NWCPUD Prepares for the Inevitable
As the warm breezes of spring give way to the heat of summer in Wasco County, your Northern Wasco County PUD is already hard at work preparing for 1 of our region’s most significant challenges: wildfire season. With increasing frequency and severity of wildfires in recent years, we’ve developed comprehensive strategies to protect both our infrastructure and the community we serve.
“It’s better to be safe than sorry,” NWCPUD Chief Operating Officer Jeff Teel says. “Though we’ve never been forced to initiate a Public Safety Power Shutoff in the past, we want our community to understand how we prepare for fire season and what steps they can take to be ready.”
Our Proactive Approach
When you drive through The Dalles and the surrounding areas, you might notice our vegetation management crews working year-round to maintain safe clearances between trees and power lines. This isn’t just routine maintenance—it’s a critical part of our wildfire prevention strategy.
“Our vegetation management standards actually exceed the minimum clearances required by the Oregon Public Utility Commission,” Jeff says. “It’s 1 of many ways we’re investing in keeping our community safe.”
Beyond vegetation management, our teams conduct targeted preseason inspections in high-risk areas, identifying potential hazards before fire season begins. These efforts are supported by our capital investment plan, which annually allocates resources for replacing aging infrastructure and implementing fire-prevention measures to maintain reliability while reducing wildfire risks.
Adapting to Changing Conditions
During fire season, our approach becomes even more vigilant. NWCPUD staff monitor weather forecasts and current conditions daily, ready to adjust operations when necessary.
“When a red flag warning is issued, indicating high temperatures, low humidity, and strong winds, we take immediate action,” Jeff says. “1 measure we implement is disabling reclosers in high-risk areas of our system.”
Reclosers are automated devices that attempt to restore power automatically after brief disruptions. While normally helpful, these devices can create sparks in dry conditions. By disabling them in high-risk periods, our crews must manually inspect lines before restoring power—taking longer but significantly reducing fire-ignition risks during dangerous weather.
In extreme situations, NWCPUD might implement a Public Safety Power Shutoff, manually disconnecting power to specific portions of our system until fire weather conditions improve. Additionally, Bonneville Power Administration, which supplies our transmission system, could potentially initiate its own PSPS affecting our service area.
“A PSPS is always our last resort,” Jeff says. “We understand that our customers rely on electricity for essential needs— from water pumps to medical equipment. That’s why we’re committed to providing as much advance notice as possible if such measures become necessary.”
How You Can Prepare
Before fire season:
- If you depend on power for medical equipment, develop backup plans to meet your needs during potential outages.
- Protect your home by clearing vegetation from your property.
- Assemble an emergency kit with essentials to sustain your household during extended outages.
- Ensure your contact information is current with our customer service team so we can reach you with important notifications.
During severe fire weather:
- Consider filling water tanks to provide for your household, pets, and livestock.
- Stay informed through our notification systems and local emergency services.
- Be prepared to implement your emergency plan if conditions worsen.
“Our commitment to this community goes beyond providing reliable, affordable power,” Jeff says. “It includes doing everything within our power to keep our neighbors safe during challenging times like fire season.”
At Northern Wasco County PUD, we’re not just your power provider but your neighbors, working diligently to protect our shared home through community-first wildfire safety measures.