DEER PARK, Wash. – Deer Park residents and some city leaders are frustrated after multiple power outages have affected thousands of people.
City Councilman Jason Upchurch said there have been three power outages in just over one week.
“It doesn’t seem like Avista has been very proactive in giving the answers as to, not only what’s going on, but also, what they’re doing to remedy it,” Upchurch said.
Deer Park resident Angie Bradley echoed Upchurch’s concerns. Her main concern was that she felt Avista could be more transparent about what happened and that the numerous power outages affected people’s work and livelihoods.
“I don’t blame Avista for it. Stuff happens. But, it’s… We don’t know why. Nobody is telling us why,” Bradley said.
Thursday, Avista provided NonStop Local with a statement, “We understand how inconvenient power outages can be. This is a unique situation and not something common we see in our substations, so we’re focused on increasing the reliability of the station in Deer Park and we appreciate our customers’ patience as we work toward a solution,” David Vowels, an Avista spokesman, said.
Vowels added that animals, specifically marmots, caused the Deer Park outages. The rodents have nests nearby and are getting into the substation, equipment and this is causing the issues.
“I don’t believe that an animal did that the last three times in a week,” Bradley said. “I think most people understand a power outage every once in a while. Three times in eight days is a lot,” Upchurch said.
Avista told NonStop Local they have bolstered the electric systems in the area by incorporating wildlife guards. They also now have insulating material in the substation and said they hope this works to prevent future issues in the Deer Park area.
