Chelan County Public Works

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.

08/17/2026

THIS WEEK: Watch for crews doing general maintenance around the county. The Leavenworth crew is ditching at Lake Wenatchee and replacing culverts. The Chelan, Wenatchee and Entiat districts also are ditching. And the Cashmere crew is repairing potholes and cutting brush district-wide.

We’ve got heavy fire traffic on some county roads, including Entiat River Road. Please avoid any roads that are currently being used for firefighting activities. Those roads are listed under evacuation areas on the Chelan County Emergency Incidents Map.

https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/634880e739884cf2a4d39771e86d5ac9?fbclid=IwY2xjawSeu15leHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFtNU1rY010TkE0RnRGWWRUc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHiWZmxFiTQTOvqfMP3gKngiVt3GXth_d_vD0UqBvsqHpuEjDJQSgYfFQWWRS_aem_lyqEpJYRUbCBGaWelMNvMg

08/11/2026

Making plans to come to the Dryden Transfer Station this week?

The state's road project on Highway 2 will impact our entrance on Wednesday, Aug. 12. That means you won't be able to access our facility while the state's contractor is grinding the approach to the transfer station. Work will take 1 to 2 hours.

We don't have a time for when this work will happen. It's kind of like the cable guy, where we know he will show up, just not when.

If your plans were to come by on Wednesday, please know there may be an issue. Or make plans to see us today or Thursday!

08/10/2026

Please remember to stay out of our fire evacuation areas. If you don't live on these roads, please avoid them.

Firefighting apparatus and emergency responders are working hard. Impacted roads also need to be open for evacuees. All evac areas are posted to the county's emergency incidents map: https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/634880e739884cf2a4d39771e86d5ac9?fbclid=IwY2xjawSeu15leHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFtNU1rY010TkE0RnRGWWRUc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHiWZmxFiTQTOvqfMP3gKngiVt3GXth_d_vD0UqBvsqHpuEjDJQSgYfFQWWRS_aem_lyqEpJYRUbCBGaWelMNvMg

LITTLE GIANT FIRE: All current evacuation levels remain in place. Levels are posted on the Emergency Incidents Map: bit.ly/43qqPnm

As of 6 a.m., Northwest Team 12 has taken command of the fire. Firefighters continue to focus on structure protection in the Entiat Valley, Navarre, First Creek, Twenty-Five Mile, Lucerne, Lake Wenatchee, Fish Lake and Trinidad areas.

For updates, go to Little Giant Fire Information 2026

08/07/2026

Travelers should plan for 45-minute delays as crews repave sections of Chumstick Highway near Plain Aug. 10-14.

Our partners at WSDOT have announced contractors will repave sections of a 19-mile stretch of road from south to north, starting in Leavenworth and ending just outside of Plain.

A pilot car will guide travelers through the work zone. Delays up to 45 minutes are expected from 6 a.m.- 7 p.m. Monday, Aug. 10 through Friday, Aug. 14.

We will begin our project at Beaver Hill on Sept. 28. Watch for more information as we get closer to that date.

08/04/2026

This just in -- Traffic Safety crew wants you to know their working hard on Malaga-Alcoa Highway in their N95s!

Remember, don't pass the striping truck, and stay off those freshly painted lines. Roadway paint is designed to dry quickly, but best to stay off if you see our striping truck working.