Learning Center Water: Our Great Resource

From the mountains to the meter

How can the amount of snow in the mountains affect your power bill?

Runoff from mountain snowmelt fills the rivers and turns our turbines/generators at the dams. It’s the main source of the PUD’s “fuel” for energy.

• Snowpack in the Canadian headwaters of the Columbia River is most important. As it moves downstream it generates power at both Rocky Reach and Rock Island dams – our two biggest hydro projects. Any extra power is sold on the open market at prices usually higher than what we pay locally. That helps hold local power bills down.
• Snowfall in the mountains above Lake Chelan fills the lake each spring. Water is used for fish, farms, fun and to generate electricity at the Chelan Falls powerhouse. The forecast for 2009 Lake Chelan runoff has been around 70 percent of average, which means less electricity is likely to be generated.
• It’s not only how much snow, but when it melts that affects PUD power supply – and revenue from selling it. A sudden blast of spring heat can melt the snow too fast – making too much supply and dropping power prices on the open market. A long, cool spring can delay snowmelt and leave the PUD short of power and buying more on the open market. Many times when water supply is down, power prices are up. That’s not the case this year because of the economy.

It’s a delicate balance each year. To learn more, watch the video “Water: Our Great Resource.”