Submitted by OPALCO

All of San Juan County will be affected by planned outages necessary for Bonneville Power Administration to replace a section of one of the two main power lines that feeds the San Juan Islands from Fidalgo Island.

These maintenance outages will happen overnight, on weekdays, to minimize impact to OPALCO consumers.

The next outage will be from 12:30-up to 4:30 a.m., Tuesday, Oct. 23. This outage will enable the BPA crew to rebuild the section of the high-voltage line and give OPALCO linemen the ability to open and close the mainland circuit to reroute power during some mainland outages. OPALCO will have more control of the mainland power supply and reduce the duration of future local power outages.

The first outage was from 12:30-2:30 a.m., Tuesday, Sept. 25. This outage allowed the BPA crew to deconstruct a section of high-voltage line in need of replacement.

OPALCO consumers should set a reminder for Monday, Oct. 22. Turn sensitive equipment off at the power strip or unplug. In the morning, turn equipment on gradually to aid in power load pick up. OPALCO members are responsible for their own equipment. Members are encouraged to install surge protection to safeguard electronic, computer and other sensitive equipment and appliances.

Now is a great time to make sure you’re prepared for winter outages. OPALCO’s system is strong and its line crews skillful and ready, however, outages happen and consumers must be prepared. Make sure to have an outage plan, including how to get information about outages, a kit of items needed to be comfortable during outages and battery or generator backup for any critical systems.

Visit www.opalco.com for outage checklists and other information.