EWEB switches to wildfire safety settings for power lines in areas at risk for wildfire
EWEB has switched to wildfire safety settings for power lines that serve approximately 10% of customers — mostly in the Laurel Hill Valley, South Hills and Southwest Hills — as hot, dry, windy conditions bear down on the area.
The switch was prompted by a Red Flag Warning issued by the National Weather Service for the Southern Willamette Valley from 1 to 8 p.m. on Monday.
Critical fire weather conditions are expected Monday afternoon, with gusty winds up to 25 miles per hour and humidity dipping to 15 to 20%. Current forecasts say Tuesday and Wednesday will be warmer and smokier as smoke drifts in from wildfires outside the area, but with calmer winds.
When in wildfire safety settings, power lines trip off more easily, instantly shutting off power when something comes in contact with the equipment, even briefly, like a branch tapping the line. EWEB crews don’t restore power until they have fully patrolled and inspected the area where the trip occurred. EWEB will only patrol during daylight hours, so overnight outages may last longer.
This means that customers in the neighborhoods covered by the wildfire safety settings may experience more outages and longer outages until the dangerous weather passes.
“We take seriously our responsibility to ensure that our powerlines and electric infrastructure are safe,” said EWEB Incident Commander Scott Milovich. “We also recognize that any outage, and especially an extended one, has serious implications for customers. We believe these wildfire safety settings strike the right balance between ensuring safety and keeping the power on for customers.”
Customers should be vigilant about these critical fire weather conditions, taking steps to ensure they don’t accidentally contribute to fire risk. Customers should also stay prepared by developing emergency plans and building emergency preparedness kits.
As hot weather bears down on Eugene, EWEB is also expecting customer demand for energy to rise because of air conditioners working overtime to keep homes cool. Temperatures will approach 100 degrees Wednesday and Thursday, and EWEB forecasts that energy demand could hit the highest levels of the summer so far.
