Truckee Donner PUD Recovers from Another Huge Winter Storm

Truckee, Calif. (Feb. 24, 2017) – The greater Truckee community continues to respond to the latest series of severe winter storms that dumped over six feet of snow in some neighborhoods.  The severe wind and snow caused power outages, traffic delays, falling trees and a reminded us again about the joys and challenges of life in the mountains. This powerful series of storms started late last week and continued almost till now.

Truckee Donner Public Utility District’s (TDPUD) electric crews have been working day and night to restore power as quickly as possible and to keep our community safe. While we did experience power outages due to both transmission and local distribution issues, thanks to tireless work by the electric crews, TDPUD was able to largely repair the electric distribution system by Wednesday evening, Feb. 22.

“Truckee Donner PUD’s electric crews have again performed admirably to restore power to our customers while battling the elements,” said TDPUD general manager Michael Holley. “We are fortunate to have the resources to do everything we can to restore power but the costs and damage caused by this historic winter are starting to add up.”

The main causes of power outages and transients have been the heavy snow load on trees and power lines. Although some customers have been without power overnight, TDPUD crews have been able to minimize outage times for most customers by isolating the cause of the outage and using switching gear to restore power from other parts of the electric distribution system.

At the peak of the storm damage on Feb. 22, the TDPUD had ~3,000 customers out of power, or about 20 percent. Crews were able to again restore power to most of our customers within a few hours thanks, in part, to the help of professional tree crews and the availability of spares to quickly replace damaged equipment.  TDPUD has responded to thousands of calls from customers regarding the outages.

Thanks to the valiant efforts of the electric crews, TDPUD’s electric distribution system is up and running and almost all customers have power. There is a small break in the weather and we encourage our customers to use this time to dig out and check for fallen or weakened trees which may damage the electric service on your property and could pose a serious safety hazard. If anyone sees downed power lines (or trees on power lines), stay away from the lines and call your local utility (TDPUD customers can call 530-587-3896). TDPUD reminds everyone to be safe and prepared.

About Truckee Donner PUD:

The TDPUD is a non-profit, publicly owned utility agency created in 1927 and overseen by a locally elected board of directors. TDPUD provides the greater Truckee area with reliable and high quality water and power services while guiding the community to conserve resources. For more information about the TDPUD, call 530-587-3896 or visit www.tdpud.org.