WENATCHEE — Chelan County PUD commissioners Monday agreed to move ahead with a proposal that could raise the water level behind Rocky Reach Dam by as much as 3 feet.

Commissioners unanimously agreed to allow PUD General Manger Rich Riazzi to sign an agreement with the state Department of Ecology to explore ways to increase water storage around the region.

Raising the level of Lake Entiat — the reservoir behind Rocky Reach Dam — is one of Ecology’s proposals to store Columbia River water to use during drought, for irrigation, cities and to supplement stream flows for fish.

The extra water behind Rocky Reach would be drawn down when Ecology officials determined that it was needed elsewhere in the Columbia Basin.

Although not opposed to exploring the idea of raising the reservoir, Commissioner Ann Congdon expressed concerns over the potential impact to landowners around the reservoir and not enough clarity about how the proposal would benefit local PUD customers.

“This feels like a power grab by the state — by the agencies — from our local utility,” Congdon said in a phone interview after the meeting.

“Potentially, what I see could happen is that there will be any number of demands for that water,” Congdon said. “The extra water in the pool will be spoken for, and what we have available to us could be nil.”

Gregg Carrington, the PUD’s director of energy resources, said utility staff would study the impacts of the agreement with Ecology and look into how much of the extra water would be retained for local use.

Carrington has said the study could take five years or longer.

Other storage proposals include damming mountain canyons to create reservoirs fitted with their own hydroelectric generators — known as “pumped-storage” projects.

Water would be pumped up from the Columbia and then allowed to flow back down, through the turbines, when more electricity is needed to offset lulls in wind production or to supply peaks in demand.

Ecology has a state mandate to increase Columbia Basin water storage. The agency has also proposed raising the reservoir behind the Grant County PUD’s Wanapum Dam by 3.5 feet. Grant PUD officials are studying the impacts.

Christine Pratt: 665-1173

pratt@wenatcheeworld.com