Tacoma Power will draw down Lake Kokanee between April 20 and May 22 as part of the North Fork Skokomish Fish Hatchery construction project. Lake Kokanee will be inaccessible to the public during this work.
Ideally, construction will be complete by May 22. However, if it’s not complete by then, the lake level may be down longer than anticipated. Other factors will also influence when Lake Kokanee can be refilled to its normal level:
- The amount of rain we receive
- The lack of snowpack this year
- Our federally required management of river flows for fish downstream
- Maintaining Lake Cushman at its federally required level
Depending on how this combination of factors plays out, the lake could remain drawn down into June.
“This combination of natural factors, plus our own construction schedule requirements, could lead to low lake levels longer than we had planned or hoped,” said Natural Resources Manager Keith Underwood. “We want to let the public know that it is a possibility so they can plan accordingly.”
Tacoma Power will provide updates at tacomapower.com/riverflows and on the Fishing and Recreation Line (1-888-502-8690).