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News and Updates from Seattle City Light

Seattle City Light Establishes Temporary Pause on Planned Outages

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Seattle City Light remains committed to providing safe and reliable power while prioritizing the safety of our customers and crews. While planned outages are important to maintaining and upgrading our infrastructure, outages can be burdensome, and even more so as our customers are at home working, teaching children, and maintaining a healthy life during the COVID-19 crisis. We’re temporarily adjusting our work to have the lowest impact on customers during this time.

Effective immediately, there will be no planned outages that will cause a service disruption for our customers. Exceptions to this include emergency pole replacements where the work cannot safely be performed hot,* emergency work necessary to restore service for customers who may be experiencing an outage, or to add a service connection for an essential facility (quarantine site, homeless shelter, etc.). As able, City Light will provide at least 48 hours advance notification for any of these situations.

Other pole replacement work will continue by placing new poles adjacent to poles in need of replacement and lashing them to the existing infrastructure, but we will wait until later to transfer services.** City Light also will continue to do streetlight work and other work deemed essential as long as it does not require outages. Any work is in accordance with Governor Inslee’s Stay Home, Stay Healthy order and with protocols in place to meet all COVID-19 guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Washington Department of Health, and Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

We will maintain this pause in planned outages at least through May 31, in alignment with the governor’s order. We recognize even as that order is lifted, many customers may continue to work or attend school from home. We will be thoughtful in our resumption of these activities, which are required to make repairs and upgrades to our infrastructure in a safe and efficient manner and will do our best to work with customers to minimize impacts.

*Doing the work “hot” simply means that crews are working while the electrical equipment is energized. Crews are utilizing these methods to complete the work, while minimizing the outage impacts to customers. Crews take additional safety procedures when utilizing this method.

** Double poles exist when a new utility pole is installed next to a pre-existing pole that is scheduled for removal. When new utility poles are installed, City Light normally transfers our equipment and wires onto the new pole. Other communication utilities may also have equipment on the pre-existing pole that will need to be transferred to the new pole before the old pole can be removed. This could take several months to complete. Some poles may be anchored or tied to the pre-existing pole to secure it until the utility and communications companies have transferred their equipment. This is normal practice and common among utilities.

This information was updated on May 15, 2020.

Seattle City Light Announces Recipients of 2020 Wildlife Research Program Grants

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Canada Lynx (Lynx Canadensis)

Since 1999, Seattle City Light’s Wildlife Research Grant Program (WRP) has funded 58 projects and distributed over $2.1 million in research grants to non-profit conservation organizations, universities and resource management agencies to study the wildlife and ecosystems of the North Cascades ecoregion.  

The City Light WRP, a mitigation requirement of the Skagit River Hydroelectric Project Federal Energy Regulatory Commission license calls for issuance of grants each year during the 30-year license period based on a competitive process that includes review of submitted proposals by a committee of Seattle City Light, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service and university ecologists.  

In early April, WRP announced the recipients of five new research grants aimed at gaining a better understanding of wildlife and ecosystems in the North Cascades. The new grant recipients include the following: 

  • Identifying Key Prey of Wolverine, Canada Lynx, and Cascade Red Fox in a Changing Climate The Cascade Carnivore Project:  
    The project will study carnivore food habits and improve our knowledge of the effects of climate change on high-elevation carnivore communities. 
  • North Cascades streamfly diversity and distribution – Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Xerces Society, Washington State University, University of Puget Sound:  
    The study will document diversity, abundance, and phenology of stream caddisflies and stoneflies near glacier outflows. 
  • Relationships between fishers and mountain beavers in the North Cascades – University of Washington: 
    The study will inform Pacific fisher conservation by determining dietary requirements, assessing winter movement patterns, and assessing effects of rodenticides in areas where fishers have recently been reintroduced. 
  • Estimating Population Density of Black-tailed Deer in Northwestern Washington Using Camera Traps – Swinomish Indian Tribal Community: 
    The study will test new camera-based methods of estimating demographic and population-level data for deer management in western Washington. 
  • Implementing a long-term monitoring program for wolverines, Canada lynx, and other carnivores in Washington’s North Cascades Ecosystem – Woodland Park Zoo, Washington State University, University of Washington:  
    The study implements a monitoring framework for summer and winter camera-based surveys of wolverine, lynx, and other rare carnivores in the North Cascades.   

These new grants will join the list of previously funded projects that have helped provide data crucial for agencies to make informed management decisions for rare or economically and tribally important species. 

While the grants may not always fully fund a project idea, they still support the research of lasting environmental impacts. Most notably: the effects of climate change on the region. 

“We take great pride that these grants help vital research and support college students and young researchers pursuing environmental careers,” explains Ron Tressler, Wildlife Biologist at City Light.  

To learn more about City Light’s Wildlife Research Project and for a list of previous grant-funded projects, visit seattle.gov/light/environment/wildlifegrant/. 

Seattle City (spot)Light: Donna Sherrill

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Donna Sherrill celebrated 38 years at City Light last month. As part of the Financial Services business unit, Donna works on the general accounting team. “I’m responsible for ensuring that billings for construction projects are generated promptly by the Accounts Receivable Billing team,” Donna explained. “I like to think of myself as an overall problem solver for complex billing issues.”

Originally from Sioux City, Iowa, Donna moved to the northwest with her family when her dad relocated for work. She currently lives in Tukwila and enjoys the diversity of its population and proximity to activities.

“I met my current husband, a lifelong Washingtonian when I was a sophomore in high school and we’ve been together ever since,” Donna said. “I love living on this side of the mountain with the comfortable summers and the generally mild winters.  It’s nice to live somewhere with four seasons.”

In this week’s (spot)Light, Donna talks about her hobbies and why she enjoys working at the utility.


Donna is an avid reader and an active swimmer with a penchant for a good book that’s filled with suspense and intrigue. 

“I’m currently reading books by Lisa Jackson. Most of her stories take place in the Pacific Northwest. 

Lisa has a vivid imagination and keeps you riveted to the end. 

My mother never learned how to swim, so she made sure to have her children take swimming lessons (in a lake by the way) so we hopefully wouldn’t drown and could enjoy our summers.”

Donna graduated from business school with a degree in accounting and attributed her high school math teacher for her interest in numbers. 

“Mr. Fulton instilled a love of numbers in me,” she recalled. “I knew I would always be able to find a job in the accounting/bookkeeping field to maintain a comfortable lifestyle.”

After being with the utility for nearly 40 years, Donna continues to enjoy the rewarding challenge of her work. 

“My work requires addressing a list of challenges as they arise while determining how to resolve them,” she said. “I also enjoy meeting a variety of individuals throughout the city and discussing the internal and external concerns we face. It requires researching and analyzing the situation to find a solution. During my years in Accounts Payable, I determined a customer had been billing us monthly and quarterly for the same service. After discussing with the customer and obtaining a credit, quarterly billings were agreed to. It’s a joy to help our customers have a positive experience with City Light.”

City Light’s Climate Action

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This is a guest post authored by Climate Change Research and Adaptation Advisor Ronda Strauch

In a time where ‘new normal’ has become a common phrase and experience, we have demonstrated our capacity to adapt and revealed our resilience. We have both implemented and made new plans to adjust to the global threat of COVID-19. This week we celebrate the 50th anniversary of Earth Day and the theme of this year addresses another global threat – ‘Climate Action’.  As with the case of pandemics, City Light has a plan for this challenge too: Seattle City Light Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment and Adaptation Plan, (Climate Plan),  created in 2015.   

Scope of Seattle City Light Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment and Adaptation Plan

Our climate plan is exceptional in several ways. It was the first all-inclusive climate change impact assessment and preparation plan by an electric utility in the nation. It is comprehensive in that it assesses the vulnerability of multiple City Light business domains or functions, including energy demand, hydroelectric operations, and environmental protection and restoration, to a host of climate stressors. It is strategic as it provides a suite of adaptation actions designed to reduce vulnerability and increase resilience to changing climate and associated consequences like wildfire.  The comprehensive and strategic nature of the plan helped City Light receive an inaugural national climate adaptation leadership award from a consortium of federal agencies in 2016. Since its development, other utilities and agencies have modeled City Light’s climate plan to further their own climate resilience.

The challenge of adapting to a changing climate necessitates collaborations.  City Light is one of the founding members of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Partnership for Energy Sector Climate Resilience. This partnership represents 25% of the nation’s customers and works together to accelerate climate-resilient energy technologies, practices, and policies vital to our country’s electrical grid. City Light is also active in the Center for Energy Advancement through Technological Innovation (CEATI), which is a user-driven organization committed to providing technology solutions to electrical utilities. We participate in Climate Change Opportunities, Risk, and Adaptation (CCORA) working group of CEATI, developing adaptation options to address climate change impacts to hydropower operations, which is over 90% of our power supply. We also collaborate with numerous federal, state, tribal, university, and private partners to research climate change impacts and develop adaptation actions.  

Department of Energy Partnership for Energy Sector Climate Resilience

City Light is a community utility and we have a plan to continue serving our customers as the climate changes, through strategic collaborations, sound investments, and rigorous science. Like Governor Jay Inslee said recently in the efforts to address coronavirus, “Let science guide decisions”. We are using climate science to make City Light more climate resilient now and into the future. Earth Day is one of the greatest civic events on the planet. City Light is committed to sustaining and enhancing our community’s quality of life through innovation and environmental responsibility as we serve our customers.

Planning and collecting data for reforesting City Light lands.

Ronda Strauch joined Seattle City Light in July 2018 as a Climate Change Research and Adaptation Advisor in the Science Policy Unit of the Environment, Land and Licensing Business Unit. She recently obtained her PhD from the University of Washington in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, specializing in landslide and hydrologic modeling. When time allows, Ronda enjoys gardening, hiking, kayaking, and mountain climbing.

Advisory Message for Pend Oreille County

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Boundary Dam Operations Update

On Friday, May 1, Governor Inslee extended the statewide “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” order until May 31. The order was first announced on March 23 in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. We know that these necessary preventative measures have changed the way we live, work, and play. Many jobs look different today than they did several months ago.

Seattle City Light is committed to managing Boundary Dam in a responsible manner that ensures the dam is staffed with essential personnel to enable safe and reliable operations. The City Light team at Boundary Dam continually strives to find the balance between operational flexibility and measures that protect and mitigate for the environmental impacts of operations. These measures address recreation, aquatic, terrestrial, cultural, and wildlife resources and benefit the environment and the communities in and around Boundary Dam.

Update on Forebay Recreation Area Facilities (May 19, 2020)

The Forebay Recreation Area and Metaline Waterfront Park boat ramps are open for public use as of May 5.

The Forebay Recreation Area campground will reopen to the public on Thursday, May 21. The utility is following Governor Inslee’s Washington “Safe Start” plan, which provides additional guidance for resuming recreation and other activities. The campground is opening under the following guidelines:

  • The campground is limited to visitors on a first-come, first-served basis. Camping will only be permitted at designated sites.
  • Camping activities will be limited to five or fewer people from outside your household.
  • Public restrooms will be closed, but City Light will be providing ADA-accessible portable toilets. Visitors should plan to bring their own supplies such as toilet paper and hand sanitizer.
  • The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has additional guidance about visiting parks and recreational facilities. Learn more at www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/visitors.html.

The Boundary Dam Vista House is closed, but the parking area, picnic tables, viewing platform and trail are open to the public. The Vista House restrooms are closed, but portable toilets will be provided outside of this facility. Boundary tours are indefinitely suspended for the 2020 season.

Visitors can learn more about Boundary Hydroelectric Project Recreational Opportunities at www.seattle.gov/light/Boundary/recreation.asp.

City of Seattle Continuity of Operations Plan and Ensuring Safe and Reliable Dam Operations

With the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the City of Seattle operationalized its Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) for COVID-19 on March 13. This COOP ensures the continuation of critical services in the event of an emergency. Operations at Boundary Dam are considered a critical service and the dam is staffed with essential personnel to ensure safe and reliable operations. The City of Seattle continues to revise and update the COOP to make sure that amidst this pandemic, we can continue to perform our critical functions that residents and businesses rely on.

Planning for Springtime Runoff

Seattle City Light staff are committed to strategically maintaining the optimal elevation level for the reservoir at Boundary Dam during the summer recreation season. The Pend Oreille River flows are controlled by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at Albeni Falls Dam, just outside of Oldtown, Idaho. The river flows north through Box Canyon Dam to Boundary Dam. City Light employees are currently preparing for the springtime runoff by conducting maintenance tasks on the generators, turbines, and spillways. The snowpack is at normal levels this year and the utility expects to have a solid supply of water to generate electricity.

City Light’s Commitment to Safe Employees and Reliable Service During the COVID-19 Crisis

Our service is an essential need and its reliability is a top priority. City Light is prioritizing essential critical infrastructure work in accordance with Governor Inslee’s order. We are committed to providing safe and reliable power and ensuring the health and safety of our employees and the communities in which we live. We regularly review and update internal guidelines to make sure employees are properly informed and trained. We distribute information about COVID-19, including general health and safety tips as well as resources for teleworking. Our Safety group ensures all work meets COVID-19 regulations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Washington State Department of Health (DOH), and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

Those who must work in a City Light facility are practicing safe social distancing and access to those locations is limited to essential employees. We are enhancing cleaning practices and distributing hand sanitizer and other cleaning supplies to those who must report to our facilities. Crews will carry proof that the work they are doing qualifies as essential critical infrastructure work in accordance with Governor Inslee’s order.

Questions?

For more information, please contact Julie Moore, Seattle City Light Interim Communications Director, at julie.moore@seattle.gov.

This information was updated on May 19, 2020.

Seattle City Light is Your Community-Owned Electric Utility

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Seattle City Light works for you. If we provide your home or business with electric service, we are here to serve you. Never has that been truer than since our community began its fight against COVID-19. We know many of our customers are struggling. City Light’s employees care deeply about the people they serve and are working to creatively develop new ways of helping customers. Many employees have made their own safety secondary to providing affordable and reliable energy services.

In the last four weeks, we have established nearly 2,300 payment plans for customers negatively impacted by COVID-19. Any customer needing to make arrangements should simply call 206-684-3000 or send an email 24/7 at http://www.seattle.gov/utilities/about-us/email-question.

We’ve not disconnected customers for non-payment for several years, and we will continue working with customers during the pandemic to ensure uninterrupted service. With Mayor Durkan’s emergency ordinance, we are waiving late fees and staff are making every effort to support customers, including proactively calling those with large balances to come to mutually agreeable payment arrangements. We are also sending emails through our new customer contact system to inform customers about the resources that are available.

For income-eligible residential customers, we’ve made signing up for the Utility Discount Program (UDP) process easier by allowing self-certification (customers sign a short form that attests to their household income, rather than having to provide income documentation). From March 18 to April 14, we received more than 4,600 applications for this program. UDP offers a 60% discount on electricity bills for Seattle City Light customers, as well as a 50% discount on water, sewage and solid waste bills for Seattle Public Utilities customers.

Our customers and our utility are all doing the best we can every day. Seattle City Light continues to be here to support you. We will get through this together.

City of Seattle Announces Two Day Temporary Suspension of Public Works Construction to Conduct Health and Safety Training for Workers and Update Protocols

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On Tuesday, April 7, 2020, Mayor Durkan announced that starting Thursday, April 9, 2020, the City of Seattle will require contractors and employees working on public works projects in Seattle to suspend work until Saturday, April 11, 2020. While the projects affected are permitted to continue under Governor Inslee’s Stay Home, Stay Healthy order, the two-day temporary suspension will allow contractors and staff to implement rigorous social distancing requirements and update health and safety plans.

City Light has been working proactively to keep our employees safe during the COVID-19 health crisis. This concern extends to our contractors and their employees. The City of Seattle is requiring Health and Safety Plan (HSP) updates from contractors that reflect the requirements of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and the Washington State Department of Health. As the COVID-19 response evolves, so do the official recommendations and requirements. The Mayor’s announcement will allow City Light to confirm that contractor HSPs are consistent with the most current guidance and staff are adequately trained on all current procedures and guidelines. We will continue to update HSPs as necessary and inform and train all staff as the situation evolves.

This temporary suspension will impact all capital and maintenance work in the public right-of-way. City Light will continue work in support of a COVID-19 quarantine facility and, as always, we will respond to any unplanned outages.

Our service is an essential need and its reliability is a top priority. During this unprecedented time, we will continue prioritizing essential critical infrastructure work and doing work in a way that minimizes service disruptions to customers. We continue to ensure employee and customer safety while we maintain critical services.

Mayor Durkan’s announcement can be found here: https://durkan.seattle.gov/2020/04/mayor-durkan-announces-two-day-temporary-suspension-of-public-works-construction-to-conduct-health-and-safety-training-for-workers-update-protocols/.

Energy Conservation Tips While You Stay Home to Stay Healthy

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On April 2, 2020, Governor Jay Inslee extended the Stay Home, Stay Healthy order through May 4, 2020. This decision was made to protect Washingtonians and ensure we are working together to flatten the curve. The City of Seattle has many resources for those that are financially impacted by COVID-19 including utility bill assistance and new unemployment eligibility.

With most of us now spending more time in our homes, it’s important to be mindful of our electricity usage.

General Tips

  • Turn off lights and use as much natural light as possible. This will not only save electricity, but the sunshine is good for you, too!
  • Use efficient heating and cooling practices. Put on a sweater or slippers before turning up the heat, and open a window before turning on fans. You can also save energy by only heating or cooling the room you’re in.
  • Beware of phantom loads. Many electronics draw power even when they are switched off, which could add an extra 10% to your monthly utility bill. Unplug devices when you aren’t using them. You also can use smart power strips that have features like timers and activity monitors that make it easy to save energy.
  • Stream content on the smallest device that makes sense for the number of people watching. Avoid streaming on game consoles, which can use 10 times more power than a tablet or laptop. Streaming content with electronic equipment that has earned ENERGY STAR certification will use 25%–30% less energy than standard equipment.

Telecommuting

Telecommuting often has large environmental benefits including cutting down on carbon emissions from commute travel. However, working from home can increase your home’s current electricity consumption. The following tips can help you save energy when using computers, office equipment, and electronics while working from home:

  • Turn off computers and other equipment when they aren’t in use.
  • Use power management settings on computers and monitors, which will send your equipment into low-power “sleep modes” after periods of inactivity. Avoid using screen savers. Smart power strips can prevent peripheral electronics from drawing energy when they aren’t being used.
  • Unplug battery chargers when the batteries are fully charged, or the chargers are not in use.

If you have found ways to conserve at home, we want to hear from you. We’re all in this together, so let us know on Twitter or Facebook!

Seattle City (spot)Light: Paul Nissley

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Paul Nissley Joined City Light in February 2019 as a Data Scientist/Strategic Advisor under Aliza Seelig in the Resources Planning, Forecasting, and Analysis group. 

Born in The Dalles, Ore., Paul and his family moved to Mount Vernon when he was two years old. “We moved for my dad to take a new job with the Natural Resources Conservation Service,” Paul shared. “I graduated from Mount Vernon High School, after which I moved to Bellingham to attend Western Washington University on a full scholarship for soccer and to major in mathematics. After college, I moved to the Tri-Cities to work in the nuclear energy industry and complete my MBA at Washington State University. However, I missed the west side of the mountains too much and decided to come back to my real home.”

In this week’s (spot)Light, Paul talks about his hobbies and what he enjoys about his job. 

A person smiling for the camera Description automatically generated

“I live in West Seattle as I enjoy being walking distance to my sister, nephews and soon to be niece. I enjoy playing soccer, hiking and exercising when I can, as well as reading about all things related to clean and sustainable energy.”

“I wanted to work at City Light because I am very passionate about responsible energy use and generation and want to help find ways to continuously improve how we do that in our business and society.”

“I am a member of the Resource Planning, Forecasting, and Analysis group. We’re developing the 2020 Integrated Resource Plan (IRP), which the state of Washington requires City Light to submit every four years, along with submitting an IRP progress report every two years in between the main IRP. This plan helps communicate to the public our long term (think 10+ years) resource strategies for City Light to provide safe, reliable and affordable energy to our customers.” 

“I like working at City Light because I am very passionate about responsible, sustainable, and affordable energy use, and there are so many people that share the same passions that I have here. It is fun to be a part of and responsible for the energy infrastructure of the Seattle area.” 

COVID-19 Response: An open letter from City Light CEO, Debra Smith

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The following message was sent to all Seattle City Light customers for whom we have an email address. Are you a customer and you didn’t receive it? Sign up to stay notified of City Light news, outage information and programs. 

At Seattle City Light we are working hard to react quickly to COVID-19 while remaining committed to the well-being, both physical and financial, of our dedicated employees and the communities we serve. We’re doing our best to navigate through this unprecedented event as each day brings new developments.

Our service is an essential need, and its reliability is a top priority. With the Emergency Declaration, and more recently Governor Inslee’s “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” Order, we continue adjusting the way we work to ensure employee and customer safety while we maintain critical services.

To learn more about the steps Seattle City Light has taken to keep our employees safe and our customers supported, see our Powerlines Blog.

Here are a few highlights about how we’re serving customers during this time:

Infrastructure Work

We are prioritizing essential critical infrastructure work and doing work in a way that minimizes planned service disruptions. This is in accordance with Governor Inslee’s order and with protocols in place to meet all COVID-19 guidelines from the CDC, Washington Department of Health, and OSHA.

Please be aware that due to the nature of our work maintaining the electrical system, some essential tasks require crew members to work closely together for their safety. So, if you see a few lineworkers working side by side, please know they’re doing it for good reason and are minimizing close proximity as much as they can to safely complete the job.

And please do your part by keeping a safe distance – always a good idea when it comes to working with electricity, whether we’re avoiding a virus or not!

Power Outages

We understand power outages are burdensome, but even more so now. While the stay-at-home order is in place, we won’t intentionally cut power to complete a job unless it’s an emergency, in support of COVID-19 response, or an essential service project that is coordinated in advance (e.g., establishing power for sites used as temporary shelter or field hospitals).

We’ve had pretty mild weather lately, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t on our minds. If the winds pick up and cause outages, as always, we are prepared, ready to respond and will keep working until your power is restored.

Financial Support

Many people are experiencing financial hardships due to the impact of social distancing and business closures. During the COVID-19 Emergency Declaration, we won’t shut off service for non-payment. In fact, crisis or not, we will never call you or knock on your door and demand payment. If someone says otherwise, they are running a scam; report it online.

We’re here to help any customer, resident or business, struggling to pay their utility bill due to COVID-19. Call 206-684-3000 or send an email 24/7. Income-eligible residential customers can also sign up for the Utility Discount Program. We’ve fast-tracked a self-certified application to make the process easier.

Payment Centers

To keep you and our employees healthy, all walk-in centers will remain closed during this time. You can still use the payment drop boxes, and we’re always here to help you with account and billing needs online or over the phone at (206) 684-3000.

City and State Resources

Finally, Mayor Durkan and Governor Inslee have expanded and created many programs to support our community. If you or someone you know needs shelter, food or other help, please check their resource pages.

I will update our customers as things change. You are always my number one priority, and that remains especially true during this time. Please continue to support one another and stay healthy.

Take Care.

Debra Smith
General Manager and CEO, Seattle City Light