Power Outages: Getting You Back On Line
We have come to expect that if we lose electric service it will be restored within a few hours at most. But when a devastating event, like a tornado or high wind speeds, ice or snowstorm causes major damage to Cuivre River Electric Cooperative’s system, longer outages cannot be helped. Crews work long, hard hours restoring service, but it’s a task that needs to be done methodically to be done safely.
Every electric cooperative follows a basic principle when it comes to restoring power. Priority goes to the lines that will get the most people back in service the quickest. This usually begins with main lines from the substations that can affect 200-600 members, and continues out to tap lines, which may affect 30-200 members, and then to individual service lines affecting just 1-5 members.
Example: A major storm has just hit Cuivre River Electric Cooperative (CREC). Here’s a simplified look at how CREC typically goes about the task of restoring electric service.
In this simplified diagram (shown above), most of the community is without electrical service. Fortunately the substation serving the area is still energized. It’s receiving power from the transmission lines shown in red, but a main distribution line (Point 1) from the substation to most of the area is damaged, leaving most of the members/consumers in this area without power.
(Point 1) All repairs start with the main line. A large number of members down the line will have power returned once the main line is fixed. All other electrical repairs would be pointless until this line is restored as it feeds all the other lines.
With the main line now fixed (now shown in red), the Cuivre River line crew can better isolate other damage and prioritize repairs.
(Point 2) Moving back down the road, the crew stops by this intersection to fix a damaged tap line. This repair restores power to the homes along this stretch of line.
(Point 3) Another tap line serving a number of homes and a farm on the hill is next is next on the list for this hard-working line crew.
(Point 4) The crew stops by this intersection to fix a damaged tap line. This repair restores power to the homes along this stretch of line.
(Point 5) By now, the family living in this lone house is probably thinking “What about us?” They see lights in the homes of their neighbors; they’ve seen Cuivre River line crews going by their homes and working right across the road. And they still have no power!
Electricity is coming to the pole outside the home, but the service line from their pole to their home is damaged. Repairs like these to individual homes come after line crews have performed all of the larger fixes.
Finally, power is fully restored to the whole service area.
Please note: The Cuivre River line crew may need to come out in the following days and weeks to make long-term repairs and rebuild sections of line that were severely damaged by the storm. This might mean you will find blinking clocks when you get home from work or be notified of planned short-term outages to allow for repairs.
It might also mean tree-trimming crews will be in the area to make sure rights-of-way are clear of overhanging tree branches. Wind and ice storms can topple trees into power lines, which account for many of the outages in wooded areas.
When you see the orange diamond-shaped “Utility Work Ahead” or similar work signs along the road, be sure to slow down and give the line crews plenty of room. They might just be working on the power line that powers your home.
If you ever have any questions about outages and repairs, or to report a power outage be sure to contact Cuivre River at 1-800-392-3709.