Your PUD PUD News Line

3/11/2009

PUD general manager to talk finances at March 16 evening meeting

General Manager Rich Riazzi invites customers to a second update on PUD financial issues in light of below-average runoff forecasts, lower-than-expected revenues from surplus power sales and declining investment revenue. An electric rate surcharge has been mentioned as a last resort if additional revenue becomes necessary. The half-hour discussion by Rich Riazzi followed by a question and answer session starts at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, March 16, at the Confluence Technology Center, 285 Technology Way, in Wenatchee.

Lake Chelan Basin runoff forecast drops to 67 percent

The March 1 runoff forecast for the Lake Chelan drainage basin is 67 percent of average for April 1 to July 31. The Northwest River Forecast Center’s March 2009 Final Runoff Forecast for the Columbia River at Grand Coulee is 87 percent of average for January to July. At The Dalles, the runoff forecast for January to July is 80 percent of average. Runoff forecasts for other local area basins are also below average. The runoff forecast for the Wenatchee River is 73 percent of average April to September, and the runoff forecast for the Okanogan River is 59 percent of average for the same period.

New rate structure goes into effect April 1

Changes in rates intended to encourage power and water conservation and more closely align rates among different types of customers will go into effect April 1. Chelan County PUD commissioners approved the changes in October 2008.

The new residential electric rate will be about 3.2 cents per kilowatt hour (up from 3.1 cents).

The new electric rates are designed to encourage conservation by lowering the cost per kilowatt hour (kWh) slightly for residential customers using moderate amounts of power and charging the highest rates for power use that tops 3,000 kWh a month. For up to 70 percent of residential electric customers, monthly bills aren’t expected to change by more than a few dollars and may even go down, based on last year’s use.

If use stays the same, overall electric rate revenue will go up about 2.5 percent; with revenue from residential electric customers going up about 3.2 percent and commercial revenue by 1 percent. Water revenue would increase an estimated 6.9 percent and sewer revenue, 6.5 percent.

Rocky Reach Visitor Center opens for family fun March 14

Rocky Reach Visitor Center will open for the 2009 season at 9 a.m. on Saturday, March 14. More than 60,000 people visited the hydroelectric project last year, which offers free tours of the powerhouse and museum, plus art displays, a theater and fish viewing.

The Visitor Center is open 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. daily through Oct. 31.

Park shelters can be reserved for birthday parties, weddings, anniversaries and family reunions at no cost. The grounds are open until 4:30 p.m. To reserve a Rocky Reach park shelter, call (509) 663-7522.

To schedule a tour of Rocky Reach Dam, visit www.chelanpud.org/visitor-center-tour-request, or contact Debbie Gallaher, Visitor Services manager, at (509) 661-4960.

Rocky Reach Visitor Center is located 7 miles north of Wenatchee on Highway 97A.