Chelan River
| Chelan River | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Washington |
| County | Chelan |
| City | Chelan |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | Lake Chelan |
| • coordinates | 47°50′5″N 120°0′43″W / 47.83472°N 120.01194°W |
| • elevation | 1,100 ft (340 m) |
| Mouth | Columbia River |
• coordinates | 47°48′32″N 119°59′3″W / 47.80889°N 119.98417°W |
• elevation | 712 ft (217 m) |
| Length | 4.1 mi (6.6 km) |
| Basin size | 924 sq mi (2,390 km2) |
| Discharge | |
| • location | mouth |
| • average | 2,042 cu ft/s (57.8 m3/s) |
| • minimum | 0 cu ft/s (0 m3/s) |
| • maximum | 18,400 cu ft/s (520 m3/s) |
The Chelan River is a tributary of the Columbia River, in the U.S. state of Washington. Just 4.1 miles (6.6 km) long, it is the shortest river in Washington. Lake Chelan Dam is located at the river's source: the outlet of Lake Chelan. Nearly the entire river's flow is diverted to the Lake Chelan Powerhouse, 3.9 miles (6.3 km) downstream near the river's mouth. Thus the Chelan River is almost always dry. Statistics on the streamflow are taken at the tailrace of the powerhouse, measuring the water that would flow through the river were it not diverted, although not including small tributaries, including Daybreak Canyon, that join the Chelan riverbed from the Lake Chelan Dam to the canal outlet.