As part of ongoing efforts to maintain high levels of reliability and meet growing demand, Washington State’s Snohomish County PUD crews this summer will make electric system improvements and complete preventative maintenance projects.
The work includes placing 85 iron and steel poles from Stanwood to the PUD’s North Camano Substation. Once the new transmission line is operational, the PUD will expand and update the North Camano Substation to accommodate growth on Camano Island and replace aging equipment.
PUD crews have developed an innovative solution to the challenge of setting poles in areas where the water table is high. Working with PUD engineers, the crews are using a process that includes a casing, cap and an excavator to slide the casing through the mud and water and allow for the pole to be set.
“The technique that our crews have developed to install these poles has the potential to save the PUD and its customers millions of dollars on this project,” said Paul Kiss, PUD Operations Superintendent.
Work on the project will take place this summer and continue through the end of the year.
PUD crews will be working on a variety of substation and line projects this summer including:
- Crews will complete construction of the new Sky Valley Substation in Monroe. This new substation will provide increased capacity and meet growing electricity demand in Monroe and the surrounding area.
- Crews will complete installation of a second transformer bank at the PUD’s Edgecomb Substation in Arlington. The second bank and accompanying upgrades will provide increased capacity and reliability in the nearby Cascade Industrial Center.
- Crews will complete a new line extension over Interstate-5 to connect the PUD’s Ballinger Substation to growing segments of Mountlake Terrace, including the future Sound Transit Light Rail Station.
In addition, the PUD plans to replace hundreds of aging poles, assess and treat thousands of poles and replace dozens of miles of aging underground cable.
The PUD’s Vegetation Management team will have a dozen crews trimming trees across the utility’s service territory throughout the summer. The PUD trims trees on upwards of 450 miles of powerlines each year to aid in reliability.
