Frequent electrical outages persist

ADAMS COUNTY – Area electrical customers have been experiencing short but frequent power outages for the past couple of weeks. Towns affected include Ritzville, Washtucna, Lind, Sprague, Reardan and Davenport.

Avista spokesman David Vowels said after examining the system and miles of power lines, Avista crews identified ice build-up and animal interference as apparent causes of the electric service interruptions.

“Crews are working to resolve these issues and, in the meantime, have rerouted power to minimize further interruptions in service,” Vowels said Monday, Nov. 2, adding customers may continue experiencing intermittent power interruptions until the issues are resolved.

“We understand how disruptive power outages can be, and we are committed to resolving these issues as quickly and safely as possible,” Vowels said.

Big Bend Electric Co-op spokesman Mike Steinberger said since Avista supplies power in the Ritzville area, their customers have been experiencing the outages also.

“Every bump or blink the town of Ritzville has been seeing, so has our Ritzville substation,” Steinberger said Monday. “The problems are in the transmission line. I hope they get it solved. We get a lot of calls, but our customers don’t understand how the power grid works. It doesn’t have anything to do with the Big Bend lines. It’s the distributor of the power to us, that we buy our power from. Of course, customers are upset and concerned that their lights are blinking. We have to explain to them our hands are tied; there’s nothing we can do to fix it. So it’s kind of frustrating.”

Customers who see or hear something unusual during an outage are asked to call Avista at 800 227 9187.