Measure of snowpack shows plenty of water for PUD

Snow depth in the Cascades as measured by the Snohomish County Public Utility District last week didn’t set a record, but it came close.

The snow depth and water content at two locations were the second highest in the PUD’s 28 years of taking measurements.

Every March, two or three PUD staff members take a helicopter into the Cascades to measure snow and water content at three spots in the Sultan River basin. The highest is Stickney Ridge at 3,600 feet; next is Olney Pass at 3,300 feet, and the lowest is Kromona Mine at 2,400 feet.

On March 25 at Kromona Mine the snow was 117 inches deep and at Olney Pass, 123.5 — roughly 10 feet. Each measurement is the second highest recorded at those spots by the PUD. The depth at Stickney Ridge this year was measured at 159.3 inches, the fourth highest on record.

The utility uses the snowpack information to determine how much water to let through its three dams for hydropower and still have enough for the summer, said Bruce Meaker, a principal engineer for the PUD.

“The target is to get back up to a relatively high position by the end of June,” he said.

The PUD generates about 5 percent of its power by running water from Spada Lake through a pipeline to turbines in a pumphouse four miles downstream on the Sultan River. The PUD also operates small dams at Youngs Creek near Sultan and Woods Creek near Monroe.

About 80 percent of the drinking water for Snohomish County comes from Spada Lake, via Lake Chaplain, to the city of Everett.

A rainy autumn can be thanked for the deep snowpack, according to the National Weather Service in Seattle.

Rain in the lowlands usually translates to snow in the Cascades. Seattle averages 27 inches (three-quarters of its annual average) for the rainy season each year, from Oct. 1 to April 1, said Art Gabel, a meteorologist with the weather service.

Seattle was about 6 inches ahead of average for that period by the end of December but now, thanks to a relatively dry spell s far in 2013, has fallen back to about 3 inches ahead for the six-month period, Gabel said.

A deep snowpack with lots of water usually means plenty of drinking water for the summer and more hydropower for the county, Meaker said.

“But it’s not a slam dunk,” he said.

A sunny spring could evaporate some of that snow before it can melt and run down the mountain into the Spada Lake reservoir.

“It can go directly from solid to vapor,” he said. “The conditions have to be just right. … We won’t know until we see it in the reservoir.”

According to the Climate Prediction Center — the long-range forecasting arm of the National Weather Service — the snowpack should be safe. The center predicts above-average rainfall and roughly average temperatures for the Northwest from April through June.

The PUD takes its measurements in March because that’s when the snow usually hits its peak, PUD spokesman Neil Neroutsos said. Technicians have been making the trip into the mountains since 1986. They collect and measure the snow with a long tube marked in inches and feet. The tube is weighed with a hand-held scale to determine the water content. The snow is collected at 10 different spots at each of the three locations and the numbers are added and averaged.

The snowpack tends to run in five- to seven-year cycles between spikes, Meaker said. The recent low point was three years ago, in March 2010. This year is likely the peak of this cycle, he said. If history holds, there will be less snow next year.

“The cycles aren’t perfect but they’re pretty consistent,” Meaker said.

The record high for each of the three locations is 197.8 inches at Stickney Ridge, 137 inches at Olney Pass and 125.6 inches at Kromona Mine — all in 2008.

Bill Sheets: 425-339-3439; sheets@heraldnet.com.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Trader Joe’s customers walk in and out of the store on Monday, Nov. 20, 2023 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
New Trader Joe’s opens this week at Everett Mall

It’s a short move from a longtime location, essentially across the street, where parking was often an adventure.

Ian Bramel-Allen enters a guilty plea to second-degree murder during a plea and sentencing hearing on Wednesday, March 6, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘Deep remorse’: Man gets 17 years for friend’s fatal stabbing in Edmonds

Ian Bramel-Allen, 44, pleaded guilty Wednesday to second-degree murder for killing Bret Northcutt last year at a WinCo.

Firefighters respond to a small RV and a motorhome fire on Tuesday afternoon in Marysville. (Provided by Snohomish County Fire Distrct 22)
1 injured after RV fire, explosion near Marysville

The cause of the fire in the 11600 block of 81st Avenue NE had not been determined, fire officials said.

Ashton Dedmon appears in court during his sentencing hearing on Tuesday, March 5, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Everett Navy sailor sentenced to 90 days for fatal hit and run

Ashton Dedmon crashed into Joshua Kollman and drove away. Dedmon, a petty officer on the USS Kidd, reported he had a panic attack.

A kindergarten student works on a computer at Emerson Elementary School on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024, in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘¡Una erupción!’: Dual language programs expanding to 10 local schools

A new bill aims to support 10 new programs each year statewide. In Snohomish County, most follow a 90-10 model of Spanish and English.

Cassie Franklin, Mayor of Everett, delivers the annual state of the city address Thursday morning in the Edward D. Hansen Conference Center in Everett, Washington on March 31, 2022.  (Kevin Clark / The Herald)
At Everett mayor’s keynote speech: $35 entry, Boeing sponsorship

The city won’t make any money from the event, city spokesperson Simone Tarver said. Still, it’s part of a trend making open government advocates wary.

Logo for news use featuring the Tulalip Indian Reservation in Snohomish County, Washington. 220118
Woman drives off cliff, dies on Tulalip Reservation

The woman fell 70 to 80 feet after driving off Priest Point Drive NW on Sunday afternoon.

Everett
Boy, 4, survives fall from Everett fourth-story apartment window

The child was being treated at Seattle Children’s. The city has a limited supply of window stops for low-income residents.

People head out to the water at low tide during an unseasonably warm day on Saturday, March 16, 2024, at Lighthouse Park in Mukilteo, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Everett shatters record high temperature by 11 degrees

On Saturday, it hit 73 degrees, breaking the previous record of 62 set in 2007.

Snohomish County Fire District #4 and Snohomish Regional Fire & Rescue respond to a motor vehicle collision for a car and pole. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene, near Triangle Bait & Tackle in Snohomish. (Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office)
Police: Troopers tried to stop driver before deadly crash in Snohomish

The man, 31, was driving at “a high rate of speed” when he crashed into a traffic light pole and died, investigators said.

Alan Dean, who is accused of the 1993 strangulation murder of 15-year-old Bothell girl Melissa Lee, appears in court during opening statements of his trial on Monday, March 18, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
31 years later, trial opens in Bothell teen’s brutal killing

In April 1993, Melissa Lee’s body was found below Edgewater Creek Bridge. It would take 27 years to arrest Alan Dean in her death.

Logo for news use featuring the municipality of Snohomish in Snohomish County, Washington. 220118
Man dies after crashing into pole in Snohomish

Just before 1 a.m., the driver crashed into a traffic light pole at the intersection of 2nd Street and Maple Avenue.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.