Designing power delivery when and where you need it

Wenatchee, Washington

DOUGLAS PUD PLANS NEW TRANSMISSION LINE

By Christine Pratt
World staff writer

Friday, February 10, 2012

EAST WENATCHEE — The Douglas County PUD will begin work this summer on a new 230 kilovolt transmission line needed to more reliably keep the lights on as the city grows.

PUD spokeswoman Meaghan Vibbert said the $13 million line will stretch 13 miles from the utility’s Douglas Switchyard near Rocky Reach Dam up and across Badger Mountain and down to its Rapids Switchyard in Rock Island. Work should be finished in the summer of 2013.

The line will follow an established “transmission corridor” that already includes high-voltage lines owned by the Bonneville Power Administration, the Chelan County PUD and Puget Sound Energy.

Despite the new line’s origin near Rocky Reach Dam, the Douglas Substation connects to and carries electricity generated at the Douglas PUD’s Wells Dam, near Pateros on the Columbia River, Vibbert said.

The new line is necessary to bolster East Wenatchee’s existing delivery system, which studies have shown is vulnerable to overloads in some neighborhoods under certain conditions — a problem expected to worsen as the city grows.

The new line will bring the system up to federal energy reliability standards and reduce the likelihood of stress-caused outages or drops in voltage, known as “brown outs,” which cause lights to dim, according to information provided by Vibbert.

Commonwealth Associates Inc. of Mount Vernon is designing the project, which will be built on single, steel poles. A construction contract will be advertised and awarded in the coming weeks.

The new line is considered a large project for the PUD. Vibbert said that its estimated $13 million price tag is larger than the typical annual capital budget for the utility’s electric distribution system.

Christine Pratt: 665-1173

pratt@wenatcheeworld.com

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On Location: Mount Vernon, Washington

This month, for those considering employment with Commonwealth, or simply wishing to learning more about us, we are featuring a series of posts showcasing our various office locations.  We are pleased to continue this week by introducing you to our Mount Vernon, Washington office in the rugged and majestic Pacific Northwest.  We trust you will find it, as we do, to be a wonderful place to live, work, and play.

"Spectacular!"  "Breathtaking!"  "Magnificent!" 

These are just a few of the words sure to come to mind when you visit our Mount Vernon location.

Nestled between the San Juan Islands in the Puget Sound to the West and the Cascade Mountains with the scenic Cascade Loop drive to the East, Mount Vernon, Washington is the county seat of Skagit County. 

At just 60 miles from Seattle and 90 miles from Vancouver, it is an easy distance to virtually anything you might have in mind.  Skagit County features an abundance of action, adventure, relaxation, and culture, but you don't have to leave home to find recreation, entertainment, and family fun, because Mount Vernon has enjoyed a rating of #1 "Best Small City in America."

Historic Downtown Mount Vernon offers much in the way of boutique and antique shopping and fine dining, or you may wish to grab lunch at one of the great eateries and enjoy the day at Edgewater Park.  Perhaps you'd prefer to walk your dog along the miles of paved trails, take a whale-watching tour in the San Juans, kayak the Skagit River, or go eagle-watching in Concrete. 

In Mount Vernon, the sky's truly the limit.

Be surrounded by awe-inspiring scenery

Explore the limitless playground

Witness firsthand the majestic Bald Eagle in flight

Mount Vernon, a nature lover's paradise

Enjoy the gorgeous Tulip Festival



Tackle the slopes of Mt. Baker



Just a few of the highlights:

• Skagit County Tulip Festival
• ClearLake Triathlon
• Shakespeare Festival
• Anacortes Arts Festival
• Anacortes Jazz Festival
• Upper Skagit Bald Eagle Festival
• Skiing at Mount Baker

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Reed assumes new post at national engineering firm’s northwest regional office

MOUNT VERNON, WA – Commonwealth Associates, Inc. is pleased to announce that Paul W. Reed, P.E. has been promoted to the position of Transmission Section Manager in its northwest regional office in Mount Vernon, Washington.  “With 13 years’ experience serving the electric utility industry, Paul is an accomplished transmission engineer who brings tremendous insight and expertise to this role,” stated John White, Commonwealth Vice-President and Northwest Regional Manager. 

Reed is a registered professional civil engineer in the state of Washington and received his B.S. from the University of Washington.  Prior to joining Commonwealth in 2010, he was employed as a Transmission Engineer at HDR Engineering, Inc. and at Puget Sound Energy in Bellevue, Washington.  White continued, “Paul looks forward to using his collaborative leadership approach to expand his team and to assist clients in upgrading their transmission infrastructure.”  “The people at Commonwealth are a great team and it’s a real privilege to be able to serve in this new capacity,” commented Reed.

Commonwealth offers a complete package of engineering and consulting services for clients and is proud to be listed among the 2011 Top 40 Design Firms by EC&M Magazine and the 2011 Top 500 Design Firms by ENR.com.  The company maintains principal offices in Mount Vernon, Washington; Atlanta, Georgia; and Jackson, Michigan, along with satellites in Columbus and Dayton, Ohio and Roanoke, Virginia.

For more information, please visit: http://www.cai-engr.com/

On Facebook at: www.facebook.com/commonwealthassociates

On Twitter at: www.twitter.com/caiengr_dot_com

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