Man dies in river accident

A 38-year-old man died after his raft overturned on the Sultan River on Saturday, April 25.

Snohomish County Sheriff's deputies responded on Saturday afternoon to a report that indicated that a raft had overturned in the Lake Chaplain area of Sultan, spilling four rafters into the water.

According to a press release, "The Snohomish County Sheriff's Office activated [its] Dive/Marine Unit, and the search was aided by Snohawk 1, the Sheriff's Office Search and Rescue helicopter.GÇ¥

Three individuals were rescued, but one rafter was found deceased near Trout Farm Road in Sultan.

The current was strong at the time of the incident due to the Snohomish County Public Utility District's (PUD) planned release of additional water into the upper Sultan River. Per the PUD's licensing agreement to operate the Jackson Hydro Project, roughly four opportunities for recreational whitewater boating occur each year. This is done by temporarily opening a valve at the base of the Culmback Dam and releasing additional water into the Sultan River.

The PUD website reported that a peak discharge of approximately 700 cubic feet per second would occur in between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Saturday. Boaters interested in taking advantage of the event were required to pre-register.