Latest news with #GrantCountyPublicUtilityDistrict
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Decision delayed on condemnation proceedings along proposed power line route
Apr. 14—EPHRATA — Grant County Public Utility District commissioners will delay a decision on beginning condemnation proceedings for property along the route of a projected power line between Wanapum Dam and Quincy for six weeks. Commissioners voted to table a resolution that would've started the condemnation proceedings at the April 8 meeting, following testimony from residents along the proposed route. John Rylaarsdam, one of the property owners, said in a later interview he told commissioners that from his perspective, the selection process was flawed and there have been additional problems with the process since. "My main frustration is the fact that they have other options, and they're unwilling to look at those. That's extremely frustrating for me," he said. The new line, known as Route 4b, will provide additional power from the dam to customers in the Quincy area, and PUD planners evaluated a number of options during the selection process about two years ago. The route chosen crosses land that's mostly in crop production between Frenchman Hills Road and George. The PUD is in negotiations with property owners along the route for easements for the power lines and access to them. Utility district employees requested permission from commissioners to start condemnation proceedings for properties where landowners have refused access to determine where poles might be placed. Commission Chair Terry Pyle said commissioners don't want to vote on a condemnation resolution, according to a PUD press release on the meeting. The vote originally was scheduled for late April. The six-week delay will push it to May 27. Rylaarsdam said he thought he and his neighbors received inadequate notice about the selection process. "There were four choices then, and 4b wasn't even an original choice," he said. "That was kind of an add-on (to the original options), and they made that decision very late in the game. We were all unaware of it until after they had already made the decision." In a letter issued in February, commissioners said the PUD had provided what they considered adequate notice throughout the selection process. The easements will take about 4.4 acres of his property, Rylaarsdam said, and the PUD offer is about $20,400. Rylaarsdam said PUD policy limits the payment to about 20-25% of the property value for an easement. He thought that was inadequate, he said, given the terms of the proposed easement. "Also, in their documentation in the contract, it frees them from any indemnification. If something happens there, they're indemnified from it," he said. In their February letter, commissioners said the PUD is willing to work with landowners to reduce the intrusion as much as possible. Pyle said during the meeting that it's difficult to proceed until PUD officials have the information they need to determine the actual placement of power poles, which requires access to the proposed route. "Without understanding where the poles go, we have nothing to talk about," he said. "It's not going to do us any good to negotiate an easement without having an idea where those poles are." Commissioners will talk about the power line and the options at a workshop at 1 p.m. May 20 at the PUD headquarters, 30 C St. SW, Ephrata.
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Ephrata PUD office receiving ADA upgrades, closed until March 21
Mar. 13—EPHRATA — The Grant County Public Utility District headquarters building, 30 C St. SW in Ephrata, will be closed from March 10 to March 21 to install accessibility upgrades and refurbish some of the public areas, according to PUD public information officer Christine Pratt. The upgrades will cost the utility district around $32,500. "Basically, the idea is to lower part of the counter, so it makes it more wheelchair friendly," Pratt said. "That counter is attended by customer service representatives. There are humans there to help out. The lower counter is just in case a customer in a wheelchair wants to come in and pay their bill in person, or if they have to come in to do any business and they maybe have to sign something. It's just going to be at a height that makes it more comfortable for them to do that." Pratt said customers in wheelchairs have been able to access the counter, but it was too tall for them to do so comfortably. The upgrade is just to ensure all customers are accommodated and can receive the assistance they need. "We've just managed to work around it," Pratt said. "I mean, the customer service representatives are pretty accommodating. Anybody who comes in gets on the same level of service. It's just that this is something that the law requires that we're doing now." Outside of the ADA upgrade, the building will also be getting new furniture and will be touched up since it hasn't been upgraded since it was built, according to Pratt. "Then they're also going to just kind of freshen the area up because it's been a long time, 15 or 20 years since all of that was built," Pratt said. "They're just going to kind of (refurbish it) and add some new furniture and stuff to the area. But the main reason that it's closed is for ADA improvements." The Moses Lake office will remain open at 312 W. Third Ave. for customers who need in-person assistance. The PUD's customer service line will still be open at 509-766-2505 if customers need to talk to a person about their bill or any other topic. Customers can also visit to pay their bills and have questions answered.
Yahoo
28-01-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Priest Rapids Dam passes major safety inspection
Jan. 28—MATTAWA — A comprehensive safety assessment of the structure at Preist Rapids Dam determined the dam met standards that will allow it to keep operating safely. That was the conclusion of a report released by Grant County Public Utility District officials. "No conditions were found that would require immediate remedial action to protect the safety of the project. We did not identify any other items that require follow-up action," according to a letter from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the agency that oversees dam safety and licensing. "That's language that we love to see when they come and inspect," said Zach Ruby, PUD chief dam safety engineer. Results of the assessment, along with recommendations from a separate required inspection, were presented to PUD commissioners at the Jan. 14 meeting. Repairs are scheduled in 2026 for a spillway joint at the dam that first attracted attention about seven years ago. It was one of the repairs identified in the report. Ruby said PUD engineers already knew the anchor project would be required and planning and design are underway. Utility district engineers also are working on a second project, an ongoing assessment of the bank on both sides of the Columbia River. The "disbonded" spillway joint was first discovered in 2018 when Grant County Public Utility District officials evaluated the structure. That followed the discovery of a crack in the spillway at Wanapum Dam that took about a year and $86 million to repair. The initial investigation concluded the pieces don't fit together as tightly as they once did, according to previous reporting in the Columbia Basin Herald, which resulted in a leak. Christine Pratt, PUD public information officer, said the disbonded joint will be reinforced with what are called anchors. Holes are drilled through the structure into the bedrock, then cables are dropped into the holes and anchored in cement or similar material. The cables are stretched and the holes are filled. Ruby estimated that the actual construction, when it starts, would take about two years to 18 months. "Right now, there's still a lot of permitting going on, and getting contracts in place. The design has been submitted to FERC," he said. Utility district officials will be reevaluating a section of the riverbank on the Yakima County side in 2025. Most of that embankment was reinforced after an analysis was conducted that determined the embankment could crumble in the event of a big earthquake, magnitude 6 or greater on the Richter scale The section that wasn't reinforced might not present the kind of risk originally thought, Ruby said — which the inspectors pointed out. Utility district engineers already planned to take a second look at that section, he said. The Grant County riverbank, Ruby said, might need some reinforcement. The PUD is required to analyze the risk of dam failure, he said, any and every possible kind of failure. That analysis suggested a possible risk along the Grant County side in the case of an earthquake. "We were already working on this one, so we were aware of it," he said. Utility district engineers will be doing some drilling along the embankment to determine the scope of the problem, he said. That work will begin in 2025. Ruby said FERC requires major inspections every five years, alternating between the very detailed comprehensive assessments and one that's less detailed, Pratt said. The Energy Regulatory Commission conducts safety inspections each year.
