the physical makeup of the lake:

Lying in one of the deepest gorges in North America, Lake Chelan comprises one of the great scenic wonders of America. This 32,000-acre lake averages 1 mile in width, and has a depth of nearly 1,500 feet. Surrounding peaks tower as high as 7,000 feet above its 55-mile length. The lake serves as a waterway approach to the Forest Service’s Wenatchee National Forest above 25-Mile Creek, and to the

Aesthetic Resources Assessment3 Lake Chelan Project First Draft - October 1999 FERC No. 637 Section 1 Introduction

National Park Service’s Lake Chelan NRA at Stehekin. The lower 15 miles of the lake are mostly privately owned; the next 35 miles are within the Wenatchee National Forest; and the upper 5 miles are within the Lake Chelan NRA. Most of the entire Lake Chelan area is presently roadless, but such primitive roads as do exist form an important part of the recreational resource. The area’s mining history, Stehekin’s relaxed character, and the campgrounds, trailheads, and resort facilities along the waterway are all popular recreation attractions.

The popularity of the Lake Chelan area for all types of recreational activities is primarily due to the range of opportunities - from the very busy and accessible lower reaches of the lake to the raw beauty and remoteness of Lake Chelan basin, especially the park lands in the upper two- thirds of the lake.

1.2 CONSULTATION PROCESS AND STUDY PLAN DEVELOPMENT

Consultation on aesthetics resources began in 1998 as part of the development of the land management studies for the relicensing. Further discussions with the working groups strongly indicated that the members of the recreation working group were most interested in aesthetics issues and the study discussions were transferred to this group from the land management working group. The recreation studies being developed at that time included a recreation use assessment of Lake Chelan and a paddling feasibility study of the bypass reach downstream of the dam. The aesthetics resources study was broken out into a separate study in early 1999 and the study plan was developed in consultation with the combined Recreation/Aesthetics working group. The review-copy of draft study plan was issued on May 12, 1999 and the final study plan was issued on July 16, 1999 in Scoping Document 2.

1.2.1 Forest Service Landscape Aesthetics Handbook

Working group participants from the U. S. Forest Service (USFS) requested that the aesthetic study be based on, and incorporate applicable portions of the USFS’ 1996 manual titled Landscape Aesthetics: A Handbook for Scenery Management (USFS handbook). The aesthetics study recently completed in 1998 for Portland General Electric titled A Study in Landscape Aesthetics for the Pelton Round Butte Project was also recommended as an excellent model to follow.

Scenic assessment using the USFS handbook consists of inventorying scenic quality using two primary indicators, landscape character and scenic integrity. At the core of this assessment is an understanding of how people use the area and their “sense of place” – a highly subjective concept.

Follow-up conversations with USFS representatives and members of the working group explored how to apply the USFS’ aesthetics handbook to the Aesthetic Resource Assessment Study and it was decided that the aesthetics resources report would focus on the following handbook portions:

Aesthetic Resources Assessment4 Lake Chelan Project First Draft - October 1999 FERC No. 637 Section 1 Introduction

• Landscape Character; • Scenic Integrity; and • Constituent Information.

Landscape character is characterized as the interaction between the physical (geological) environment, the biological components of the area, and the human experience and use of the area. The USFS handbook summarizes this concept as “the overall visual impression of landscape attributes, the physical appearance of a landscape that gives it an identity and sense of place”. Landscape character can range from the undisturbed natural environment to the fully- developed urban environment.

Scenic integrity is an assessment of the amount of human-caused deviation in form, line, color and texture to a landscape. The highest scenic integrity ratings are given to those areas which have little or no deviation from the character valued by constituents for it’s aesthetic appeal. Scenic integrity can be used to describe an existing condition, a standard for management, or a desired future condition or goal for the resource under consideration.

In this study report the following classifications have been used to describe scenic integrity:

• very high – pristine condition with few, if any, negative influences from man’s presence; • high – primarily natural conditions with some negative influences from man’s presence; • moderate – significantly noticeable influence of man’s presence with a balance of both negative and positive influences; • low – major influences from man’s presence that generally leave the viewer with a somewhat negative impression of that area; and • very low – significant and overwhelming alterations to the landscape by man that leave the viewer with a highly negative impression of that area.

For the viewsheds classified in this study, the majority were determined to be either high or very high. A couple of viewsheds were classified as moderate, and none were found to be either low or very low.

Constituent information is a description of the public’s expectations, desires, preferences, acceptable levels of quality, behaviors, and values. The types of questions usually addressed in this application of the USFS’ aesthetics handbook are:

• How do people influence the landscape? • How does the landscape influence people? • In time and space, what are the apparent trends and risks?

An intensive survey focused on these issues is normally required to address constituent information and to answer the above questions. No such intensive survey was included as part of this study and after some discussion with the working group, it was decided that the survey responses from the recreation study would be reviewed to see if any conclusions about these issues could be made for the aesthetics study. If there is no information for a given site then the category was dropped.

Aesthetic Resources Assessment5 Lake Chelan Project First Draft - October 1999 FERC No. 637 Section 1 Introduction

The issue of erosion and its relation to aesthetics was also discussed by the working group in some detail. For the aesthetic study, the working group decided to include photographs of a range of typical erosion sites in the study report that are visible in the photographs taken of the lake for further consideration. The erosion working group is currently working on an inventory and prioritization of erosion sites at Lake Chelan and the Aesthetics Working Group will review their findings and recommendations from an aesthetic perspective during the consultation process. A decision will be made at a later date whether a focus group will need to be formed to address aesthetics resources at the project.

1.2.2 Goals and Objectives

The purpose of the Aesthetics Resources Assessment Study is to document representative viewsheds that are accessible by the public within the Project area. These viewsheds were inventoried using still photography at low-, mid-, and high-water levels on Lake Chelan and using video in the gorge at a range of flow releases. This study is designed to provide baseline information on the aesthetic resources at the project under a range of operating conditions.

Overall, the goals of the aesthetic study were summarized during consultation as compiling the necessary information to answer the following three questions:

• What areas do you want to maintain? • What areas do you want to enhance? • What areas do you want to rehabilitate?

A summary of the study results will be included in the environmental assessment for the Lake Chelan FERC license application.

1.3 STUDY METHODOLOGY

The aesthetics resources assessment study employed different methodologies for Lake Chelan and the gorge downstream of the dam.

On Lake Chelan, still photography was taken of a range of publicly-accessible representative viewsheds from both land and water, showing the view at low-, mid-, and high-water levels. The photography was taken during the spring refill period in 1999 as the lake level rose. For the purposes of this study, the lower lake was defined as those areas accessible by automobile and the upper lake as those areas not accessible by car.

For Lake Chelan still photography was taken to document:

• Views of the upper lake from the water; • Views of the lower lake from the water; and • Views of the lower lake from the land.

Photographs were taken on Lake Chelan in 1999 for this study at low, mid, and high water levels, as listed in Table 1.

Aesthetic Resources Assessment6 Lake Chelan Project First Draft - October 1999 FERC No. 637 Section 1 Introduction

Table 1 – Dates and Water Levels for Still Photography of Lake Chelan

Date of Photograph From Land or Water Elevation of Lake Chelan May 20, 1999 Water 1,085.17 feet May 25, 1999 Land 1,086.45 feet June 18, 1999 Land 1,095.85 feet June 20, 1999 Water 1,096.32 feet July 30, 1999 Water 1,099.50 feet July 31, 1999 Land 1,099.52 feet

As noted above in the previous section, if the on-going erosion study has identified active erosion sites in the viewsheds depicted in the photo documentation for this study, representative close-up photographs of those areas are provided as examples of the work being done by the erosion group. However, any proposed actions to address these areas will be handled by the erosion group in their report and reviewed by the aesthetics working group.

Aesthetics resources assessment in the gorge consisted of videotaping six flow releases in the gorge to both assess the aesthetic quality of the releases and to gather information that will be useful for scoping and conducting future whitewater paddling feasibility studies in the gorge. The videotaping team carefully marked the camera location, camera angles, and lens settings to assure repeatability from one flow to the next. This approach worked in all locations except one - down inside the gorge itself -- at the beginning of the difficult portion of the whitewater run (Entrance Exam1). Here it was too dangerous to send the camera crew in at the flows of 2,000 and 4,400 cfs because of very high water at the established camera location, and videotape of this area was taken from the hillside above this location at these two high flows.

For the videotaping in the gorge, Table 2 lists the target flows and the actual flows (as later calculated following the event during) the flow releases for this study:

Table 2 – Flow Releases Videotaped in Gorge

Date of Flow Release Target Flow (cfs) Calculated Flow (cfs) June 18, 1999 50 32 June 15, 1999 100 81 June 17, 1999 250 260 August 24, 1999 500 500 August 10, 1999 2,000 2,000 July 14, 1999 4,400 4,400

1 On Land Boating Feasibility Assessment, Shelby Research & Consulting, September 1999. Aesthetic Resources Assessment7 Lake Chelan Project First Draft - October 1999 FERC No. 637 Section 1 Introduction

1.4 STUDY AREA

The study area is defined as the publicly-accessible viewsheds from within or adjacent to the FERC boundary of the Lake Chelan Hydroelectric Project.

Aesthetic Resources Assessment8 Lake Chelan Project First Draft - October 1999 FERC No. 637 Section 2 Lake Chelan Viewsheds

Lake Chelan is one of Washington State’s premier recreation destinations and is well known for it’s scenic beauty and abundant natural resources. Due to the fact that it is the main entryway to the Lake Chelan NRA and the southern portion of the North Cascades National Park, Lake Chelan is considered a regional and national attraction. The waters of Lake Chelan are of outstanding quality, offering pristine clarity to a great depth and a beautiful sapphire hue. Rising steeply from these waters are the remote and rugged mountains of the North Cascades Range. The Lake Chelan Basin is approximately 75 miles long and Lake Chelan comprises about 50 miles of the basin, making it one of the predominant features of the basin.

The area surrounding Lake Chelan varies considerably, both in terrain and climate. Average annual precipitation ranges from a high of 150 inches near the Cascade Crest to a low of 10 inches at the Columbia River.

The USFS divides the Chelan Basin into three major zones, primarily based on landforms:

• The Upper Zone – includes the Stehekin basin and Lake Chelan tributaries uplake from Railroad Creek on the south shore and Fish Creek on the North shore; • The Middle Zone – includes tributaries between Railroad Creek and 25-Mile Creek on the south shore, and between Fish Creek and Safety Harbor on the north shore; and • The Lower Zone – includes the lake below 25-Mile Creek on the south shore and Falls Creek on the north shore.

For cross-reference purposes, the Recreation Study also divides the Lake into three zones based on developmental patterns that roughly match the USFS’ zones. These are:

• Occupancy Zone; • Transition Zone; and • Destination Zone.

The Occupancy Zone comprises the lower third of the lake and extends from the Chelan Dam to 25-Mile Creek, including the towns of Manson and Chelan. Most of the lake’s private recreation facilities (resorts), and about two-thirds of the public recreation facilities are located within the Occupancy Zone. The Occupancy zone consists of roaded urban and rural areas, unroaded backcountry areas, and a mix of public and private land ownership. The Occupancy Zone is a major recreation destination for the Pacific Northwest Region, and, unlike the other two zones, is accessible by land transportation. Chelan is a major point of departure for visitors traveling uplake on the “Lady of the Lake” commercial ferry boat, as well as for those launching their own boats. Summer months are the busiest for recreational use, followed by spring and fall, with winter the slowest season. The Lake Chelan Chamber of Commerce estimates more than 500,000 annual visitors to the Lake Chelan area with as many as 25,000 per day on peak weekends.

Aesthetic Resources Assessment9 Lake Chelan Project First Draft - October 1999 FERC No. 637 Section 2 Lake Chelan Viewsheds

The Transitory Zone (“Water Highway”) is generally made up of the water corridor between Twentyfive Mile Creek and Lucerne/Moore Point. Most uplake visitors travel through this zone by boat or plane with ultimate destinations at either Stehekin or Lucerne. The landscape of this zone is alpine in character with steep mountain slopes and rock outcroppings rising from the lake to elevations of 2,000 to 7,000 feet, a short distance from the lakeshore. The area is mostly roadless and recreation sites in the transitory zone are primarily limited to small alluvial fans where small mountain streams enter the lake. The water temperature in the Transitory Zone is considerably colder than the water in the occupancy zone, thus constraining many water based activities such as swimming. The primary recreational uses in this area are backpacking, dayhiking, hunting, and fishing. Because of the small size of the sites, and the limited range of recreational activities available, most visitation within the Transitory Zone is limited to a few days.

The Destination zone extends from Lucerne to the head of the lake at Stehekin, the greater part of the Destination Zone is located within the Lake Chelan NRA of the North Cascades National Park. This in itself makes the area a primary destination of thousands of day and overnight visitors annually. This zone is composed of three large recreation sites (The Stehekin Valley, Moore Point, and Lucerne) and several smaller ones. Although the Destination Zone somewhat overlaps the Transitory Zone, it offers a more diverse range of activities with sites which have sufficient land area to satisfy use over a longer period. The landscape of this zone is basically similar to the Transitory Zone, however, the sites are generally flatter, larger, and more environmentally suitable for development. The recreation sites are located on alluvial fans at stream mouths. Recreation activities available include hunting, fishing, horseback riding, backpacking, dayhiking, river rafting, cross-country skiing, and mountain climbing.

Table 3 lists the viewsheds that have been recorded using still photography on Lake Chelan and presented in this study report.

Aesthetic Resources Assessment10 Lake Chelan Project First Draft - October 1999 FERC No. 637 Section 2 Lake Chelan Viewsheds

Table 3 – List of Viewsheds Photographed on Lake Chelan

Site No. Site Name Viewing Direction Upper Lake – Views from the Water 1 Stehekin River Northwest 2 Stehekin East 3 Moore Point South Southeast 4 Lucerne South Southeast 5 Prince Creek East Northeast 6 Domke Falls West Southwest 7 Corral Creek Southwest 8 Mitchell Creek Northeast Lower Lake – Views from the Water 9 Slide Ridge (Yacht Club) West 10 Manson North 11 LC State Park to Slide Ridge Northwest Lower Lake – Views from Land 12 Twentyfive Mile State Park Northwest 13 Fields Point Southeast 14 Loop Road towards Fields Point Northwest 15 Manson Bay Park South 16 Uplake towards LC State Park Northwest 17 Old Mill Park looking uplake Northwest 18 Uplake towards Old Mill Park West Northwest 19 Uplake towards Wapato Point Northwest 20 Chelan Bridge (downstream view) West Northwest 21 Chelan Bridge (lake view) East Southeast

Figures 1 through 3 present approximate graphic representations of the viewsheds documented in this report as follows:

• Figure 1 shows the approximate viewsheds from the water in the upper portion of the lake; • Figure 2 shows the approximate viewsheds from either the south shore or from the water looking at the north shore of lower Lake Chelan; and • Figure 3 shows the approximate viewsheds from either the north shore or from the water looking at the south shore of lower Lake Chelan.

Aesthetic Resources Assessment11 Lake Chelan Project First Draft - October 1999 FERC No. 637 NORTHERNORTHERN CASCACASCADES NATIONAL PARK WENATCHEE NATIONAL FOREST 1

WENATCHEE NATIONAL FOREST 2

GLACIER PEAK WILDERNESS

WENATCHEE NATIONAL FOREST

3 SAWTOOTH WILDERNESS

4 WENATCHEE NATIONAL FOREST

6 WENATCHEE NATIONAL

5 FOREST

LAKE CHELAN AESTHETICS RESOURCES ASSESSMENT REPORT

WENATCHEE NATIONAL VIEWSHEDS IN UPPER LAKE CHELAN FOREST 7

OKANOGAN NATIONAL FOREST

WENATCHEE NATIONAL FOREST

12

13

8

WENATCHEE NATIONAL FOREST

10

16

21 20 19

LAKE CHELAN AESTHETICS RESOURCES ASSESSMENT REPORT

VIEWSHEDS FROM THE SOUTH SHORE OF LOWER LAKE CHELAN OKANOGAN NATIONAL FOREST

WENATCHEE NATIONAL FOREST

9 14

15

17

11 18

LAKE CHELAN AESTHETICS RESOURCES ASSESSMENT REPORT

VIEWSHEDS FROM THE NORTH SHORE OF LOWER LAKE CHELAN Section 2 Lake Chelan Viewsheds

2.1 CONSTITUENT INFORMATION

Chelan PUD conducted a recreation assessment on Lake Chelan that covered the summer of 1998 through the end of the spring of 1999. This study covered both the spring and fall off-peak recreation season and the summer peak season at Lake Chelan. Part of this study included both on-site surveys at the downlake locations (defined as those areas accessible by automobile) and survey boxes at selected uplake locations2. The working group decided it would be appropriate to review these survey responses to determine what useful information could be gleaned about visitors’ experiences and impressions about the aesthetic qualities of the project area.

Overall, the survey information shows that visitor satisfaction is very high across all the recreational sites at the lake. The surveys asked people to rate the various sites on the lake on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest. User satisfaction at the downlake sites were closely grouped between 7.9 (Lakeshore RV Park) and 9.9 (Old Mill Bay). Only 25-Mile Creek State Park had a lower composite rating of 6.2. At the Uplake sites run by both the National Park Service and the USFS, the composite ratings all fell between 7.3 and 10, with about 40 percent of the ratings above 9.0 and 85 percent of the ratings above 8.0. These responses indicate a very high satisfaction level with both the facilities at the lake and the overall recreational experience across the entire study area.

When asked about what could be done to make the recreation experience even better, the most common responses for both uplake and downlake sites during the peak season were:

! Cleaner facilities (18 percent); ! More Parking (14 percent); and ! Fewer people (9 percent).

Other responses at the downlake sites during the peak season included fewer geese, more grass, more trees for shade, more/better docks, better roads, higher/lower water levels, better or more swimming beaches, more play equipment and activities for kids, more signs, more diving boards, and more campfire facilities.

The responses to the box surveys at uplake sites in the fall off-peak season were all less than 13 percent for any given category and included fewer people, fewer loud people, better docks, cleaner facilities, higher lake levels, no user fees, better bathrooms, more trees or shelters, and level campsites.

The responses to the box surveys at uplake sites in the spring off-peak season were most commonly expressed as follows:

! Higher lake levels (31 percent); ! Better docks (29 percent);

2 Draft Study Report – 1998/1999 Recreational Use Assessment – Lake Chelan Hydroelectric Project, Howe Consulting and Duke Engineering & Services, Inc. August 1998. Aesthetic Resources Assessment15 Lake Chelan Project First Draft - October 1999 FERC No. 637 Section 2 Lake Chelan Viewsheds

! Fewer people (14 percent); and ! Cleaner facilities (12 percent).

Other less-common responses included more campsites, more parking, and more docks.

Overall, these responses show an extremely high level of satisfaction with the complete recreational experience at Lake Chelan. Visitors expressed a genuine appreciation for the range of recreational opportunities offered and the transition in landscape from the flatter, more developed areas on the lower lake to the remote and wild upper reaches at the head of the lake. It’s interesting to note that no one interviewed for the recreation survey commented about erosion issues at the lake as impacting their experience in any manner at all. This may be attributable to the sheer scale of the landscape and the comparatively small erosion zone located at the water line that, from most vantage points (including most of the still photographs that follow) is not readily noticeable or intrusive on the overall recreational experience at Lake Chelan.

2.2 VIEWS OF THE UPPER LAKE FROM THE WATER

This section presents the views and descriptions of the still photographs taken from the water on the upper section of the lake (above 25-Mile State Park). These views are representative of the way the majority of visitors to the upper end of the lake experience the area on their ride up to Lucerne and/or Stehekin by watercraft.

Aesthetic Resources Assessment16 Lake Chelan Project First Draft - October 1999 FERC No. 637 Section 2 Lake Chelan Viewsheds

Viewshed No. 1 – The mouth of the Stehekin River at the head of the lake

This is the view at the head of the lake looking up the valley into the North Cascades National Park. This viewshed is visible to travelers to Stehekin for the last portion of the trip as they approach Stehekin landing by boat. This viewshed is also generally visible from Stehekin Landing itself and is one of the most photographed area on the upper end of the lake.

Stehekin River Mouth Adjacent to Weaver Landscape Character – This viewshed presents a Point wide range of character, from the pristine waters of May 20, 1999 – 1,085.17 feet Lake Chelan and the presence of rustic cabins along it’s shoreline to the towering peaks of the North Cascades Range visible for miles up the valley. This combination presents the visitor with a sense of going back in time to a simpler lifestyle and lures visitors to explore further up into the valley at the head of the lake. The combination of primitive accommodation and wilderness presents a range of enticing recreational opportunities for tourists and residents in this area of the lake.

Scenic Integrity – The scenic integrity of this location is very high and the only indications of man’s presence are evident along the shoreline. The viewshed above the shoreline appears completely undisturbed, remote, and Stehekin River Mouth predominantly wilderness. Although there is a June 20, 1999 – 1,096.32 feet road along the shoreline for local traffic (the only vehicles at this end of the lake have been brought in by barge and remain year-round), this traffic is extremely light and is not a major intrusion on the feeling of wilderness experienced at this location.

Constituent Information – No surveys were performed at this location on the lake for the recreation study, but casual conversations with visitors to Stehekin Landing this summer indicate a high satisfaction with the scenic integrity and the beauty of the natural surroundings at the head of the lake. One of the most often repeated descriptions of this area was that it felt very much like stepping back in time. The only indication of man’s presence at this location are the dwellings and roads around the shoreline – the mountain Stehekin River Mouth vistas further up the valley appear completely July 30, 1999 – 1,099.5 feet remote and untouched by the societal influences.

Aesthetic Resources Assessment17 Lake Chelan Project First Draft - October 1999 FERC No. 637 Section 2 Lake Chelan Viewsheds

Viewshed No. 2 – The landing at Stehekin at the head of the lake

This is the view of the National Park Complex, marina and boat landing at Stehekin. All visitors to Stehekin arrive here by either boats run by the Lake Chelan Boat Company or by private watercraft. This is a busy spot when the ferry boats arrive with travelers transferring to buses for transportation to hiking or accommodations in Stehekin Landing the upper valley. May 20, 1999 – 1,085.17 feet Landscape Character – The character of the landscape at this location can be described as wild and remote with a touch of civilization clinging to the very edges of the land. The presence of man in this location blends harmoniously with the landscape, even though this area is likely the most populated of all the uplake areas. The buildings and landscaping merge naturally with the forest and the overall impression is one of an outpost at the edge of the wilderness. Even the marina and boat facilities do not intrude on the overall sense of timelessness.

Scenic Integrity – The scenic integrity at this Stehekin Landing location remains intact and has been classified June 20, 1999 – 1,096.32 feet as very high - the overall feeling is one of going back in time. The slower pace, the older automobiles, and the lack of overwhelming tourist catering combine to make Stehekin Landing a very relaxing and fascinating place to visit. Even with all the development at this location, the tree buffers work well for screening a good deal of the buildings from the water and when on land, the buildings are styled rustically and blend in well with their surroundings.

Constituent Information – Although no surveys were done at Stehekin, the overall impression from visitors is that this is a special place (see this item above in Viewshed No. 1 Stehekin Landing above). July 30, 1999 – 1,099.5 feet

Aesthetic Resources Assessment18 Lake Chelan Project First Draft - October 1999 FERC No. 637 Section 2 Lake Chelan Viewsheds

Viewshed No. 3 – Moore Point looking south

This is the view people experience when boating downlake near the head of Lake Chelan. Moore Point campground is a USFS facility that may be accessed by boat or from the Lakeshore Trail that follows the north side of the lake from Stehekin Landing to Prince Creek. Moore Point is approximately 6.9 miles from Stehekin along the trail. Facilities Moore Point South include one shelter, four tables, four fire rings, May 20, 1999 – 1,085.17 feet two toilets and a fixed dock with capacity for about three boats.

All uplake campgrounds are classified by the USFS as “Roaded Natural” sites. These type of sites are characterized by predominately natural-appearing environments with moderate evidence of the sights and sounds of man. Such evidence usually harmonizes with the natural environment. Interaction between users may be moderate to high, with evidence of other users prevalent. Resource modification and utilization practices are evident but harmonize with the natural environment. Conventional motorized use is allowed and incorporated into construction Moore Point South standards and design of facilities. The “road” June 20, 1999 – 1,096.32 feet to the uplake sites is Lake Chelan. Landscape Character – The landscape character in this viewshed offers a mix of flatter, forested areas on the alluvial fan that forms Moore Point to the rugged, steep mountains along the south shore in the background. The feeling in this area of the lake is still one of remoteness and wilderness.

Scenic Integrity – The scenic integrity of this area remains very intact and is considered very high. There are cottages at Moore Point but they blend in well with the surroundings and are not an intrusive element. There is little evidence of man’s presence in this area outside of these cottages and the occasional Moore Point South boat traffic. July 30, 1999 – 1,099.5 feet

Aesthetic Resources Assessment19 Lake Chelan Project First Draft - October 1999 FERC No. 637 Section 2 Lake Chelan Viewsheds

Viewshed No. 4 – Lucerne

Lucerne is a boat-in campground and the staging area for visitors to Holden and the Glacier Peak Wilderness. Facilities include two tent sites, two tables, two fire rings, two toilets, and one dock and boat basin with capacity for about eleven boats. There is also a Forest Service Guard Station and many small cottages grouped at the water’s edge.

Lucerne Landscape Character – This is another May 20, 1999 – 1,085.17 feet location that gives the visitor the sense that this is a final outpost perched on the edge of an untamed wilderness. There are a lot more visible structures here than at Stehekin, but the smaller size of these buildings leaves the visitor with a sense that this is a stopping point along the journey to another, more permanent place. Railroad Creek discharges to the right of the view shown here and the combination of fast moving water entering the lake with huge forested hills as a backdrop invites the visitor to stay and explore, even more so than Stehekin since the vistas seem closer and easier to reach than the northern Cascades visible from Stehekin.

Scenic Integrity – The scenic integrity at this Lucerne location is intact and classified as very high, July 30, 1999 – 1,099.5 feet although there is a definite and obvious presence of man at this location. Reportedly, photographs taken from the Lucerne shoreline towards the head of the lake at Stehekin represent one of the most photographed viewsheds on the lake (the study team discovered this anecdotal statistic after the initial series of viewshed documentation photographs were established – otherwise the viewshed looking up towards the head of the lake would have been included in the aesthetics study.) Although not as pristine a location as other spots included in this study, Lucerne still retains a strong feeling of man in balance with nature.

Aesthetic Resources Assessment20 Lake Chelan Project First Draft - October 1999 FERC No. 637 Section 2 Lake Chelan Viewsheds

Viewshed No. 5 – Prince Creek

Prince Creek campground is another facility operated by the USFS that may be accessed by boat or from the Lakeshore Trail. Prince Creek is approximately 17.2 miles from Stehekin Landing. Facilities include six tent sites, six fire rings, five tables, three toilets, and a floating dock with capacity for about three boats. The view shown here is a shot right up the valley that formed the alluvial Prince Creek fan where the campground is located. May 20, 1999 – 1085.17 feet Landscape Character – The landscape here consists of rugged, steep, rocky cliffs rising sharply from the water and alluvial fan of the Prince Creek Campground. The higher mountain located up the Prince Creek valley offers a challenging temptation for backwoods hikers. This location leaves the viewer with a strong impression of the magnitude of the natural forces that formed the geology in this area over time.

Scenic Integrity – The scenic integrity of this site is very high and there is no sign of man’s presence anywhere in this viewshed. Prince Creek This area appears completely remote and June 20, 1999 – 1,096.32 feet untouched.

Prince Creek July 30, 1999 – 1,099.5 feet

Aesthetic Resources Assessment21 Lake Chelan Project First Draft - October 1999 FERC No. 637 Section 2 Lake Chelan Viewsheds

Viewshed No. 6 – Domke Falls

Domke Falls is a boat-in USFS campground. Facilities include four tent sites, three fire rings, four tables, one toilet, and a floating dock with capacity for about six boats. The camping facilities are to the right of the falls.

Landscape Character – This is a beautiful spot on Lake Chelan framed by huge, steep wilderness. The falls come tumbling out of the forest and change dramatically depending on the water level, the flow in the Domke Falls river, the wind, and the angle and amount of May 20, 1999 – 1,085.17 feet sunlight. The campground to the right of the photo is built on a fairly steep slope and is easily visible from the water.

Scenic Integrity – From a distance the scenic integrity at this site is high. However, up close it becomes apparent that there are a range of visible impacts from people camping at the site which lowered the classification to moderate. Perhaps it’s the slope at this campground but there appears to be a greater amount of bare, devegetated spots in this camping area than at other spots on the lake. The impression Domke Falls likely to be left with visitors is that the falls June 20, 1999 – 1,096.32 feet are beautiful and untouched by man while the viewing area to the right of the falls is undergoing visible man-induced alterations.

Domke Falls July 30, 1999 – 1,099.5 feet

Aesthetic Resources Assessment22 Lake Chelan Project First Draft - October 1999 FERC No. 637 Section 2 Lake Chelan Viewsheds

Viewshed No. 7 – Corral Creek

Corral Creek is a boat-in campground operated by the USFS. Facilities include four tent sites, two fire rings, three tables, and one floating dock with capacity for about six boats.

Landscape Character – The landscape at Corral Creek is very rugged with a lot of exposed rock at the water with steep cliffs Corral Creek and even more imposing obstacles looming May 20, 1999 – 1,085.17 feet behind. Corral Creek leads steeply up into the higher, very remote mountains in the distance and presents the visitor with a challenging temptation.

Scenic Integrity – The scenic integrity of this location is very high, at least from the water where the site was viewed and photographed. The campground was not visited during the study so the up-close integration of the facilities with their surroundings was not assessed for this study. However, the viewshed from a boat traversing the lake is that there is no Corral Creek presence of man at this location other than June 20, 1999 – 1,096.32 feet the floating dock and that it remains untouched.

Corral Creek July 30, 1999 – 1,099.5 feet

Aesthetic Resources Assessment23 Lake Chelan Project First Draft - October 1999 FERC No. 637 Section 2 Lake Chelan Viewsheds

Viewshed No. 8 – Mitchell Creek

Mitchell Creek is a boat-in campground. Facilities include one shelter, seven tables, seven fire rings, two toilets, and a floating dock with capacity for about seventeen boats.

Landscape Character – The landscape at this location is transitioning from the steeper mountain ranges in the upper portions of the Mitchell Creek lake to the flatter, rolling hills at the lower May 20, 1999 – 1,085.17 feet end of the lake. The land is rocky with patches of grass and smaller fir trees scattered across the hillside. This area is much less imposing than the upper portions and is more inviting to the casual day hiker than some of the more rugged upper sites.

Scenic Integrity – The dock and shelter are readily visible from the water but do not detract from the natural appearance of this site. There appears to be a bit of terracing at this location – probably due to sheep tending that occurred in the lower portions of the basin but this is not an intrusive element either. The lack of large trees may also be a Mitchell Creek result of past fires in the area. Overall, these June 20, 1999 – 1,096.32 feet man-induced effects combine to produce scenic integrity at this location that the study team determined as high.

Mitchell Creek July 30, 1999 – 1,099.5 feet

Aesthetic Resources Assessment24 Lake Chelan Project First Draft - October 1999 FERC No. 637 Section 2 Lake Chelan Viewsheds

2.3 VIEWS OF THE LOWER LAKE FROM THE WATER

This section presents views of the lower portion of the lake as it typically experienced from watercraft on Lake Chelan. The sites in this section are many times larger than the boat-in sites on the upper lake and the entire lower end is much busier, both from a land and water-based perspective.

Aesthetic Resources Assessment25 Lake Chelan Project First Draft - October 1999 FERC No. 637 Section 2 Lake Chelan Viewsheds

Viewshed No. 9 – Slide Ridge near Yacht Club

Slide Ridge is visible from a wide range of locations on Lake Chelan. This area has been the location of landslides for many years now and is likely to remain permanently scarred. This scarring does not strike the viewer as a negative thing and really simply emphasizes the fact that the landscape is still changing and very dynamic Slide Ridge at Yacht Club in this area. May 20, 1999 – 1,085.17 feet Landscape Character – As is typical on lower Lake Chelan, this area presents a mix of intensive use and construction along the waterline with a towering hillside that appears untouched, except for the forces of past fires and slide activities. Another interesting visual feature at this location is the dense pine forest that separates these two areas.

Scenic Integrity – The presence of man is very obvious along the waterline at this location. Boat traffic is intense and there were quite a few jetskis in operation during the runs conducted during good weather. Overall this area, as well as most of the Slide Ridge at Yacht Club lower lake, is very busy during the peak July 30, 1999 – 1,099.5 feet seasons with a range of recreational activities from fishing to water skiing to site seeing. For visitors coming to this area for these types of recreational activities, the scenic integrity is probably very high – giving visitors a scenic wonderland of blue sky and clear water in which to play. For visitors looking for solitude and wilderness, the integrity in this area would probably be considered compromised.

Aesthetic Resources Assessment26 Lake Chelan Project First Draft - October 1999 FERC No. 637 Section 2 Lake Chelan Viewsheds

Viewshed No. 10 – Manson Shoreline

The view shown here is from about the center of the lake looking northwards. Although the town of Manson is very busy with the shoreline densely populated with both cottages and year-round homes, the impression from the center of the lake is that the nature still dominates, even in the lower portions of the lake View North from Middle of Lake Landscape Character – Manson itself is a Opposite Chelan Ridge to Manson rolling low-lying hill surrounded by the Shoreline much higher and more remote mountains of May 20, 1999 – 1,085.17 feet the Sawtooth Range. There are apple orchards on the hillsides and intensive development along the shoreline

Scenic Integrity – Similar to the descriptions presented for Viewshed No. 9, this area represents an intensive water-based recreation zone on the lake with a wide range of watercraft in operation at any given time. The presence of man is strongly felt in the entire lower lake area, and Manson is the area where the intensive shoreline development begins on the north shore of the lake. Again, for visitors coming to this Manson Shoreline area for these types of recreational activities, June 20, 1999 – 1,096.32 feet the scenic integrity is probably considered very high – giving visitors a scenic wonderland of blue sky and clear water in which to play. For visitors looking for solitude and wilderness, the integrity in this area would probably be considered compromised and they would gravitate to the less-populated uplake areas.

Manson Shoreline July 30, 1999 – 1,099.5 feet

Aesthetic Resources Assessment27 Lake Chelan Project First Draft - October 1999 FERC No. 637 Section 2 Lake Chelan Viewsheds

Viewshed No. 11 – Chelan Butte

Chelan Butte is one of the highest and most easily accessible locations in the lower lake area. It is a very popular recreation area with residents and tourists, especially hang gliders who take off from this location to fly across the Columbia River to take advantage of the thermals rising off the plateau on the eastern side of the river. The Chelan Butte is visible from most of the lower end of the View East/Southeast Chelan Butte lake. May 20, 1999 – 1,085.17 feet Landscape Character – Chelan Butte is an imposing and noticeable feature visible across most of the lower lake area. It is a rolling but fairly steep hill that towers above the city of Chelan and offers impressive views of the lower lake from its heights.

Scenic Integrity – The scenic integrity of Chelan Butte remains largely intact, primarily because of its size, which overwhelms the City of Chelan at its base. The slopes appear largely untouched by man and inviting to visitors interested in View East/Southeast Chelan Butte obtaining a high-level viewshed of the lower June 20, 1999 – 1,096.32 feet lake. The scenic integrity of this viewshed is considered very high.

View East/Southeast Chelan Butte July 30, 1999 – 1,099.5 feet

Aesthetic Resources Assessment28 Lake Chelan Project First Draft - October 1999 FERC No. 637 Section 2 Lake Chelan Viewsheds

2.4 VIEWS OF THE LOWER LAKE FROM THE LAND

The next section depicts views of the lower lake from the land. All these views were taken at locations accessible to automobiles since that’s the way the majority of people without boats experience the Lake Chelan area.

Aesthetic Resources Assessment29 Lake Chelan Project First Draft - October 1999 FERC No. 637 Section 2 Lake Chelan Viewsheds

Viewshed No. 12 – Uplake from 25-Mile State Park

The view uplake from 25-Mile State Park is impressive and inviting. This is the furthest you cam drive uplake and the park serves as a jumping off spot for uplake travelers.

Landscape Character – This viewshed offers the visitor an invitation to explore the remote wonders of the upper portions of the Uplake from 25-Mile Creek State Park lake. The hillsides across from the state May 25, 1999 – 1,086.45 feet park in this viewshed are still transitioning from the rolling hills in the lower lake to the steep, imposing mountains of the upper basin. Vegetation is sparsely scattered across the rocky slopes visible on the north shore from this location.

Scenic Integrity – The scenic integrity of the viewshed at this location is very high and completely intact. The few houses and cottages visible along the shoreline are not obtrusive and the general feeling is one of a “last resort” before entering the wilderness of the upper lake.

Uplake from 25-Mile Creek State Park June 18, 1999 – 1,095.85 feet

Uplake from 25-Mile Creek State Park July 31, 1999 – 1,099.52 feet

Aesthetic Resources Assessment30 Lake Chelan Project First Draft - October 1999 FERC No. 637 Section 2 Lake Chelan Viewsheds

Viewshed No. 13 – Fields Point looking downlake

Fields Point is a 17-acre site that offers the last uplake car-access stop of the Lady of the Lake. Fields Point was developed jointly by the U.S. Forest Service and the National Park Service to provide orientation and secure parking for visitors to Lake Chelan and the uplake areas. Facilities include picnic areas, parking, restroom facilities, and Downlake from Fields Point an information center building operated by a May 25, 1999 – 1,086.45 feet private concessionaire providing snacks, souvenirs, and recreation information. There is both excellent visibility of the lake from this location as well as the sight of a well-designed and integrated facility from the lake itself.

Landscape Character – The viewshed at this location looks down lake towards the much more highly populated lower section of the lake where the hills become softer and more rolling in nature. There are many more forested areas on the south shore at this location than on the north shore, a component that helps mitigate the amount of Downlake from Fields Point development along the south shoreline at June 18, 1999 – 1,095.85 feet this viewshed.

Scenic Integrity – The scenic integrity of this location is also intact and considered very high. As noted above, the intensive shoreline development along the south shore is significantly buffered by the amount of forested land along the shore here. This area also offers the visitor a sense of a jumping off point into the wilderness, since it is located a short ways down the lake from 25- Mile State Park (described in Viewshed No. 12 but with an uplake view.).

Downlake from Fields Point July 31, 1999 – 1,099.52 feet

Aesthetic Resources Assessment31 Lake Chelan Project First Draft - October 1999 FERC No. 637 Section 2 Lake Chelan Viewsheds

Viewshed No. 14 – From Loop Road looking uplake towards Fields Point

This viewpoint is at the one of the furthest uplake paved roads on the north shore of Lake Chelan. Thus, it is easily accessible for anyone with an automobile or bicycle.

Landscape Character – The landscape at this location is stunning in that it presents the viewer with a transition from the city to View North from Loop Ave., Manson the mountainous wilderness. The point on May 25, 1999 – 1,086.45 feet the left jutting into the water houses Field Landing and the mountains on the north side of the lake have little to no evident signs of man’s presence or alteration.

Scenic Integrity – The scenic integrity of this location and viewshed is stunning and compelling. The viewer is naturally drawn up the river corridor, wondering what might be beyond that next bend. The scenic integrity is considered very high at this location.

View North from Loop Ave., Manson June 18, 1999 – 1,095.85 feet

View North from Loop Ave., Manson July 31, 1999 – 1,099.52 feet

Aesthetic Resources Assessment32 Lake Chelan Project First Draft - October 1999 FERC No. 637 Section 2 Lake Chelan Viewsheds

Viewshed No. 15 – Wapato Point

Wapato Point is a high-income community developed on property leased from the Colville Tribe. This area is extremely busy with a wide range of watercraft and other water-based recreational activities occurring during the peak recreation season.

Landscape Character – The landscape here is one of very low-lying rolling hills with View East to Wapato Point from Boat apple orchards scattered among the Pickup developed areas. Shoreline access is May 25, 1999 – 1,086.45 feet excellent along this area which probably helps explain the amount of shoreline development that has occurred here.

Scenic Integrity – The shoreline and areas back away from the shoreline are densely developed and alteration from man’s presence is very obvious at this location. There is also a very dense presence of docks and boats along the waterline at Wapato Point. Even for folks coming to the area to indulge in water-based recreational activities the amount of development and activity at View East to Wapato Point this location would probably be considered June 18, 1999 – 1,095.85 feet extreme and the scenic integrity would be classified as moderate.

View East to Wapato Point July 31, 1999 – 1,099.52 feet

Aesthetic Resources Assessment33 Lake Chelan Project First Draft - October 1999 FERC No. 637 Section 2 Lake Chelan Viewsheds

Viewshed No. 16 – View Uplake from Bus Monument on South Shore of Lake Chelan

Landscape Character – The landscape character at this location includes a wide range of features from the flatter rolling hills of Wapato Point and Manson to the higher and steeper peaks of the Sawtooth Range. The visitor at this point begins to get a feeling for the large expanse of area From Bus Monument on South Shore of surrounding Lake Chelan and the changes in Lake Chelan landscape that transition up the valley. May 25, 1999 – 1,086.45 feet Scenic Integrity – Although there is a lot of development down in the lower end of the lake, this is not an intrusive element in this expansive viewshed. The shoreline development on the north shore, although intensive, appears insignificant against the larger backdrop of the surrounding terrain. The scenic integrity of this viewshed was considered high by the study team.

From Bus Monument June 18, 1999 – 1,095.85 feet

From Bus Monument July 31, 1999 – 1,099.52 feet

Aesthetic Resources Assessment34 Lake Chelan Project First Draft - October 1999 FERC No. 637 Section 2 Lake Chelan Viewsheds

Viewshed No. 17 – View West to Wapato Point from Highway 150

This viewshed is typical of how people experience Lake Chelan when driving up the lake on Highway 150 on the north shore.

Landscape Character – The landscape character at this location is again the rolling hills of Wapato Point on the north shore with the higher and steeper hillside towering View West to Wapato Point from about the point on the south side. You can Highway 150 easily see Slide Ridge on this hillside – even May 25, 1999 – 1,086.45 feet from this vantage point several miles away.

Scenic Integrity – The scenic integrity at this location is marred a bit by the heavy development along the north shore, particularly the development on Wapato Point. Again, for a visitor interested primarily in water-based recreation activities such as water skiing and jetskiing, this sight of the busy waterway and shorefront development is likely an appealing sight that fuels visitors’ anticipation as they head up the lake on this side. For folks looking for solitude and wilderness this would probably View West to Wapato Point be considered an overdeveloped area to be June 18, 1999 – 1,095.85 feet traversed as quickly as possible in their journey to the upper portions of the lake. The study team rated the scenic integrity of the viewshed as high.

View West to Wapato Point July 31, 1999 – 1,099.52 feet

Aesthetic Resources Assessment35 Lake Chelan Project First Draft - October 1999 FERC No. 637 Section 2 Lake Chelan Viewsheds

Viewshed No. 18 – Uplake towards Old Mill Park from Highway 150

This is another viewshed looking uplake further uplake Highway 150 towards Old Mill Park in Manson.

Landscape Character – The character of this viewshed is similarly mixed and typical of many of the downlake viewsheds. You have the fairly dense waterfront View off Highway 150 towards Old Mill development along the park with the Park towering hills on the south shore in the May 25, 1999 – 1,086.45 feet distance (you can see the top of Slide Ridge in this photo also.) The feeling here is that the viewer is in a water-based recreational paradise that offers a wide range of recreational opportunities. There is really no sense of the remote upper valley from this location.

Scenic Integrity – The scenic integrity at this location was classified as moderate due to the heavy influence of man evident along this section of Highway 150.

View off Highway 150 June 18, 1999 – 1,095.85 feet

View off Highway 150 July 31, 1999 – 1,099.52 feet

Aesthetic Resources Assessment36 Lake Chelan Project First Draft - October 1999 FERC No. 637 Section 2 Lake Chelan Viewsheds

Viewshed No. 19 - View Uplake from Highway 97A

This viewshed is from the south shore along highway 97A looking uplake. This is a typical view for folks travelling up the south shore of the lake to Fields Landing or 25- Mile State Park.

Landscape Character – The landscape character along this route is very similar to View from Highway 97A the description provided for Viewshed No. May 25, 1999 – 1,086.45 feet 16. The landscape character at this location similarly includes a wide range of features from the very tip of the end of Wapato Point to the higher and steeper peaks of the Sawtooth Range. The visitor driving along Route 97A experiences a feeling for the large expanse of area surrounding Lake Chelan and the changes in landscape that transition up the valley. The photograph taken on June 18, 1999 shows the sapphire color of the water quite well.

Scenic Integrity – Although there is a lot of development down in the lower end of the lake, this is not an intrusive element in this View from Highway 97A expansive viewshed. The shoreline June 18, 1999 – 1,095.85 feet development on the north shore, although intensive, appears insignificant against the larger backdrop of the surrounding terrain. The scenic integrity of this viewshed was considered very high by the study team.

View from Highway 97A July 31, 1999 – 1,099.52 feet

Aesthetic Resources Assessment37 Lake Chelan Project First Draft - October 1999 FERC No. 637 Section 2 Lake Chelan Viewsheds

Viewshed No. 20 – View down the Chelan River towards the project dam from the Old Bridge by Cambell’s Resort

Landscape Character – The landscape at this location includes a mix of diverse features as the terrain progresses down from the end of Lake Chelan to the Columbia River. The hills in the background are actually the eastern valley wall of the Columbia River itself and the closer hill to View East from Old Bridge in Chelan the right of these photos is the toe of Chelan May 25, 1999 – 1,086.45 feet Butte. There is development along the shoreline here but it is generally set back with the Chelan Riverwalk Park providing a buffer along this portion of the project shoreline.

Scenic Integrity – The scenic integrity of this viewshed remains basically intact and is not nearly as developed as some of the other shoreline areas located in the lower end of the lake. Folks have lived in this area of the project the longest and the houses are pretty well integrated into the landscaping of the park and surroundings. The scenic integrity View East from Old Bridge in Chelan of this viewshed is rated high. June 18, 1999 – 1,095.85 feet

View East from Old Bridge in Chelan July 31, 1999 – 1,099.52 feet

Aesthetic Resources Assessment38 Lake Chelan Project First Draft - October 1999 FERC No. 637 Section 2 Lake Chelan Viewsheds

Viewshed No. 21 – View uplake from the Old Bridge by Cambell’s Resort

Landscape Character – The landscape character at this location transitions from the towering Chelan Butte on the left (not shown in this picture) across the rolling hills of the town of Chelan to the right. This is a very common view for folks visiting the town of Chelan on foot and it is generally View West from Old Bridge in Chelan the busiest area of the lake for boat traffic. May 25, 1999 – 1,086.45 feet The viewshed here extends several miles up the lake and presents the viewer with a wide range of different features. The light area on the hillside above the nearest large body of land in these photographs is again Slide Ridge.

Scenic Integrity – The scenic integrity of this site is a mix of heavy development along the lower shore and uplake mountains that invite further exploration. Even though one can see many miles up the lake at this location, the sheer number of people concentrated at the lower end of the lake View West from Old Bridge in Chelan tends to narrow visitors focus on the nearby June 18, 1999 – 1,095.85 feet activities on the shore and water, and negate the longer vistas quite a bit. The study team designated the scenic integrity of this area as moderate.

View West from Old Bridge in Chelan July 31, 1999 – 1,099.52 feet

Aesthetic Resources Assessment39 Lake Chelan Project First Draft - October 1999 FERC No. 637 Section 2 Lake Chelan Viewsheds

2.5 EROSION SITES

This section presents representative photographs of erosion sites that occur in the viewsheds presented above. This is just representative sampling of the 208 erosion sites identified by the erosion working group to date. The aesthetics working group will work closely with the erosion group to assess their prioritization of sites and will have the opportunity to work with the erosion group to address aesthetics issues as they relate to erosion later in the consultation process. The actual fixes for designated and prioritized erosion sites will be determined by the erosion working group – however, the aesthetics working group will be given the opportunity to review any proposed fixes and comment accordingly.

The Flats at the Head of the Lake in Armored bench and cut bank at Deer Point Stehekin (April 21, 1999) (May 5, 1999)

Armored bank at Prince Creek Prince Creek with armoring at waterline and (April 30, 1999) cut bank above (April 29, 1999)

Aesthetic Resources Assessment40 Lake Chelan Project First Draft - October 1999 FERC No. 637 Section 2 Lake Chelan Viewsheds

Near Domke Falls (April 14, 1999) Manson – Armored bench above waterline with eroding bank behind (May 11, 1999)

North Shore between Camas Creek and Manson – Willow Pt Park (May 12, 1999) Grade Creek (May 5, 1999)

Manson – Armored at shoreline with cut Sheep on steep wall at upper end of lake bank behind new construction (April 14, 1999) (May 11, 1999)

Aesthetic Resources Assessment41 Lake Chelan Project First Draft - October 1999 FERC No. 637 Section 3 The Chelan River Gorge

3.1 INTRODUCTION

Aesthetics resources in the gorge downstream of the project were documented using video from five locations along the gorge under six different flow releases. Still photography was taken at the locations to illustrate the viewpoint at each of these five locations in this written portion of the study report.

The five locations were chosen by the Recreation/Aesthetics working group to both satisfy the needs of the aesthetics study and to provide information on the chosen flows for the whitewater paddling feasibility study. The video will be used by the recreation working group to help document aesthetics at various flow levels.

The video crew carefully recorded the camera location and settings in order to duplicate the shots for each of the six flows recorded. The video is attached to this report and shows a pan shot of the visible portion of the river at each of the five locations and a 30-second still shot of the six flows all shown on the screen at the same time for comparison purposes. The video crew also remained silent during the taping to capture as much of the ambient sound as possible, but in several instances the wind on the microphones slightly interfered with the sound recording.

As noted earlier, this process was successfully repeated at all flows and locations except for location 2 at the higher flows of 2,000 and 4,400 cfs. The video of these higher flows at this location was shot from an area higher up on the bank with good visibility of the river due to extremely dangerous conditions in the gorge from the high water levels in relation to the original camera location chosen.

For the videotaping in the gorge, the following were target flows and the actual flows (as later calculated following the event) released during the gorge portion of this study:

Date of Flow Release Target Flow (cfs) Calculated Flow (cfs) June 18, 1999 50 32 June 15, 1999 100 81 June 17, 1999 250 260 August 24, 1999 500 500 August 10, 1999 2,000 2,000 July 14, 1999 4,400 4,400

The videotape of these flow releases in the gorge is approximately 23 minutes long and is attached to this report.

Aesthetic Resources Assessment42 Lake Chelan Project First Draft - October 1999 FERC No. 637 Section 3 The Chelan River Gorge

3.2 VIDEOTAPING LOCATIONS

Videotaping locations were generally determined by the working group to best address both the needs of the aesthetics study and those of the whitewater paddling feasibility study. The final locations were selected in the field the first day of taping to best show that section of the gorge and for safety concerns for the video crew. Figure 4 shows the five videotaping locations selected for this portion of the aesthetics study. A series of still photographs are also presented to show the viewshed for the five videotaping locations.

Figure 4 – Videotaping Locations in the Gorge

The next few pages show photographs of the five videotaping viewsheds chosen for the study that are documented in the attached videotape.

Aesthetic Resources Assessment43 Lake Chelan Project First Draft - October 1999 FERC No. 637 Section 3 The Chelan River Gorge

Location 1 – Cemetery Avenue viewpoint above the gorge

This viewpoint was chosen because it gave the viewer an excellent perspective of the upper portion of the gorge. The majority of the upper two miles of river beginning below the dam are very similar to the view pictured. The Chelan River has very little gradient and moves over a bed of very large- sized cobble through much of the upper Location 1 – Downstream view sections. This viewpoint clearly shows how the river channel has moved and the outer banks of the curves have self-armored with time. Although the combination of fast moving water and large cobbles created a constant sound of running water at this location, the high wind noises on the top of the bluff also interfered with the sound recording on several occasions.

These photographs were taken on June 17, 1999 under a flow release of 260 cfs. The hills in the distance in the downstream view are actually the east bank of the Columbia Location 1 – Upstream view River in Douglas County.

Location 1 – Video crew at work

Aesthetic Resources Assessment44 Lake Chelan Project First Draft - October 1999 FERC No. 637 Section 3 The Chelan River Gorge

Video Location 2 – Entrance Exam

Location 2 was a spot down inside the gorge at the location dubbed “Entrance Exam” by the whitewater experts who have scouted the route and written up their findings in an assessment report. The name “Entrance Exam” was chosen because this is the first bit of whitewater downstream of the dam and any boaters are immediately committed to a series of four Class-V rapids once they pass this point.

The camera location is down inside the gorge about 15 feet about the riverbed. As noted earlier, it was not possible to get the camera crew safely to this location during flow releases of 2,000 and 4,400 cfs due to very high and fast-moving water through this section. This area is difficult to access and the camera crew descended to the Location 2 – Videotaping inside the gorge location using ropes. itself at Entrance Exam There is quite a transition in this point in the gorge as the river enters the bend rather calmly and immediately transitions to a series of large drops around the corner.

The second photograph here is a view of this same section looking downstream past Entrance Exam from a higher vantage point on the steep bank. The flow release pictured in the top photograph was 81 cfs (June 18, 1999) and 260 cfs is shown in the bottom photograph (June 17, 1999).

Location 2 – Downstream view from above on the steep bank

Aesthetic Resources Assessment45 Lake Chelan Project First Draft - October 1999 FERC No. 637 Section 3 The Chelan River Gorge

Location 3 – From the overlook by the Surge Tank

This view picks up a few hundred feet below the views shown from Location 1 and presents the viewer with a nearly vertical panorama of approximately 0.6 miles of the steepest portion of the gorge from several hundred feet above the river bed. There are a number of named features in this section of the river including Double-Slide, Throne Falls, Pinnacle Falls, and Car Wreck Falls. The viewpoint where the video was shot slopes down towards the cliff edge and this sloping combined with the sheer height induced slight vertigo in several members of the video team.

The bridge in the lower photograph is the old bridge to the town of Chelan Falls that is no longer in use. Video for Location 4 was Location 3 – Upstream towards shot off the old bridge. The Columbia River “Double-slide” can be seen below the old bridge in the lower photograph where the gorge begins to level back off as the hillside merges into the flats of Columbia River Valley.

The flows in the top photograph were 260 cfs (June 17, 1999) and 81 cfs (June 15, 1999) in the bottom photograph.

Location 3 – Downstream towards Old Bridge

Aesthetic Resources Assessment46 Lake Chelan Project First Draft - October 1999 FERC No. 637 Section 3 The Chelan River Gorge

Location 4 – Upstream and Downstream from the Old Bridge

This viewpoint shows the boulder fields and sieves at the final portion of the gorge. Although the gradient is less here than in the upper sections, there is a lot more large rock deposited through this section. The view upstream from the bridge shows an approximately 0.2 mile section while the downstream view is a much shorter transition to the exit which immediately smoothes out to the right of the bottom photograph to join the project tailrace to then discharge into the Columbia River.

This last section is a bit deceiving as it has several sieves and many very large boulders over a fairly short distance.

The flows were 81 cfs (June 15, 1999) in the Location 4 – Upstream from Old Bridge top photograph and 260 cfs (June 17, 1999) in the lower photograph.

Location 4 – Downstream from Old Bridge

Aesthetic Resources Assessment47 Lake Chelan Project First Draft - October 1999 FERC No. 637 Section 3 The Chelan River Gorge

Location 5 – Upstream view looking at gorge exit

Video Location 5 – View of the Lake Chelan Project powerhouse and surge tank Location 5 – Downstream view Video at this location was shot from the adjacent highway and included a wide pan from the gorge exit to the point where the project tailrace joins the gorge flows before discharging into the Columbia River.

These photographs were taken on June 17, 1999 when the flow was 260 cfs.

Aesthetic Resources Assessment48 Lake Chelan Project First Draft - October 1999 FERC No. 637 Section 4 Summary

Lake Chelan is a premier destination area for vacationers and recreationists, offering a range of diverse year-round recreational opportunities. The lake offers a highly diverse and scenic landscape so unique that the USFS has designated the entire watershed as Class A – Distinctive. The USFS defines Class A areas as:

Areas where landform, vegetation patterns, water characteristics, and cultural features provide unusual, unique, or outstanding scenic quality. These landscapes have strong positive attributes of variety, unity, vividness, mystery, intactness, order, harmony, uniqueness, pattern, and balance.3

Class A landscapes are easy to identify since they exhibit outstanding scenic beauty and are often widely known as landmarks because of these characteristics. Lake Chelan easily falls into this category. Most people who visit National Parks and Recreation areas expect natural appearing scenery to dominate altered settings, especially in forested regions. Lake Chelan is currently and will likely remain highly valued for the outstanding scenic qualities and the wide range of recreational opportunities it offers.

Given these outstanding attributes and the excellent shape of the aesthetic resource at Lake Chelan, it’s appropriate to repeat the major goal for this study as stated earlier in Section 2:

1. What areas should be maintained? 2. What areas should be enhanced? 3. What areas should be rehabilitated?

Assessing and answering these questions will be the next task for the Recreation/Aesthetics working group following finalization of this assessment report. It further seems likely that this next effort will involve close interaction with the erosion working group as they begin to prioritize sites for treatment and stabilization activities.

3 Draft Middle Chelan Watershed Analyses, United States Department of Agriculture, USFS, 1999 (page 31).

Aesthetic Resources Assessment49 Lake Chelan Project First Draft - October 1999 FERC No. 637