The Skookumchuck River is a 45-mile (72 km) long[2] river located in southwest Washington, United States. It is a tributary of the Chehalis River, which is the largest drainage basin located entirely within the state.[5]
| Skookumchuck River | |
|---|---|
 Skookumchuck River in Bucoda, WA | |
  Location of the mouth of the Skookumchuck River in Washington  Skookumchuck River (the United States) | |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Washington |
| County | Lewis, Thurston |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • coordinates | 46°42′28″N 122°26′41″W / 46.70778°N 122.44472°W[1] |
| Mouth | |
• coordinates | 46°43′10″N 122°58′55″W / 46.71944°N 122.98194°W[1] |
| Length | 45 mi (72 km)[2] |
| Basin size | 181 sq mi (470 km2)[3] |
| Discharge | |
| • location | river mile 6.4 near Bucoda[4] |
| • average | 1,972 cu ft/s (55.8 m3/s)[4] |
| • minimum | 40 cu ft/s (1.1 m3/s) |
| • maximum | 8,560 cu ft/s (242 m3/s) |
History
editThe name Skookumchuck derives from Chinook Jargon: in this context, "rapids". The word skookum means "strong", and chuck means "water".[6] The Quinault Indian Nation, by way of the 1856 Treaty of Olympia, hold fishing rights on the river. Beginning in 2021, the river is allowed to be used as a year-round water bank and is the largest in the state, allowing a draw of 28,000 acre-feet of water per year.[7]
Course
editThe river begins with several tributaries in the Snoqualmie National Forest in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains, and flows west past the town of Bucoda, Washington to its confluence with the Chehalis River near Centralia, Washington.
Skookuchuck Dam
editThe Skookumchuck Dam was built in 1970, creating the 4-mile (6.4 km) long Skookumchuck Reservoir.[8] Its primary use is to provide water for the TransAlta coal plant and is not used for local or community water needs. The dam is an earthen bank structure measuring 190 feet (57.9 m) tall and spans 1,340 feet (408.4 m).[9]
With low water levels in the reservoir, the system provides some flood protection to communities downstream, such as Bucoda, however, the dam was not built for flood prevention.[9] The earthen dam has been part of several flood mitigation proposals to protect the Centralia and Chehalis communities from continuing overflow events.[10][11] The embankment contains a trap system in which mature steelhead are caught and transported over the spillway but existing fish passages prevent young salmon from migrating.[9]
The dam and reservoir is overseen by TransAlta and, by contract, will continue in their oversight role after the coal plant is closed at the end of 2025. At that time, water rights will revert to the city of Centralia for public consumption.[12]
Dam removal
editA 2022 study to remove the dam by the Office of Chehalis Basin (OCB) estimated a cost up to $35 million, with a potential high of $80 million when factors are added for the loss of downstream water rights. The study concluded the best options were improvements to the dam to include fish passages, as well as to use the dam for flood control purposes.[7]
In June 2024, a petition to remove the dam at the termination of the Centralia Steam Generation Plant operations was filed by the Quinault Indian Nation. Requesting the removal by at least the end of 2025, the Quinault expects immediate, natural restoration of the river's flow and salmon habitat.[7]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Skookumchuck River
- ^ a b "Skookumchuck River". The Columbia Gazetteer of North America. Retrieved 2009-05-19.
- ^ "Chehalis River Basin Nonpoint Action Plan - Skookumchuck River". Chehalis River Council Nonpoint Action Plan - Skookumchuck River. Retrieved 2009-06-05.
- ^ a b "Water Resources Data-Washington Water Year 2005; Chehalis and Humptulips River Basins; 12026400 Skookumchuck River near Bucoda, WA" (PDF). United States Geological Survey. Retrieved 2009-05-19.
- ^ Vander Stoep, Isabel (May 24, 2023). "Federal 'Endangered' Listing Sought for Chehalis River's Spring Chinook, Others". The Chronicle (Centralia, Washington). Retrieved May 28, 2024.
- ^ Majors, Harry M. (1975). Exploring Washington. Van Winkle Publishing Co. p. 120. ISBN 978-0-918664-00-6.
- ^ a b c Roland, Mitchell (June 15, 2024). "Quinault Nation calls for removing Skookumchuck Dam in Thurston County". The Seattle Times. The Chronicle. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
- ^ Mittge, Brian (December 11, 2004). "Fighting floods". The Chronicle. Retrieved May 28, 2024.
- ^ a b c Warn, Daniel (March 14, 2022). "Fish Passage and Flood Storage 'Are Not Currently Compatible' at Skookumchuck Dam, Phase One Study Finds". The Chronicle. Retrieved June 10, 2024.
- ^ The Chronicle editorial staff (February 22, 2005). "Flood reduction on Chehalis seems mission impossible". The Chronicle. p. 6. Retrieved May 28, 2024.
- ^ Lange, Larry (January 8, 2009). "Solution to flooding problem a long way off". The Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved May 28, 2024.
- ^ McDonald, Julie (May 6, 2024). "NPR shines national spotlight on Centralia and TransAlta". The Chronicle. Retrieved June 10, 2024.