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May 15 , 2012
See the bike at the Spokane Shock game, Spokane Lilac Festival Torchlight Parade and Cruzin’ the Falls Car Show
Avista and the Inland Empire Utility Coordinating Council (IEUCC) have teamed up to bring the 811 Damage Prevention Bike to Spokane at no cost to promote the message of damage prevention and the importance of calling 811 for underground utility locates before starting any project that involves digging.
Your first chance to see the bike in person will be on the concourse at the Spokane Shock game Friday. The game against the Philadelphia Soul begins at 8 p.m. The bike will also be at the Cruzin the Falls Car Show and in the Spokane Lilac Festival Torchlight Parade Saturday.
Created by Paul Jr. Designs for One Call Concepts, the construction of the 811 bike was featured on the popular “American Chopper: Senior vs. Junior” reality television show on the Discovery Channel.
Bringing the 811 Damage Prevention Bike to Spokane for high-profile community events is one way that Avista can share the importance of calling 811 for underground utility locates two days before starting any project that involves digging. Decreasing dig-ins on Avista’s natural gas system by 10 percent to increase public safety and reduce company costs is a company goal for 2012. In 2011, there were 7.9 dig-ins for every 1,000 locates, compared to the national average of 3.7.
Helmet contest on Avista’s Facebook page
Avista is offering a chance for one lucky person, biker or not, to win and design his or her own custom painted motorcycle helmet with the help of Spokane artist George Roybal. To enter the contest go to www.facebook.com/avistautilties “Like” our page and fill out the entry form before May 31. May 11 , 2012
video
Team sorts, reuses and recycles materials
Nearly every time an Avista crew goes into the field to fix a power line or natural gas pipeline, there are materials left over from the job. That material might not be usable again or it could just be outdated – but more than likely it’s not trash.
That’s where Avista’s Investment Recovery team steps in. When our crews return from the field, they drop off their materials for sorting. Investment Recovery decides what can be reused, recycled or salvaged. In 2011 alone, Avista recycled nearly two million pounds of material and metals including items like aluminum, copper and iron. That’s a whole lot of materials that don’t end up in landfills.
“One of the main reasons Investment Recovery exists is be good stewards of the environment,” said April Spacek, Manager of Materials Management. “It’s well worth it to Avista to put a strong effort in this area to help return value to the business and avoid generating large volumes of trash.”
Once material is returned, it’s sorted by employees from ARC of Spokane who take great pride in their work. It’s a win-win for environmental stewardship, while providing jobs for developmentally disabled members of our community.
Each morning the Investment Recovery warehouse is buzzing with a tremendous amount of activity as workers breakdown materials with hammers, screwdrivers, vises and other implements.
The reusable material is inspected or repaired, then returned to the Avista warehouse for the next job. Recycled materials are packaged and picked up by a local recycling outfit.
“Doing our part for the environment is just the right thing to do, ” said Investment Recovery Coordinator Barry Pasicznyk. “We’ve been doing this work at Avista for quite some time now and it’s a great thing.”
Take a look at the video above to see the sights and sounds of Investment Recovery.
May 11 , 2012 video
Spokane River and Clark Fork River work targets fish survival, habitat and doing the right thing
If you’ve ever dipped a fishing rod into any of our local lakes or rivers you’re already aware of the great natural resources we enjoy in the Northwest. Because Avista operates hydroelectric facilities on the Clark Fork and Spokane rivers, we’ve made a commitment to the environment as part of our daily operations throughout Montana, Idaho, Washington and Oregon.
Two great examples of Avista’s commitment to environmental stewardship are reducing invasive lake trout in Lake Pend Oreille and studying rainbow trout spawning on the Spokane River. These projects were featured in a 2010 “Safekeeping” segment of the Columbia Country television program which aired on Fox stations.
Clark Fork River
The Clark Fork Project segment features an ongoing collaborative project on Lake Pend Oreille to reduce the population of invasive lake trout. Lake Pend Oreille was once a world-class fishery for rainbow trout, bull trout and kokanee. In recent years, the lake has been taken over by lake trout (also called mackinaw), which do not coexist well with native bull trout, and which prey on kokanee, depleting the food sources for rainbow and bull trout. This project offers angler incentives and brings in commercial netters to “fish out” the invasive lake trout. Since this program’s inception more than 139,000 lake trout have been removed from the lake.
Avista helps fund the Lake Pend Oreille project through our Clark Fork Project license, which includes Noxon Rapids Dam in Montana and Cabinet Gorge Dam in northern Idaho.
Spokane River
The Spokane segment features a rainbow trout spawning study on the Spokane River, part of our 50-year operating license for the five hydroelectric developments that make up Avista’s Spokane River Project. The spawning study is part of a 10-year collaboration with Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) to better understand the relationship between river flow and the rainbow trout population and their spawning habitat from Monroe Street Dam downstream to Nine Mile Dam.
In each of the last two years, in partnership with WDFW, we’ve captured and tagged more than 800 rainbow trout in the river below the Monroe Street Dam downstream to the Nine Mile Reservoir. This part of the 10-year study is to understand how many trout are in the Spokane River and the habitat they use. We will capture and tag rainbow trout again this October.
A similar project has been in effect for several years in the Upper Spokane River, and we hope this project will help us better understand how managing river flows affects water levels in Lake Coeur d’Alene and habitat for rainbow trout downstream. By doing so, we hope to ultimately encourage growth of the rainbow trout population in the Spokane River.
Both of these projects show how Avista works with others to care for the natural resources affected by our projects. They are great examples of how we make our commitment to environment part of our daily operations throughout Montana, Idaho, Washington and Oregon.
May 11 , 2012
slideshow
Avista’s work on the Spokane River aesthetic flows project was completed in October of 2011. The project took place in the river in downtown Spokane and received a lot of attention from curious onlookers last summer.
The reason behind the project wasn’t just about looks, as the name suggests. While the overall goal was to create a cascading waterfall effect through the channels of the Spokane River that run north and south of Canada Island, the work was related to the aesthetic spills requirement of our Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) license.
In 2009, Avista was issued a new 50-year license by FERC to operate our five hydroelectric dams on the Spokane River (Post Falls, Upper Falls, Monroe Street, Nine Mile and Long Lake). The purpose of the aesthetic flows project was to return the river’s channels to a more natural state, the way they were before early developers in Spokane cut into the bedrock to divert water during dry times.
Weirs, which are concrete structures, were installed in the riverbed to divert water. Before construction on the project began, Avista brought together several stakeholder groups, including the Washington Department of Ecology, The Sierra Club, and others, to take part in a pilot test for the project using sandbags as temporary weirs to divert the water. The feedback we received helped us determine the placement for the permanent weirs.
Land Expressions LLC, was awarded the contact and did an outstanding job constructing the weirs to match the natural basalt bedrock as much as possible, including consideration for the existing terrain’s texture and color.
In addition to providing aesthetic attributes, the project will accommodate fish passage at various water flow levels that are determined by the Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Department of Ecology. During the project, fish biologists and contractors were on site, relocating fish safely downstream due to the river flow being temporarily stopped while the weirs are constructed.
Now that the project is complete, water flows more evenly throughout the two channels of the river and produces a more pleasing flow of water through Riverfront Park. This time of year the work isn’t too noticeable because flows are so high, but come summer time, take a stroll through Riverfront Park and check out the river’s new look.
May 10 , 2012
Avista is disappointed in the article that ran in today’s Spokesman-Review titled “Avista gives cash to oust two North Idaho incumbents,” regarding Idaho legislators and our contribution to political campaigns in Idaho. We believe the article is misleading, and want to set the record straight about our intent and practice of engaging in policy discussions and issues on behalf of our customers and communities.
Public policy participation
Avista actively participates in local, state and national legislative and governmental activities. We work to develop relationships with elected and appointed office holders in order to understand the complexities of public policy affecting our company and be at the table on behalf of our customers and communities.
“It is appropriate and responsible for the company, through shareholder dollars and the employee-funded political action committee, to make political contributions as part of a comprehensive government relations program. Customers’ rate dollars do not fund these activities,” said Avista Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer Scott Morris.
“As an energy company, Avista and our customers, communities, employees and shareholders are affected by the decisions made by federal, state and local officials,” Morris said. “It is essential that we have a voice in the public policy arena and that we participate in the process for the benefit of all our stakeholders.”
Avista has supported many bipartisan and partisan efforts with clear benefits to our customers and communities. These include:
• Recent passage of SB5575, which will allow power from Avista’s Kettle Falls Biomass plant to qualify as renewable under Washington State Renewable Portfolio Mandates. Passage of this bill will help preserve rural jobs and is expected to save electric customers hundreds of millions of dollars in unnecessary capital spending on new renewable energy resources. • Washington State University Spokane’s Biomedical and Health Sciences Building on the Riverpoint campus, which broke ground in fall 2011 and will provide long-term economic benefits to our region as part of the comprehensive Academic Health Science Center project. • Washington HB 1489, signed in 2011, which bans phosphorus in lawn fertilizers. Avista worked with a coalition of business, agriculture and environmental groups to help find an approach to reduce phosphorous loading into Washington lakes and rivers, improving water quality. • Legislation to create in Pierce, Idaho, the National Guard Youth Challenge Program, a multi-phase youth intervention program intended to improve the education, life skills and employment potential of enrolled high school students in the state of Idaho. (HB 662, 2012) • Community investments made through corporate and Avista Foundation giving (not included in customer rates). Avista Corp. and Avista Foundation donations and grants in Montana, Idaho, Washington and Oregon totaled $1.47 million in 2011.
Political contributions
Avista has a long history of supporting both Democrats and Republicans for election.
Avista is legally prohibited from contributing directly to political candidates for elected federal offices. In 2011, we contributed $75,770 in the states where we serve customers and where such contributions are allowed.
In Idaho in 2012, Avista has made a total of $20,250 in direct contributions to 37 candidates in 24 of the state’s 35 legislative districts. Each of these are limited to a total of $1,000 or less per candidate per election. In Washington, direct contributions to candidates total $3,450 in 2012, and in Oregon direct contributions to candidates total $5,500 in 2012. Our contributions support incumbents, challengers, and new candidates who are running for open seats. Separate contributions to political action committees in Idaho and Oregon in 2012 totaled $20,000 and $1,500 respectively.
Avista also has a voluntary, non-partisan committee for non-craft-member employees called the Avista Employees for Effective Government political action committee. Through the Avista Employee PAC, our employees have contributed $5,640 to federal candidates and political organizations in 2012.
May 09 , 2012
Avista is working to improve paths and viewing points along the Spokane River
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Pedestrians can still access the suspension bridge to
get some great views of the Spokane River, however
the south entrance of the bridge near the Upper Falls
powerhouse will be closed for construction.
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Later this summer, Riverfront Park visitors will also
have a new east-facing viewing platform to take in
the beautiful Spokane River.
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The footbridge near the viewing platform will be open
to pedestrians during Memorial Day weekend.
| Beginning this week, Riverfront Park visitors in downtown Spokane will be detoured away from the south end of the suspension bridge by Avista’s Upper Falls Dam powerhouse.
For the next four weeks, Avista is working on a project to improve the deteriorated asphalt roadway and powerhouse parking area. The asphalt roadway will be repaved with asphalt, concrete will be installed in front of the powerhouse, and reinforced turf and porous pavers and grass will be installed in this area. These improvements will improve access to the powerhouse and will make for an easier, safer trek for pedestrians crossing the bridge.
You can still enjoy the great views on the bridge by accessing it from the north side of Canada Island; you just can’t cross the bridge on the south end until the work is complete. The nearest river crossing in the park is Howard Street Bridge, just east of the suspension bridge by the Upper Falls Powerhouse. Signs will be posted to redirect park users.
Safety is a top priority at Avista. During our project, you may see workers, cranes, and other construction equipment in the area. For your safety, please obey posted signs and stay out of fenced-off areas.
New viewing platform
Later this summer, Riverfront Park visitors will also have a new east-facing viewing platform to take in the beautiful Spokane River. Avista constructed the viewing platform last fall so we could access the Upper Falls Dam for maintenance and upgrades. This spring, we’re working on the east end of Havermale Island to complete paving of the area. Spokane City Parks and Recreation will take it from there to put in plants and vegetation.
The footbridge near the viewing platform will be open to pedestrians during Memorial Day weekend.
The work we’re doing will improve pedestrian access and aesthetics at Riverfront Park.
May 07 , 2012
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Avista is replacing nearly 9 miles of natural gas
pipeline in Davenport, Wash. The project is
estimated to cost more than $3 million. The
work will be conducted May to October. | Bring in the diggers and heavy equipment because construction is underway in Davenport, Wash., as Avista replaces nearly 9 miles of natural gas pipeline that’s approaching the end of its service life. The project carries a price tag of more than $3 million. It’s part of Avista’s commitment to maintain and upgrade our natural gas pipeline system.
From May through October, Avista-authorized contractor Loy Clark will be installing new natural gas pipelines in streets and alleys throughout Davenport.
As we replace the natural gas pipeline one section at a time, Davenport natural gas customers will experience a short interruption of service while we’re working on the natural gas pipeline in a specific area. Customers will be notified two days in advance of working in their neighborhood so they can plan ahead. Once the work is complete and service is restored, qualified Avista personnel or contractors will safely relight appliances, such as water heaters.
Attendance was light when we held an open house at the Davenport Memorial Hall on Wednesday, May 2, to answer questions about the project. Hopefully that means that folks in Davenport are comfortable with the project.
This six-month, $3 million project is just one example of how Avista must continually invest in maintaining and upgrading the natural gas pipelines that allow us to serve our customers.
May 04 , 2012
Thanks to new Smart Grid technology, approximately 6,500 Pullman customers can now access their real-time energy usage simply by logging onto their “My Avista” account. It’s the latest milestone in Avista’s Smart Grid Demonstration Project that’s underway in Pullman.
Avista has joined with regional partners, led by Battelle, to develop a smart grid demonstration project using matching stimulus funds from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The intent of the demonstration project is to show how smart grid technology can enhance the safety, reliability and efficiency of energy delivery on a regional and national level.
The past two years have been spent designing, constructing and installing complex technology, including advanced meters, in the Pullman area that create the foundation for secure, two-way, wireless communication between customer meters and Avista.
As part of the demonstration project, Avista recently started a one-year study designed to test whether access to energy usage information has any potential impact on peoples’ behavior.
Approximately 6,500 randomly-selected customers in the Pullman area were given access to a special advanced meter web portal that lets them view their energy usage down to the hour, make adjustments and start saving energy based on their energy choices and behavior. They can see charts and graphs that track changes or trends and make more informed decisions about how to use energy.
The remaining customers in the Pullman area will not have access to the special Advanced Meter Web Portal until April 2013 when the study period concludes.
Studies like this are helping Avista learn how new technologies can enhance the safety, reliability and efficiency of energy delivery for all of our customers.
May 01 , 2012
Today First Wind officially broke ground on Palouse Wind, a wind farm near the town of Oakesdale off of State Route 195. Last year Avista signed a 30-year power purchase agreement for the renewable wind power that will be generated at the site once it’s completed later this year.
The wind farm is expected be the largest renewable energy facility in Whitman County with 58 turbines and the capacity to generate enough clean, renewable energy to power about 30,000 of Avista’s customers’ homes.
The power we get from Palouse Wind will be part of a diverse, responsible energy portfolio that includes renewable resources generated right here in eastern Washington. In addition, the project is helping Avista invest in our infrastructure through the transmission upgrades we’re making so we can connect the power to our system. Palouse Wind will help Avista meet its goal of providing reliable energy to our customers at a reasonable cost, while meeting renewable portfolio standards in Washington.
The groundbreaking ceremony included speakers from Avista, First Wind, Vestas, as well as several elected officials from Whitman County and the surrounding area who discussed the benefits of the project to the area’s economy, the surrounding communities and Avista’s customers.
The event was held at the future site of the project’s substation, a leveled section of land among the rolling hills that dot the landscape.
The turbines and their massive blades are not up yet, but will be shipped from Colorado to Washington by train and then transferred by trucks to the site, where they’ll be erected this summer. It should be a site to see. When the turbines go up, we’ll update the blog.
Apr 27 , 2012
Arbor Day celebrated with award and tree planting
The vocabulary word for today is arboriculture - that’s the planting and care of woody plants, especially trees.
Arboriculture is something that Avista is actively engaged in through our vegetation management program which works to keep trees clear of power lines, helping to ensure reliable service to customers. We’re also engaged in customer and community outreach programs that contribute to a healthy urban tree canopy through tree plantings and that educate customers on the importance of planting the right tree in the right place especially around power lines.
That on-going commitment has earned Avista its first Tree Line USA Award from the Arbor Day Foundation. The national program promotes the dual goals of safe, reliable electric service and abundant, healthy trees across utility service areas. Washington State Commissioner of Public Lands Peter Goldmark, presented Avista with the award today at the Spokane Conservation District in Spokane Valley.
After the presentation the district planted a memorial cockspur hawthorn, the Avista 2012 Utility Smart Tree of the Year. See photos above.
Some of Avista’s programs which contributed to the company receiving the award are:
• The street tree replacement collaboration with Spokane Conservation District and the City of Spokane which removes tall growing trees located beneath power lines and replaces them with low-growing species that are compatible with overhead lines.
• The energy saving shade tree program which is a partnership with the Spokane Conservation District to help residential customers in Spokane County strategically plant shade trees to help reduce their energy costs.
• The announcement of the utility compatible tree of the year and planting of the tree in a ceremony held in Spokane
• Annual Arbor Day celebrations
Also contributing to Avista receiving the Tree Line USA Award is its commitment to quality tree care by adhering to industry standards and ensuring that employees and contract workers are trained in best practices.
More information
What kinds of trees can be planted near power lines?
• Only plant tree species that mature at 20’ or less near power lines.
• If you would like a list of power line compatible trees please call 1-800-727-9170, Extension 8514.
• For more species selection good sources of information are the County Extension Offices, City Parks Department, certified arborists, and reputable plant nurseries.
• If planting in city strips there may be ordinances over species selection.
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