Chelan Transmission Fire Hardening Drop-in Session Nov. 20

CHELAN - Join the Chelan County PUD for an Informational Drop-in Session on Wednesday, Nov. 20 from 3:30-5:30 p.m. at the Lake Chelan Chamber of Commerce, 216 E. Woodin Ave.

Chelan County PUD has proposed upgrading a transmission line between Chelan Falls and Union Valley from wood to steel poles to harden the infrastructure against fires. Steel poles allow fires to pass by them without burning, meaning lines can either remain in service during a fire, or experience much shorter outages to de-energize the line while a fire passes through. See the Project Fact Sheet for more details.

The PUD and its consultant have completed 30% design for the line section from Chelan Falls to Union Valley. Features of the design include:

• Upgrading all transmission power poles between Chelan Falls and Union Valley from wood to steel.

• Ensuring clearances are compliant with regulatory requirements – which means some poles may be taller than existing structures, and some may be shorter.

• Poles will remain in the same general alignment as they are currently, although new pole locations will be offset slightly from existing poles.

The next step is for the PUD to gather feedback on this design from the community.

If you have any questions or comments about the project, please contact Jenna Rahm, Customer Outreach Specialist, at jenna.rahm@chelanpud.org or 509-661-4630. You can also visit our website for more information: www.chelanpud.org/firehardening.