Power Outage September 14th, 2023
A limited number of Canby Utility customers in Southeast Canby experienced a power outage related to an underground cable failure. This outage affected a mobile home park and a duplex. As of 8:00 p.m., the electric crew is working to find the exact location of the failed cable and is restoring power to customers as quickly as possible.
Power Outage September 7th, 2023
Canby Utility customers in the North and Northeast sections of town experienced a short-duration power outage. This outage was the result of a failed electrical component in the substation. This equipment is designed for the protection of the system against abnormal situations. As a result, a faulty reading caused the protection measures to activate, causing in the interruption of power that would have protected the system had there been an actual abnormal event.
When Red Flag Warning are in Effect for Wildfires
A Red Flag Warning means warm temperatures, very low humidities, and stronger winds are expected to combine to produce an increased risk of fire danger. This alert triggers Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) for utilities across Oregon when the extreme weather conditions threaten the safe operation of electrical services. To help protect the public from utility-caused wildfires, utilities implement plans to disconnect power to high-risk areas to prevent the power lines and other related equipment from causing wildfires.
Fortunately for Canby Utility customers, we have only identified one area of greater risk of wildfire. This area is located off Knights Bridge Road, from our Knights Bridge Substation located on Barlow Road to just east of the Molalla River. However, our strategic and aggressive vegetation management practices have significantly reduced the risk of a utility-caused wildfire. If a Red Flag Warning occurs we do not anticipate having to de-energize our electric feeder lines that serve power to our customers. We also have plans in place that should we have a need, we can transfer the load on that feeder to our other substation located on Redwood Street so that most customers would not be affected by a PSPS.
To ensure public safety during a Red Flag Warning event, Canby Utility will patrol its overhead power lines, have extra staff on standby, and be available 24-hours a day for receiving reports of concerns from the public.
Please note that Canby Utility is served power over the Portland General Electric’s (PGE) transmission lines. We have two separate transmission sources serving power to Canby Utility’s substations providing redundancy; however, Canby Utility has no control over PGE’s decisions to implement a PSPS on its transmission lines should the risk become too great. We do not anticipate PGE will need to this action if a Red Flag Warning occurs.
We will post updates below should there be a PSPS in our operations or if PGE’s PSPS will impact our customers. We are including a link to the PGE’s PSPS map to show you where PGE would be anticipating their service interruptions.
Click Here to View PGE’s PSPS Map.
UPDATES:
- None at this time.
In anticipation of possible power outages that can be caused by storms, accidents, or natural disasters, Canby Utility reminds and encourages our customers to call and report outages, should they occur.
- Contact our office at (503) 266-1156 to report an outage.
- For after-hours outages call (503) 266-1156 and press 1 for Emergency, or call (833) 887-0843.
(Our regular office hours are Monday through Thursday 7:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.)
Additional Power-Outage Tips
- Unplug sensitive electronics, like televisions and computers, and appliances like room air conditioners or space heaters. This may prevent appliances from being damaged by power variations that can occur when power is restored.
- Keep freezer and refrigerator doors closed. Food will generally stay frozen for 36 to 48 hours in a fully-loaded freezer if you keep the door closed. A half-full freezer will generally keep food frozen for 24 hours.
- As soon as power returns, check temperatures. If the food in the freezer has ice crystals and is not above 40°F, you can refreeze.
- Perishable foods in the refrigerator should not be above 40°F for more than two hours.
- Keep curtains closed and limit trips outside to maintain temperature for a longer period.
- Make sure to have flashlights, a battery-powered radio, and fresh batteries in an easily accessible area.
- Keep a battery-operated radio tuned to a local station. If the power outage is extensive or if there are rotating outages, announcements will be made on the radio.