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Mar 27 , 2012
video
An inside look at how Avista gathers information about snowpack
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Avista owns and operates eight hydroelectric
dams on the Clark Fork and Spokane rivers.
These facilities, together with long term hydro
contracts, make up about half of the total
electric resources available to serve our
customers. | Skiers may prefer light and fluffy snow, but heavy and wet snow contributes more to our water supply in the Northwest. Avista counts on water to generate hydropower for our customers. Every year, Avista evaluates snowpack information in the mountains to get an idea of what spring runoff may be like at our dams on the Spokane and Clark Fork rivers. Only a select few get to see this evaluation process up close, so we took a video camera up the mountain to get you a special look at snowpack measurement.
Avista rents snowmobiles so employees can get as close to the snowpack measurement site as possible. Snow depth is measured by pushing an aluminum tube down through the snowpack and all the way down to ground surface. Both the depth and weight of the snow is recorded. An average of all samples taken is calculated and used to represent the snowpack measurement site.
Avista measures 10 sites at Roland Summit in the Lolo National Forest, which is located near the Hiawatha Trail. Once the data is collected, the Hydro Engineering team submits the data to the National Resources Conservation Service who is largely responsible for providing Avista and many other interested parties with reliable water supply forecasts.
The more gradual the snowmelt, the more Avista can maximize that water running through its dams. However, you never know what Mother-Nature is going to do. Regardless, our customers can count on Avista to make the most out of this precious resource in an efficient, reliable and environmentally-responsible way.
If you have questions about lake and river levels, please visit our website. Feb 21 , 2012 High winds are coming, track and report outages online and on mobile devices
High winds are in our forecast tonight and Wednesday and that could mean power outages. If your power does go out, did you know that you can easily report and track outages from a mobile device or online at www.avistautilities.com? Reporting an Outage
To report on outage from your mobile device, just enter www.Avistautilities.com in the browser. The Avista website detects when a customer is using a mobile browser and automatically redirects to our mobile website. Then click on Report Electric Outage. From a computer go to avistautilities.com, and click on the Power Outage link on the home page.
Tracking Outages
Tracking outages is just as easy, plus you’ll see real-time information on all reported Avista power outages. From a mobile device, enter www.avistautilities.com in the browser and then click View Outage Status. From a computer, click on the Power Outage link on the www.avistautilities.com homepage, then click List View.
Selecting List View will take to you to all reported electric outages in a geographic area. Click on an area and you’ll find out about each reported incident – number of customers affected, reason for the outage, date and time it was reported, and estimated restoration time.
Want to know the location of an outage? Click on Map View anywhere within the Power Outage site and you’ll see a map with red triangles indicating each reported outage. Hovering over a triangle or clicking on it will give you the details of the outage. Zooming in on a triangle will take you to street level where the boundaries of the outage are indicated in a shaded area.
Information on an outage is updated as it becomes available, so check our website to stay abreast on the latest information.
Feb 06 , 2012
By Brandi Smith
Avista recently sent out the latest issue of the Spokane River Newsletter, a quarterly publication that keeps subscribers informed about our activities in and around the Spokane River. Below is an article from the newsletter that describes how we operate the Post Falls Dam during the winter season. Check out the latest issue and learn more about what Avista has been up to.
Winter river flows and Coeur d’Alene Lake levels
People commonly think floods occur in the spring. But did you know many of the highest levels recorded for Coeur d’Alene Lake have occurred in the winter? For example, on Christmas day in 1933 the lake reached an all-time peak of roughly eleven feet over its summer level.
Coeur d’Alene Lake is a natural lake with an outlet that naturally restricts its outflow. The primary sources of water into the lake are the St. Joe, St. Maries and Coeur d’Alene rivers. The water then flows through the outlet to create the Spokane River. Avista’s Post Falls Hydroelectric Dam is on the Spokane River, nine miles downstream of the lake’s outlet. The dam affects Coeur d’Alene Lake elevation for about half of the year. During winter and spring, lake levels are controlled entirely by the natural outlet restriction and inflows.
The winter months are generally the wet season in our region. Fluctuating temperatures, rain that occurs on top of snow, or extended heavy rain can increase flows rapidly, which in turn can result in quickly-rising river and lake elevations.
Avista’s goal each year is to draw Coeur d’Alene Lake down six to seven feet below the summer level by early January. This allows Post Falls Dam to generate electricity while providing capacity in the lake for later precipitation and runoff. Natural inflows usually exceed our turbine capacity early in the year, letting Coeur d’Alene Lake and the Spokane River find their naturally occurring levels with no influence by the dam. This free flow condition typically continues through spring run-off until late May, June or early July.
River and lake levels can change quickly. We want you to stay safe, so always use caution on the water and comply with all posted notices and closures, especially in the vicinity.
Avista has a 24-hour telephone information line that provides notification of anticipated elevation changes on Coeur d’Alene Lake, Lake Spokane and the Spokane River.
In Idaho, call (208) 769-1357, in Washington call (509) 495-8043
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Jan 23 , 2012
Moscow Pullman Daily News editorial says it all
Post by Brandi Smith
Below is an excerpt from a Moscow Pullman Daily News editorial published on Saturday, Jan. 21. We want to share it with you because we take great pride in serving our customers as quickly as possible. Whether it’s in the midst of a storm or just a normal day, you can always count on the people who work at Avista to respond quickly and efficiently no matter what the weather does.
With snow, ice, power outages, remember to say ‘thanks’
Written by Lee Rozen/M-P Daily News
Odd that a snow and ice storm, downed trees and power failures can get us feeling thankful.
Living here on the Palouse gives us a lot to be thankful for.
But we think the quick response and fast recovery from the chaos of Thursday night and Friday morning deserves extra thanks.
In some places with privately owned power companies, the response might still be getting organized. But Thursday night, we were glad for every dollar we pay Avista in our monthly power bill. As the deluge of ice and snow brought down trees and branches on power lines and caused transformers to explode, Avista moved quickly and efficiently to repair the damage or route around it. And then do it again. And again. (continued/login required.)
A login to the Moscow Pullman Daily News website is required to view the whole story here. Jan 19 , 2012
We just released six contractor (Asplundh) tree-trimming crews to help Puget Sound Energy clean up after their major winter storm issues on the West side of Washington.
It's a mutal aid agreement. If/when Avista needs assistance, PSE would send help our way too. Stay safe and best of luck to all the crews working in these terrible weather conditions.
The image to the right shows an electric line crew at work yesterday, not a tree-trimming crew.
UPDATE at 3:45: We just released another six electric line crews (International Line Builders) to help in the Olympia area. The previous crews we sent West were tree-trimming crews, but these are full line crews that can do repairs. Best of luck to them.
Jan 18 , 2012
An Avista electric crew spent a few hours today replacing a utility pole at our Beacon Substation in East Spokane. The original pole caught fire this morning, the exact cause was undetermined. The crew dug through roughly a foot of frost and frozen dirt around the pole before it could be removed. The new pole was placed in the same location as the original. The power lines were temporarily affixed to a nearby pole before being installed permanently on the new pole.
At 11 a.m., temperatures where hovering around 25 degrees with blowing snow at the job site. According to crew members the cold isn’t an issue, they are used to that. The trouble with snow is when they set down a piece of equipment to prep it for installation - the snow buries it in just minutes.
Preparing for an outage
Avista crews are prepared to work in any weather condition to restore your power as quickly and safely as possible. As the snow piles up around our service territory, we expect outages. You can count on Avista to get the lights back on right away, but it’s always best to be prepared at home. Check out these winter weather tips to keep in mind. Sep 06 , 2011
Drawdown to winter level begins on Tuesday after Labor Day
Avista is beginning its annual fall drawdown of Lake Coeur d’Alene Sept. 6. The lake will be gradually lowered approximately a foot from full pool by the end of September, and an additional 1½ feet per month thereafter until reaching its winter level. Property owners and boaters should take measures to secure docks and boats for the winter season during this period.
As part of Avista’s FERC license to operate its Spokane River Hydroelectric Project, which includes Post Falls Dam, Avista is required to maintain the level of Coeur d’Alene Lake at summer full-pool elevation of 2,128 feet from as early as practical in the spring until the Tuesday after Labor Day. (Read More). Jul 19 , 2011
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The Post Falls Dam spill gates during high water runoff.
Photo courtesy of Avista employee Patty Hanson. | Water levels allow spill gates at Post Falls Dam to be closed
Avista is advising Spokane River users that river recreation is now permitted in the area between the Spokane Street Bridge and the boat restraining systems located just upstream of the Post Falls Dam. River flows have dropped sufficiently to allow all of the spill gates at the hydroelectric facility to be closed.
The City of Post Falls boat launch at Q’emiln Park was opened to the public Monday, July 18. Typically this occurs sometime between Memorial Day and the July 4 holiday. The median date for closing the gates is June 22. This year, cool spring temperatures and a lingering, heavy snowpack caused longer than normal high water flows, which delayed the opening of the boat launch.
Avista expects summer operation at the dam to continue through Labor Day, as long as weather conditions allow. River users are cautioned that weather conditions can cause rapid changes in water levels. Please exercise caution when using the waterways.
For current information on anticipated elevation changes on Coeur d’ Alene Lake, Lake Spokane, and the Spokane River, to call Avista’s 24-hour telephone information line. In Idaho, call (208) 769-1357; in Washington, call (509) 495-8043. The recorded information is provided to advise shoreline property owners, commercial and recreational users of changes in lake and river elevation levels that may affect plans for water use. You can also check weather and water flow information here. Jul 18 , 2011
Yesterday I was driving home after running some errands with my family when the kids asked if they could play in the sprinklers. It was about 87 degrees outside and I’d just battled Wal-Mart and Costco, so even I was ready for sprinklers! So I said OK and they quickly got into their swimsuits when we got home.
Since my wife and I were still unloading our groceries in the kitchen and the kids really wanted to go outside NOW, we just opened up the back curtains and watched them though the window as we put everything away. As I pulled back the curtains, a blast of heat hit me directly. My little curtains covering our back windows were doing one heck of a good job of blocking out the heat. I have seen all the messages about closing your windows during the day to block the sun and opening the windows at night when it’s cool, but it was never as clear to me as it was yesterday.
About an hour later it was time to watch the U.S. Women’s World Cup game on TV. I made this required viewing for my 6 and 7-year-old girls. I headed down to the basement to turn the game on. My girls come down the stairs in jeans and long-sleeve shirts. “It’s cold down here, dad,” they told me. And indeed it was. While the rest of the house was fighting to stay livable, the basement felt like a snow day. Hot air rises, so the basement was nice and chilly while the bedrooms upstairs were not so great. We watched the game under blankets. (Congrats to Japan by the way, even though I was obviously cheering for the U.S.)
Later that evening my wife opened up the doors and windows because it had cooled off quite a bit outside. We spent part of the evening reading and talking on the front porch, where a slight breeze made it rather comfortable. A nice way to end the day.
So to sum up my findings from yesterday:
-Sprinklers are always cool
-Use your curtains wisely
-Don’t be afraid of the basement
-Get outside when it cools off
In the Northwest we get maybe two months of hot weather – lately it’s more like one day here and there. Because of our wonderfully inconsistent weather pattern, some of these easy ways to beat the heat may just escape us. Don’t let the heat beat you – you can always just hide in your basement like me.
May 10 , 2011
High water flows prompt action
Avista will be drawing down the elevation of Lake Spokane (also known as Long Lake) over the next several days, in order to perform maintenance work required as a result of the current and projected high flows on the Spokane River.
As of May 9, the level of Lake Spokane was about 1,535 feet, which is about 1 foot below its normal summer elevation. We expect to decrease the level of the reservoir to bring it to an elevation approximately 3 feet below normal summer level by Thursday, and will return the reservoir to approximately 1 foot below its summer elevation beginning next week.
Due to high seasonal snowpack and warmer temperatures, the National Weather Service is predicting rapidly increasing river flows and high water on the Spokane River over the next several weeks. Avista operators at our Spokane River hydroelectric facilities, which include Post Falls, Upper Falls, Monroe Street, and our downstream dams, Nine Mile and Long Lake, work together to coordinate spilling so that we operate efficiently and manage reservoir levels. However, we want to remind you that weather conditions can cause river and reservoir levels to change rapidly, so please use caution on the water and comply with all posted notices and closures.
Avista wants you to stay safe during your spring and summer activities on area reservoirs and waterways. Please remember, especially during spring run-off, the waters near a dam can contain hidden dangers. Swirling water, submerged objects, strong currents and open spill gates can pose serious hazards to boaters and other recreationists, and sudden discharges of water from spillways and turbines can rapidly increase water levels and river flows. You can always check river and lake levels on our website at http://www.avistautilities.com/inside/resources/Pages/waterflow.aspx, or by calling 509-495-8043 or 208-769-1357.
We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, and appreciate your understanding as we perform necessary maintenance and operations of our hydroelectric facilities on the Spokane River.
If you have any questions about this drawdown, please send us an e-mail.
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