DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR ALBERT B. FALL, Secretary UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY GEORGE OTIS SMITH, Director Water-Supply Paper 486 WATER POWERS OF THE CASCADE RANGE PART IV. WENATCHEE AND ENTIAT BAiMI&.rvey, "\ in. Cf\ Ci2k>J- *"^ L. PAEKEE A3TD LASLEY LEE I Prepared in cooperation with the WASHINGTOJS STATE BOARD OF GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Ernest Lister, Chairman Henry Landes, Geologist WASHINGTOH GOVBBNMBNT PBINTINJS OFFICE 1922 COPIE? ' .-.;:; i OF, THIS PUBLICATION MAT BE PBOCtJRED FE01C THE SUPERINTENDENT OF DOCUMENTS ' 6OVEBNMENT PRINTING OF1JICB WASHINGTON, D. C. ' AT .80 CENTS PER,COPY n " '', : -. ' : 3, - .-. - , r-^ CONTENTS. Page. Introduction......i....................................................... 1 Abstract.................................................................. 3 Cooperation................................................ r,.... v.......... 4 Acknowledgments.............................. P ......................... 5 Natural features of Wenatcheeaad Entiat basins........................... 5 Topography................................... r ......................... 5 Wenatchee basin.........................I.........* *............... 5 Entiat basin............................................*........... 7 Drainage areas............................... i.......................... 7 Climate....................................i........................... 9 Control............................................................ 9 Precipitation.........^.................1......................... 9 Temperature...........................L......................... 14 Forestation................................. !.......................... 15 Water supply............................................................... 16 Conditions affecting stream flow ............. f ......................... 16 Stream-flow records.................................................. 17 Scope and character.................... i.......................... 17 Publications.......... j...............'... L......................... 18 Definition of terms..................... L ......................... 18 Wenatchee River near Leavenworth, Wash......................... 19 Wenatchee River at Cashmere and Dryden, Wash.................... 22 Wenatchee River near Wenatchee, Wash.......................... 26 Little Wenatchee River near Chiwaukum, Wash.................... 27 White River near Chiwaukum, Wash..... |.................. 1'...... : 28 Nason Creek near Nason, Wash....................................... $9 Chiwawa River near Leavenworth, Wash. ................... ^....... 30 Chiwaukum Creek near Chiwaukum, Wash...'...................... 32 Icicle Creek near Leavenworth, Wash............................... 32 Peshastin Creek at Blewett, Wash................................... 34 Peshastin Creek near Leavenworth, Wash........................... 34 Entiat River at Entiat, Wash.............,.......................... 35 Miscellaneous measurements.....,......'.......................... 38 Summary of estimated natural discharge.............................. 40 Irrigation.......................................;.......................... 41 Present development................................................. 41 Gravity systems.................................................. 41 Pumping systems.................................................. 42 Prospective development.....................:........................ 43 Irrigable area.................................................... 43 Quincy project.........................;........,.........4........ 43 General features..................... i.......................... 43 Adverse water rights......................... u.............. ^. 44 Water requirements........................................... .45 Wenatchee Lake reservoir........... |..... i.................... 46 Proposed dam...................L..... k ................... 46 Capacity................................................. 48 Run-off available for storage...,.1......................... 47 Mass diagram analysis..................................... 50 Limits of area................................................. 52 in IV CONTENTS. Water power............................................................. 53 Power aites........................................................... 53 Scope of discussion............................................... 53 Method of analysis................................................. 53 Development units............................................ 53 Minimum flow............................................... 54 Regulated flow............................................... 54 Sites in Wenatchee basin.......................................... 55 Minimum flow............................................... 55 Reservoirs and storage regulation.............................. 56 Feasible sites............................................. 56 Rainy Crelek reservoir..................................... 56 Twin Lakis reservoir...................................... 56 Chiwawa neservoir........................................ 58 Wenatchee Lake reservoir................................. 59 Trout Creeks and Eightmile Flat reservoirs...... ^........... 60 Regulated flowi in development units........................... 61 Power resources without Quincy project in operation............ 64 Comparison of j power resources with and without Quincy project in operation^............................................-.-... 66 Sites in Entiat basjjn.............................................. 69 Minimum flow!............................................... 69 Regulated flow)............................................... 69 Power resources.............................................. 69 Power plants..........j............................................... 70 Great Northern po^er plant......................................... 70 Tumwater power plant............................................. 71 Dryden power plaujt............................................... 71 Entiat power plant............................................... 72 Load characteristics of Wenatchee Valley Gas & Electric Co............. 72 Index.................... J............................................... 75 ILLUSTRATIONS. PLATE I. Map of Wenatche > and Entiat basins............................... 2 II. A, Wenatchee Lt.ke, looking toward upper end from a point near outlet; B, Weiiatchee Lake, looking across lake................ 6 III. Mass diagram shewing water supply available and storage require­ ments for Wenatchee Lake reservoir and alternative demands of Quincy project]............................................... 50 IV. Mass diagrams shewing water supply available and storage require­ ments for Wenaitche§ Lake and Chiwawa reservoirs............... 60 V. A, Great Northerto power plant; B, Entiat power plant.............. 64 VI. A, Canal delivering water to Dryden power plant and to Wenatchee reclamation district; B, Dryden power plant..................... 66 VII. A-E, Plan and profile of Wenatchee River and Wenatchee Lake reservoir............................................ -At end of volume. VIII. Plan and profile oj: Chiwawa River and Chiwawa reservoir. At end of volume. I.. A and B, Plan and profile of Icicle Creek. -.............At end of volume. FIGURE 1. Sketch map of Washington, showing areas covered by reports on water powers i>f the Cascade Range............................ 2 2. Mass diagram showing water supply available and storage require­ ments for Twin Lakes reservoir................................. 58 3. Load characteristics of the Wenatchee Valley Gas & Electric Co.. 73 WATER POWERS OF THE CASCADE RANGE. PART IV. WENATCHEE AND iENTIAT BASINS. By GLENN L. PARKER and LASLEY LEE. INTRODUCTION. This report is the fourth of a series entitled " Water powers of the Cascade Range, " prepared by the United States Geological Survey under a cooperative agreement with the Washington State Board of Geological Survey. Part I contains data on the drainage basins of Klickitat, White Salmon, Little White Salmon, Lewis, and Toutle rivers and was published in 1910 as Water-Supply Paper 253. Part II relates to the drainage basins of Cowlitz (except the Toutle) , Nis- qually, Puyallup, White, Green, and Cedar rivers, on the west side of the Cascade Range, and was published in 1913 as Water-Supply Paper 313. Part III refers to the Yakima basin, on the east side of the Cascade Range, and was published in 1916 as Water-Supply Paper 369. The Wenatchee and Entiat basins, Described in this report, lie in the central part of the State of Washington, on the eastern slope of the Cascade Range. The location of tljie areas covered by Parts I, II, III, and IV is shown in figure 1, and a map of the region under consideration forms Plate I. : The data on which this report is bas^d consist of daily stream- flow records, miscellaneous measurements, river plans and profiles (Pis. VII, A-E, VIII, and IX, A and B, at end of volume), reservoir surveys, topographic maps, and the results of reconnaissances made by the United States Geological Survey, supplemented by a large amount of information furnished by State officials, private individ­ uals, and officials of private enterprises. The potential water power in Washington, according -to official estimates,1 is greater than that of any other State in the Union, but irrigation projects susceptible of cheap development at small in­ itial outlay are neither so numerous nor so extensive in Washington as in