Vital community infrastructure washed away
by Dennis Rahm
The community of Stehekin has always been known as a somewhat isolated area, but a major storm that swept through the area on Thursday causing major damage, has isolated the community and its residents even more.
Flood and debris flows have wiped out the Stehekin sewage treatment plant, cut off power, damaged a number of buildings and made roads in the area impassable. The damage is devastating and now the hard work of recovery begins.
The storm has also impacted access to Holden Village as the road from Lucerne to Holden is impassable.
Chelan County Emergency Management has been assessing the damage and it is apparent that county, state and federal assistance will be needed to aid in recovery.
Friday morning, the Lake Chelan Boat Company reports they are utilizing their barge to transport water and other essential items to Stehekin, but regular ferry service runs have been suspended. At this time there is no access to the Landing by boat.
Recovery from a storm of this magnitude will take a tremendous amount of resources and a considerable amount of time. Primary concerns are the restoration of power, assuring residents of safe drinking water and providing access to food and other necessary supplies. It could also be a race against Mother Nature as efforts will be made to open roads and the Landing before winter snow hits the area.
Long time journalist and Chelan resident Jerry Isenhart spoke to a Stehekin resident on Thursday night and provided the following report and photos. Isenhart operates Lake Chelan Cams which includes the popular Stehekin cam located at the Landing. The camera is currently offline due to the power outage.
A report by Jerry Isenhart
After a night of high winds, abnormally warm temperatures in the mountains, and heavy rain, the lower Stehekin Valley took a major hit Thursday morning when a torrent of mud and debris flowed down 2 normally small creek beds, Imus and Purple Creek, (both drainages just west of the Stehekin Landing), totally destroying a multi-million dollar Sewage Treatment Plant located just west of the lodge.
In addition, the flow of debris from the creek basins destroyed a section of the waterfront road between the Landing and points on up Valley. According to one Stehekin resident, the road was damaged by sloughing due to excessive water on unstable slopes that were caused by burn-out during the Pioneer Fire of 2024. The road was left impassable between the Landing and Loggers Pond, plus the washout annihilated all Chelan PUD power lines servicing the North Cascades Lodge.
As of Friday morning, electrical power to the lower Stehekin Valley was off, and most internet and telephone services that relied on commercial power were not working.
Road washout just about a mile from the Landing. The Purple Point dock basin is seen in the distance. Loggers Pond – a local landmark – is not far behind where the camera was positioned when this photo was taken.
The flash flood that completely isolated the North Cascades Lodge from the rest of the valley on Thursday was reminiscent of a flash flood in 2003 that destroyed the Stehekin Road at Car Wash Falls, 13, miles from the end of the Valley Road. That section of road to Miners Basin has never been repaired.
This latest washout will certainly be repaired and services restored to the Lodge, restaurant and boat docks and landing.
One resident familiar with the difficulties of any kind of heavy construction told me he thinks it could take 2-3 weeks just to reopen the road between the Stehekin Landing and the popular Stehekin Bakery.
No one is prepared to make an estimate on how long it might be before a new sewage treatment plant could be built at the landing to accommodate the needs of the North Cascades Lodge.
All that remains of a sewage treatment facility located between the North Cascades Lodge and Purple Point Campground. The facility had recently undergone major upgrades. It has provided sewage treatment for the North Cascade Lodge, restaurant and related facilities for the NPS Concessionaire.
Editor’s Note:
PUD Update, 12-12-25, 3:00 p.m.
Although there have been reports of the re-establishment of power in spots around the Stehekin Valley, the Chelan County PUD indicates those are representative of people who are utilizing individual generators. PUD crews have completed a helicopter flyover to assess the damage and there are reports of fallen trees and downed power lines in many locations. The PUD will conduct a further assessment of the situation on Saturday, but a spokesperson indicates residents can expect it may be several days before power is likely restored.
PUD Update, 12-12-25, 10:00 a.m.
The latest Chelan County PUD outage map indicates power may be restored to Stehekin by 6:00 p.m. Friday evening. According to PUD data, 160 customers have been affected by the Stehekin outage.
Related Lake Chelan Now Information: Storm Impacts Boat Service to Stehekin
