Plans to realign and extend the runway at Lake Chelan Airport in Washington are being reconsidered after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) determined that the previously selected runway configuration would not be operationally feasible.
According to the Lake Chelan Mirror, the Chelan City Council voted Aug. 11 to accept a $418,000 FAA grant to update the airport’s master plan and airport layout plan. The planning effort is expected to cost about $459,800, with additional funding from the Washington State Department of Transportation Aviation Division, the city and the Chelan Douglas Regional Port Authority.
Lake Chelan Airport currently has a 3,503-foot runway. Earlier plans called for relocating, rotating and extending the runway by about 897 feet. The project also included relocating taxiways, hangars and the fuel system, as well as changes to Howard Flats Road and the acquisition of surrounding property and aviation easements.
The project took a step back after the FAA conducted a more detailed review of the proposed runway alignment.
According to Chelan City Administrator Laura McAloon, FAA personnel used flight simulations to evaluate how the proposed runway would operate. The simulations identified problems associated with the airport’s mountainous surroundings and existing structures.
The FAA recommended that Chelan revisit the airport’s projected aircraft needs and conduct additional outreach with airport users, nearby property owners and the public before moving forward.
The new planning effort will also revisit the data used to identify the airport’s critical aircraft—the aircraft type that determines the design standards the airport must meet. Officials will reconsider the runway alignment and update the airport’s master plan, layout plan and property map to comply with current FAA requirements.
The previous runway project had already entered the environmental review process. A draft environmental assessment released in January examined a roughly 209-acre area and covered the proposed runway and taxiway changes, relocation of airport facilities and portions of Howard Flats Road, irrigation modifications and a new automated weather observation system.
That environmental review is now paused while the city reassesses the project.
The updated planning process is also important for securing future federal funding. McAloon told city officials that the airport needs a new, FAA-compliant plan before it can pursue federal funding for the proposed improvements.
“So without going through this planning process, nothing will change out at the airport,” McAloon said.
The goal is not necessarily to abandon the runway project, but to develop a configuration that can meet FAA standards while working within the airport’s physical constraints.
The city will work with a planning consultant and the FAA to reassess the airport’s long-term needs and determine what changes are feasible. The resulting plan will help determine whether the runway relocation and other improvements can move forward and qualify for future federal funding.
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