Chelan County Public Works

09/04/2026

Kicking off Labor Day Weekend, we are sharing photos of some labor that went on up Yaksum Canyon this week!

The Cashmere crew was ditching, getting ready for our wet season (fingers crossed). Here's to all the people out there who put in hard days of work! 💪

County offices are closed on Monday for the holiday. Have a safe and happy weekend!

09/04/2026

The Sand Creek Road culvert replacement project starts on Tuesday! This is a full closure on a portion of road. It does not impact any homes but it will impact access to the Red Hill Trailhead. Map is on our website.

A contractor for Chelan County Natural Resources will begin replacing a culvert on Sand Creek Road on Sept. 8, temporarily closing access to public lands above the project.

09/04/2026

The monthly Drop-Off Saturday at the Moderate Risk Waste Facility is Sept. 5 -- that's this Saturday!

Chelan County residents can drop off their hazardous waste at the facility between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. The facility is also open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday every week.

For more information, visit the facility's website: https://www.co.chelan.wa.us/solid-waste-management/pages/household-hazardous-wastes

09/03/2026

ROAD ALERT: On Sept. 8, our contractor will begin installing stormwater drainage improvements on Arizona Boulevard in Malaga, where standing water has long been an issue for motorists and homeowners.

The work area at Riviera and Arizona boulevards will be closed to traffic during construction. Detours are available around the work zone via West Malaga Road and Sierra Boulevard. Construction is expected to last five weeks.

More info -- and a map of the work area -- on our website.

On Sept. 8, a contractor will begin installing stormwater drainage improvements on Arizona Boulevard in Malaga, where standing water has long been an issue for motorists and homeowners. The five-week project will cause road closures and detours.

09/03/2026

We need your input!

We are doing a Safe Routes to School Study that's focused on connectivity and safety for the Manson community.

The study examines how multiple modes of transportation can be planned to offer a compatible solution to connect Manson's downtown area with Manson Elementary School and Manson High School. Using the study, Chelan County will have a design for a walking and bicycling network that lowers the level of traffic stress and improves accessible routes for the community.

The survey takes only a few minutes and is open through mid-October.

08/31/2026

THIS WEEK: Watch for the Chelan crew on South Lakeshore Road, where it continues to replace broken road barriers. The crew also will be patching potholes around the district.

The Wenatchee District will be crack sealing on Joe Miller and Hamlin roads. Watch for one-lane, flagger-controlled traffic in the work zones. Lower those speeds when you see our crews working on the county road.

The Cashmere District will be ditching and filling potholes throughout the district. Watch for crews in Williams Canyon and at the Dryden Transfer Station, where they continue to prep for upcoming paving in those locations.

The Entiat District will be doing shoulder work and mowing on upper Entiat River Road. And the Leavenworth crew will be repairing potholes and trimming brush.

08/26/2026

If you are headed to the Dryden Transfer Station with an electric lawnmower or one of those mini convertibles your kid races around the backyard, please stop and remove the battery for us.

Rechargeable batteries of all sizes – except e-bike batteries – should be taken to our Moderate Risk Waste Facility for safe disposal. They don’t belong at the transfer station.

When we come upon them in the facility’s dumping pit, the batteries literally light us up. When our equipment pushes that garbage with its metal blade and strikes a battery, it can cause a fire or even a small explosion. We recently had one catch fire while an employee was rushing to transfer the battery from the pit into a bucket.

We rely on rechargeable batteries so much these days; they are in nearly everything, it seems. Please remove all rechargeable batteries in items you are disposing of and make a separate trip to the Moderate Risk Waste Facility, which is fully equipped to dispose of these batteries safely.

This photo is an oldie but a goodie of a kids' convertible found along the side of the road in the Chelan District.

Moderate Risk Waste Facility: https://www.co.chelan.wa.us/solid-waste-management/pages/household-hazardous-wastes

08/24/2026

THIS WEEK: The Leavenworth crew plans to install a new culvert at 17123 Chumstick Highway. Watch for one-lane, flagger-controlled traffic in the work zone and plan for minor traffic delays. The crew will also be brooming on Chumstick Highway.

In Cashmere, the crew will be ditching and shouldering on Williams Canyon Road near Dryden. The work is being done in preparation for pre-leveling in September. Watch for one-lane, flagger-controlled traffic and plan for minor traffic delays. If poor air quality conditions persist, the crew will instead be cutting brush and patching potholes around the district.

On Lake Chelan, watch for the crew to be replacing broken barriers on South Lakeshore Road. The work zone will be at one lane with flaggers directing traffic. If you come upon the crew working, lower your speeds; minor traffic delays are expected. The crew will also be patching potholes during the week.

The Entiat crew will be brushing and cleaning culverts on upper Entiat River Road.

08/19/2026

We’ve gotten a few inquiries recently about illegal dump sites around the county, and we just want to clear up our role in cleaning up the county.

-Chelan County Public Works maintains county-owned lands in the unincorporated areas of our beautiful county.

-Our responsibility is to county roads and the right-of-way along a county road. This work alone keeps us very busy!

-We are not able to clean up dump sites on private property or land owned by another governmental agency, such as the U.S. Forest Service. Just like if your neighbor has a mess on their property, it’s not on you to clean it up.

-If you see an illegal dump site, feel free to use our online Report a Problem portal. We will go out and take a look. If it is on county property, we’ll clean it up! If it isn’t, the county will contact the agency that owns that property. Portal: https://www.co.chelan.wa.us/public-works/forms/report-a-problem

Photo is of a recent illegal dump site on Nahahum Canyon Road that we cleaned up in June.

08/18/2026

ROAD ALERT: Out of concern for potential new wildfires and limited firefighting resources, Chelan County is closing Horse Lake Road in Wenatchee, which leads to the popular Horse Lake Reserve.

The closure comes at the request of the Wenatchee Valley Fire Department and the Chelan-Douglas Land Trust and with the support of the Chelan County fire marshal.

Eric Pierson, Chelan County Public Works director and county engineer, said people should be prepared for the road to be closed for several weeks.

“We will close the road today and open it back up when conditions allow,” Pierson said. “Unfortunately, it’s very difficult to put a hard date on reopening, but we will make those decisions after future discussions with the fire department and land trust.”

Chelan County code allows the Board of County Commissioners to close a roadway if extreme hazardous conditions exist or there are concerns for public safety. Areas around Horse Lake Road are extremely dry and the vicinity is vulnerable to wildfire, according to the resolution commissioners signed today.