EVERETT May 31: Each summer, the power utilities that serve the North Sound have crews out in the field conducting key maintenance, fresh installations and trimming vegetation from power lines to enhance reliability during the upcoming winter storm season and help meet growing electric power demand.
Snohomish County Public Utility District announced what exactly their key summer plans will entail. The biggest project will be building a new substation near Jennings Park in Marysville as well as a installing a high-voltage line to serve it. This new substation will replace the current Central Marysville substation and support the growing population in that area of Snohomish County. The Central Marysville substation will be removed next year.
Following up on last year’s building of a second high-voltage transmission line to Camano Island from Stanwood, the PUD plans to rebuild its Camano Substation near Terry’s Corner this summer. This new equipment project will help support the growing population and power demand in that location.
In a few more years, a new I-5 overpass is planned for 196th in Lynnwood, and as a result, the PUD needs to relocate existing transmission and distribution resources that will include facilities near Alderwood Mall Blvd and 33rd Ave West. This work will also be done this summer.
On the Everett waterfront, the PUD plans to complete work on an electric distribution system that will support the Port of Everett’s Millwright Loop project.
In Lake Stevens, woodpeckers have damaged a number of power poles. PUD crews plan to replace 19 poles this summer that will require periodic closures along 103rd Ave SE.
The PUD will conduct more summer season replacement of hundreds of aging power poles, treat many more poles to extend their life, and replace dozens of miles of aging underground power cable. In addition, a dozen PUD Vegetation Management team crews will be out doing tree trimming along up to 450 miles of power line sites. A particular focus this summer will be in the Darrington, Gold Bar and Index areas to help enhance power reliability and reduce the risk of potential wildfires.
So this summer, Snohomish County PUD crews will be busy making power system improvements and addressing preventative maintenance projects to help enhance service and reliability. Be sure to give PUD crews room to do their work and thank them as they help ensure North Sound power is more reliable heading into the coming winter storm season and for a growing region that has now reached a population near 900,000.
