PART 3 



SUB-A-REA liVENATCHEE AND ENTIAT RIVT'^RS 



Introduction 



The Wena tehee and Entiat Rivers have their sources high in one 

 of the most rupged sections of the Cascade Range near Glacier Peak 

 (altitude 10,436 feet) and run parallel courses in a southeasterly 

 direction to their junction vdth the main Columbia River. The 

 drainage area of the Wenatchee River is over 1,000 square miles 

 and the drainage area of the Entiat River is approximately 500 

 square miles. 



The upper portions of the watersheds are in rugged, forested 

 country, and many of the tributaries in this section are steep 

 and inaccessible because of falls and cascades. Winter snows are 

 heavy in the forest area, and few of the streams in this section 

 ever go riaturally dry. A few of them are clouded with glacial siit 

 during run-bff periods. This upper section grades rapidly into the 

 semi-arid, open country typical of the Columbia plateau region. Many 

 of the lower tributaries are nearly dry during the summer months, 

 irrigation d emands nov; rendering most of them inaccessible to salmon. 



There vrere formerly p;ood runs of steelhead trout and chinook 

 salmon into both river systems, Blueback salmon ran into Lake 

 Wenatchee, and a good run of silver salmon spawned in the Wenatchee 

 system. All of these r\ms were greatly reduced during the early part 

 of the present century, primarily due to the vinscreened diversion of 

 irrigation water and to the construction of small dams. 



An old lumber mill dam in the Wenatchee River at the town of 

 Leavenworth was reported to have been at least a partial barrier to 

 fish for many years, although it was equipped v;ith some semblance of 

 a fish ladder. This dam was removed in 1933 or 1934. Fishways vrere 

 later constructed at the two remaining dams on the Wenatchee that 

 were barriers to fish. 



In 1898 a dam fonning a partial barrier to salmon was built at 

 a saw mill site on the Entiat River about one mile above the mouth. 

 An ineffective fish ladder -was built over this dam. Shortly there- 

 after a new dam was built which entirely obstructed the passage of fish 

 upstream. Indians are reported to have taken large numbers of fish 

 below the dam. In 1904 the last good run of chinooks entered the 

 Entiat, depletion being very rapid in succeeding years. This dean 

 was later removed, but others were installed which continued to 

 obstruct the passage of fish. 



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