Power through the Valley: Preserving a lifeline between Peshastin and the Pass

CHELAN COUNTY — In a valley defined by rivers, orchards, and ridgelines, even the flow of electricity depends on careful stewardship. This fall, Chelan County PUD crews have already been working along a high-voltage line that threads six miles of rugged country from Sunitsch Canyon toward Winton — one of the most remote, weather-tested corridors feeding the Upper Valley.

By widening the right-of-way to its full permitted 100 feet, crews are removing hazard trees before winter storms and wildfire season can test them. Each tree cleared protects not only the transmission line but also the communities it connects — from Peshastin and Dryden to Plain, Lake Wenatchee and the Pass.

“This work is critically important to safely and responsibly operate the electrical grid,” said Dan Koch, the PUD’s chief of operations. “We appreciate everyone’s patience while we prioritize safety.”

To limit fire danger and outages, Chelan PUD and the U.S. Forest Service are coordinating on best forest management practices, ensuring each cut helps both the grid and the ecosystem endure. For now, power to Coles Corner, Lake Wenatchee and Plain is being temporarily routed through a Puget Sound Energy line, which is a reminder of how interlaced the region’s systems have become.

“In the short term, there’s a potential for longer outages than customers may be used to,” Koch said. “But in the long run, this work will help keep power flowing through snow and ice storms, and reduce the risk of wildfire for years to come.”

The corridor work marks the first phase of a multi-year rebuild of the McKenzie–Beverly transmission line, a line first erected in the 1930s to deliver power from Rock Island Dam to roughly 3,500 customers in the Upper Valley. The next phase, beginning in 2027, will rebuild 15 miles between Anderson Canyon in Peshastin and Coles Corner with new steel poles, modern conductors, and an upgraded substation at Coles Corner.

With an estimated $60 million investment, the project aims to secure not only reliability but resilience — a way of ensuring that when the lights come on in homes from Dryden to the Pass, they’re powered by foresight as much as by current.

Andrew Simpson: 509-433-7626 or andrew@ward.media