Benton PUD: Under difficult conditions, dedicated employees keep the power on

This winter was one to remember. What often gets overlooked are the significant efforts made by Benton PUD employees to ensure the power stays on in our community, even under the most extreme conditions.

Snow, wind and frigid temperatures whipped across the state in mid-February. Schools closed. Roads were treacherous. Businesses operated with minimal staff. And our crews were out in the middle of it. Not only were they taking care of outages caused by tree limbs falling on lines, cars sliding into transformers or power poles, and ice buildup on equipment, but they also assisted first responders. Performing work safely, along with ensuring the safety of the public, was at the top of their minds.

In February, two Benton PUD linemen partnered with a Benton REA crew to assist Benton County Sheriff’s deputies and the Washington State Patrol to rescue motorists stranded in snow drifts along the Paterson Highway. Conditions were so difficult the roads had been closed. The two utility crews used snow crawlers designed to navigate through heavy snow where snow plows could not get through. Working late into the night, they retrieved a family of four, a husband and wife, and several hunters who were stranded in their cars for many hours. The snow was so deep that each of the snow crawlers became stuck in snow drifts requiring help from the second crawler to be pulled out of the drift.

During that same weekend, another line crew was asked to respond to a call about a damaged transmission pole near Paterson. Interstate 82 was closed due to significant snow fall and high winds, so the crew needed to coordinate with the Department of Transportation to use the interstate. Use of the roadway was granted, the crew successfully traveled many miles through heavy snowfall to inspect the pole and then rerouted power so customers did not experience an outage.

A couple of weekends later, a crew responded to a power outage affecting communications equipment on the top of Rattlesnake Mountain. Given that the equipment could operate with backup power for only a limited period, a crew started up the mountain with a snow crawler, which broke down halfway to the top. A Benton REA crew responded to a request for help, but their crawler also broke down in the deep snow. Both crews had to hike down the mountain in frigid temperatures and high winds — at night. Crews went up the next day on snow mobiles to retrieve the vehicles and restore power.

Last summer, it was alarming to see flames spread across the hills above the Canyon Lakes area. Tragically, five homes were totally lost and many more were damaged. Our crews assisted first responders to ensure the firefighters could safely work to contain the fires around power lines.

Once the fire was controlled, power was rerouted so people who had been evacuated from the area were able to return to their homes and have electricity. In the end, 20 poles were destroyed. The following week, our crews replaced the poles to ensure there would be reliable power to that area of town. It was hot, dirty work in the blackened fields of sagebrush. For the families affected by the fire, cleanup and repairs have taken months. Our hearts go out to those who lost their homes and those who had to deal with the damages.

Many other Benton PUD employees work all hours and under difficult conditions in support of our mission. Warehouse workers, automotive mechanics and maintenance personnel must work to keep the parts flowing, the trucks running and facilities and parking lots open — and safe.

Not very often do our customers experience an outage, but when they do, there are dedicated people behind the scenes taking care of the problem. It’s with pride — and thanks — that I share these stories.

This story was originally published April 18, 2019 at 12:05 AM.