Leavenworth and Upper Valley-area customers:
The PUD began working with the community in 2015 to find a location for a new substation in the Leavenworth area to support growth and development in the Upper Valley. The existing double-bank substation serving this area is nearing capacity.
On May 1, 2017, PUD Commissioners voted to buy 3.01 acres next to Chumstick Highway in Leavenworth. The property has been added to what is now a list of three potential sites for the new substation. The purchase preserves an option for a possible location. The PUD has not made a final decision on the location for the new substation. The Chumstick property has favorable characteristics for siting a substation including lower costs for real estate, transmission, access and groundwater remediation. Because the site is closer to existing transmission lines, fewer structures would be needed lessening the impact and visual foot print for the community. Given the PUD’s current estimate, it identified at least $1M and up to potentially $2M in savings over the MEND site. Much of the cost savings comes from needing less transmission to serve a site the Chumstick property.
The MEND property, site 14, continues to be evaluated and the PUD is working through potential site boundaries and acreage with multiple property owners. The City property, site 8a, is still a viable alternative. A feasibility report will be complete on all three sites.
PUD staff met with the Leavenworth community focus group on May 11 to provide an update on the new site and reviewed comparisons of preliminary cost estimates and line routing for the three sites. The focus group endorsed moving ahead with the Chumstick site as the preferred alternative.
PUD staff will continue to further develop the feasibility analysis for all three sites. We anticipate the feasibility report to be completed by the end of June and a recommendation to be made to PUD Commissioners in early July.
PUD staff will be presenting an update on the Leavenworth substation to Commissioners on Monday, May 15 at 1pm in the Commission Board Room at 327 N. Wenatchee Ave. in Wenatchee. Board meeting agendas are available on our website prior to each meeting. Presentations and an audio file are available on our website after each meeting.
The PUD is always open to hearing from the public. You can share public comments on the Leavenworth substation using the public comment form on our webpage or by emailing [email protected] or calling 509-661-4294.
We will continue to update our website and our outreach efforts via email and direct mail will continue as we move into the next phase of this project.
For a complete history of the project and other current information on the Bavarian substation project, please visit chelanpud.org/NewLeavenworthSubstation.
Timeline, Meetings & Documents
News & Comments
Thank you,
Teka Sellers
Customer Outreach Specialist II
Chelan County PUD
[email protected]
509-661-4294
