West Seattle, Washington
11 Tuesday
That photo is from Lauren, who reoorts brown water in Admiral, as does Jennifer. No emergencies on the Seattle Public Utilities water-trouble map; it is often caused by SFD testing hydrants, but it’s always a good idea to report discolored water to SPU at 206-386-1800 – and don’t do laundry until it clears up, as the discoloration is usually sediment/rust that can leave stains.
P.S. Reminder – (corrected) Tuesday and Wednesday of this week will bring some testing related to the almost-complete Spokane Pump Station project, and that could mean discolored water in parts of Admiral – here’s the alert we’ve published.
ORIGINAL FRIDAY REPORT: The longrunning Spokane Pump Station project in east Admiral may bring some “brown water” next week. Here’s the alert we received from Seattle Public Utilities, explaining why.
On Tuesday 8/11 and Wednesday 8/12, Seattle Public Utilities is testing two pumps at the Spokane Street pump station as a part of the commissioning package for the Spokane Pump Station Capital Project. Testing the pumps will require moving approximately 100,000 gallons of water over the course of several hours. Impacted pipes have been flushed and drained to minimize sediment, but there could be some discolored water moving through the system during the testing. The affected areas are the 400, 498, and the 550 zones in the provided map with the north boundary at SW Lander Street, the south boundary at SW Andover Street, the east boundary at Harbor Avenue, and the west boundary at California Avenue.
If customers in the impacted areas see discolored water, SPU recommends waiting until it clears before drinking it. For more information about discolored water is here on our website.
We’ve asked SPU a followup question about how soon the entire project will be finished.
ADDED MONDAY: SPU said the project is close to done. Meantime, a commenter asked for more specifics regarding the time window for the testing – SPU says 10 am to 2 pm both days.
2:36 PM: Police are helping block off an area in the 2800 block of SW Nevada where SFD is dealing with a natural-gas leak reported in a townhouse complex. Avoid the area.
2:41 PM: PSE has arrived at the scene, firefighters told dispatch.
2:51 PM: The leak’s been secured, and the SFD units will be leaving.
(SCROLL DOWN/REFRESH FOR UPDATES, INCLUDING REPAIR PROGRESS AND BUSINESS CLOSURES)
5:08 AM: Thanks for the tips. Power has gone out for more than 4,400 homes and businesses, according to the Seattle City Light outage map. Updates to come.
5:13 AM: If you’re hearing sirens, there are police responses for businesses where alarms were set off because of the outage.
5:32 AM: Finally hearing word of the apparent cause – tree trouble in North Admiral, per police radio. Texter elaborates that it’s near 47th SW and SW Holgate, “a couple of tree limbs down in alley … One limb on the ground. Big one on the wires.”
5:56 AM: A texter in The Junction reports power restored. The map should show soon the extent of that. … And a moment later, it’s updated to show 1,980 customers still out; we’ll add the map screenshot shortly. … Here it is (we do this for the record, as outages vanish from SCL’s site once they’re over):
6:19 AM: WSB senior contributor Christopher Boffoli has gone to the scene and talked with City Light. First, here’s the tree:
Christopher says they have to call in a specialized crew to reach the problem, so they’re guessing it might take a few hours to resolve the rest of the outage (11 am-ish, though that’s an estimate, so could be sooner, could be later). Meantime, he’s also been through the heart of the Admiral business district and says it looks like power is on there – signals working too – but further north is where signs of the outage are apparent.
6:58 AM: Now there’s a transformer fire at 47th/Genesee – and we had a flicker all the way down here in Upper Fauntleroy. No idea if this is related. … But the outage has just grown again.
7:11 AM: Above is a screenshot of City Light’s map for the newly expanded outage zone – which appears to be the same as the original outage zone.
8:11 AM: No updates since then but now that we’re getting further into the day, please remember that dark signals = all-way stops. Also, any information on business status would be appreciated. Via text, Carl just reported that in the heart of The Junction, the west side of California is out but the east side is on. … This comment suggests same situation for at least part of The Admiral District.
8:50 AM: The newest photos are from Bill, who reports that the City Light truck shown above is now on scene. He also sent this view of the tree limb on the wire.
Still 4,400+ out.
9:19 AM: Our crew in The Junction reports California/Alaska’s signals are still out but California/Oregon is working (California/Edmunds too). Back in the outage zone, Bill reports the City Light crew “is making good progress” and sent this photo:
Back to The Junction, our crew says most east-side-of-California businesses ARE open, with power, and is checking the west side next.
9:44 AM: The entire west side of California between Alaska and Edmunds is out, including Bakery Nouveau, Top Pot, and Husky Deli, per our crew. Headed north next.
9:56 AM: West side of California between Alaska and Oregon – most are closed BUT while Easy Street’s café is closed, they’re open for shopping, cards and Venmo only. … Traffic-signal updates from Admiral – out at 47th/Admiral.
9:59 AM: Looks like at least some of the power is back – our crew says the California/Alaska signal just came back on. SCL map should update shortly. … Map shows 1,565 homes/businesses still out, Admiral area.
10:21 AM: And now it appears everybody’s back on.
One week ago, Seattle City Light told us its contractor/crew had gone into a “complete work stoppage” at the Morgan Junction EV-charging lot site (4118 SW Morgan) while they figured out how to deal with a “significant structural design issue.” A WSB team member noticed an excavator being operated at the site on Thursday, so we asked SCL about the “work stoppage” status and if they had any update on a new timeline. Spokesperson Jenny Levesque replied, “The work stoppage remains in place for a portion of the site. Our engineering team continues to work on resolving the design issue. The project team is committed to bringing electric vehicle charging to the Morgan Junction neighborhood. We will share an update with you by the end of August.” That was the month the eight-charger lot previously was supposed to be complete, after a series of delays dating back to the year the project was announced, 2022.
4:58 PM: Seattle Fire crews are in the 5200 block of SW Canada Drive, just off Beach Drive, for a natural-gas leak. They’ve determined it’s “on the supply side of the line” – which is 1″ wide – and are evacuating some people nearby as a precaution. Avoid that stretch of Beach Drive (see the vicinity map) for a while.
5:43 PM: The last two SFD responders just left, and the call is closed.
9:31 AM: Thanks for the tip. Power is out for what the City Light outage map shows as more than 2,100 customers in West Seattle, White Center, and South Park; this happened just after a solid-waste truck took down wires near 16th and Myrtle – police are closing that intersection part of the area. Updates to come.
(WSB photos by Torin Record-Sand)
10:03 AM: Our crew hasn’t seen the culprit truck, but as the photo above shows, City Light is on scene at 17th/Myrtle, as are police to keep the streets blocked.
10:16 AM: Police at the scene explained why our photographer didn’t see the truck – it left the scene after the crash. We don’t know yet whether the truck driver or their employer has subsequently called it in, though.
10:59 AM: More than two-thirds of those affected should be back on, the map shows, including all of whose who lost power in White Center and South Park – 647 customers in West Seattle remain out.
1:17 PM: A check of the map confirms that everyone’s back on.
ADDED: Donald sent this photo, taken while the truck was still on scene:
A reader who hadn’t driven the West Seattle Bridge at night in a while messaged us this week, startled by how many of its lights were out. Wire theft affecting the bridge has long been an issue, but it’s hit the headlines again multiple times recently, particularly with the Gregory Galitzeck case (still not back in custody). And we got this reader report on Thursday from Jeff:
Just wanted to share that I came across 3-4 people collecting stolen wire at 10 am … Thursday 7/16, at the dead end of Marginal Place SW under the West Seattle Bridge. One wore a day-glow work jacket. They were meticulously laying it out and coiling it up to load it into a dark green SUV, the trunk of which was nearly full already with other obviously stolen wire. I called police and reported it. The operator took plenty of details and said dispatch had been notified. I had to get to work and was getting noticed by the guys so I didn’t stick around to see if the cops actually arrived (in time) to do anything. …
I think if SPD sent someone to patrol through there every other morning they’d catch people red-handed. These thieves are utterly brazen, doing this calmly in broad daylight. Looked like they’d been at it for at least half an hour given the amount already packed up, and weren’t in any hurry as I spent about 15 minutes circling and calling it in. It just makes me so mad we don’t seem to do anything to stop these guys inflicting 10x or 100x the cost damage (and safety hazards of dark roads) of the measly few hundred bucks they get from wrecking our public infrastructure.
We don’t know what if anything transpired from Jeff’s 911 call, as we don’t have an incident # to follow up on. But we did contact City Light with several questions about the overall bridge-wire-theft situation. The replies are from utility spokesperson Julie Moore.
She said there had been no new reports of bridge wire theft in the past few weeks. We also had two big-picture questions:
We asked about the status of reviewing/planning/adopting increased security to prevent/deter this kind of theft/vandalism, and whether anything had been done recently. Here’s the SCL reply:
We continue to employ theft prevention measures including installing tamper-proof handhole lids, welding access doors, or placing ecology blocks in front and over electrical facilities to prevent unauthorized access. We took these measures when we repaired damage impacting the lights on the bridge last fall. The recent incidents involved access doors and handholes in different locations. As we make repairs, we will take similar steps to prevent future tampering and theft.
We also asked about the latest on the repair/replacement plan for damaged/stolen bridge-light wiring. Here’s the SCL reply:
The damage that resulted in the West Seattle Bridge streetlight outages was extensive and included many panels along the bridge as well as the off and on ramps to both the bridge and Spokane Street Viaduct. Fully assessing needed repairs and then making those repairs requires lane closures for the safety of the public and our crews. We are actively working with SDOT on a traffic control plan. We do not have an estimated timeline for full restoration.
So – the bridge will remain dark for some time. The problem may be unsolved, but it’s nowhere near new; for historical context, here’s what they told us about theft-proofing attempts last year; And our archives note that former District 1 City Councilmember Lisa Herbold addressed the problem in 2019.
–
It’s already four years past the original estimate for completion. Today, Seattle City Light says the Morgan Junction electric-vehicle-charging lot project has a brand-new delay. The utility just sent this update:
While crews worked on site during the FIFA construction moratorium, City Light construction engineers identified a significant structural design issue. This required a complete work stoppage and will further delay the project so the project team can develop a solution. We will provide an estimated completion date for the charging station once the solution is approved by permitting authorities. Thank you for your patience and understanding.
No details of the “significant structural design issue” were provided, so we’re asking about that, and whether this is likely to mean weeks of delay or months of delay. (Despite the “work stoppage,” there was a heavy-equipment operator on site shortly after 8:30 pm last night when we took the photo above.) The lot is supposed to provide eight chargers for paid public use. SCL had just said in June that crews were dealing with “challenging” site conditions that would prevent them from achieving the most-recent projected completion date, which would have been next month.
Just got a note from an Alki resident reporting discolored water. No incidents on the Seattle Public Utilities water-trouble map, so this could be sediment (rust) stirred up from hydrant use (SFD has certainly had a busy 24+ hours). If you notice it, always report it to SPU’s round-the-clock center at 206-386-1800, as there’s also always a chance it could be first indication of a system problem.
9:41 AM: Thanks for the tip and photos. What’s on the Seattle City Light outage map as a 7-customer outage is affecting some Westwood Village businesses. The texter sent these photos – seen on the door at the dialysis facility Davita:
And at West Seattle Licensing:
The texter says the West Seattle YMCA (WSB sponsor) child-care center is open but is having a partial outage. We’ll go over and check on other businesses as soon as we can.
10 AM: We’re there. Surveying the rest of the SW Trenton side, the Post Office is open, not affected, but the Virginia Mason Franciscan Health clinic and Total Wine & More are both closed with signs on the door. (The latter also affects bus drivers who use the restroom, the signage notes.) Total Wine sign:
And VMFH:
10:50 AM: This outage is no longer shown on the SCL map. We’ll go back a bit later to see if any of the affected businesses have reopened.
1:45 PM: Customers are going into Total Wine, but the aforementioned other businesses still have the closure signs up.
That map shows seven blocks in Gatewood where Seattle City Light is about to start work replacing poles and lines, according to this announcement we just received:
Seattle City Light will be upgrading overhead power lines in West Seattle soon. City Light crews will start work along SW Webster Street near 40th Ave SW today. This upgrade will strengthen the power lines and increase their capacity. In the future, this will improve reliability. Crews will install new utility poles. Once the poles are installed, crews will connect new overhead power lines. Please see the attached construction notification and project map.
Construction notifications are being mailed to City Light customers in the project area this week.
Planned power outages will be needed to complete this work safely. Once a planned power outage date is identified, City Light will notify affected residents at least five days before any planned outages.
Here’s the notice residents will be receiving.
(Added: Reader photo of SPU crews)
8:25 AM: Thanks for the tips. Seattle Public Utilities is working on a water outage in the Morgan Junction area, 6000 block Fauntleroy Way SW, affecting at least 88 customers, according to the SPU water-trouble map.
1:07 PM: Not yet resolved per SPU.
1:41 PM: Texters report it’s back on. We will follow up with SPU tomorrow.
We’ve heard from two people reporting brown water on Genesee Hill. No water breaks mapped currently, so chances are it’s Seattle Fire testing hydrant, which stirs up rust/sediment in the line. But i it happens at your residence, do report it to the Seattle Public Utilities 24/7 line – 206-386-1800.
The first of two Fauntleroy Creek culvert-replacement projects, under 45th SW north of SW Wildwood, will move into “early work” later this month, according to a Seattle Public Utilities announcement today, but the major work – which will close part of 45th SW for up to two years – isn’t set to start early next year. Here’s today’s announcement:
Construction is expected to start late June 2026 for the 45th Ave SW Culvert Replacement Project! This project is part of Seattle Public Utilities’ Fauntleroy Creek Culverts Replacement Program.
The primary goal of this project is to reduce the risk of culvert failure and impacts to public safety and the environment. The project will also provide fish passage through the culvert.
Early work for this project will begin in late June 2026, and continue into September 2026, when crews start relocating overhead power lines along 45th Ave SW. Starting early in 2027 and continuing through 2028, the culvert replacement under 45th Ave SW will have a greater impact on the community as crews remove the existing culvert and replace it with a larger, fish-passable culvert.
Here are some construction impacts to expect:
-There will be temporary parking restrictions near the project site for the duration of construction along 45th Ave SW.
-Pedestrian access will be maintained when it is safe to do so; at other times, detours will be required.
-Noise, vibrations, dust, and lights typical of construction workProject duration and working hours:
-Approximately 2 years from 2026 to 2028
-Construction and maintenance hours
In general, you can expect construction work: 7 AM – 10 PM on weekdays and 9 AM – 10 PM on weekends and holidays
For more information about noise, see Seattle Noise Ordinances
-Temporary road closure of 45th Ave SW between SW Wildwood Pl and SW Director Pl for up to 2 years starting in early 2027.
The second project, replacing the California SW culvert (see map above), isn’t set to start before 2028. If you’re in the area and missed the Q/A meetings that have been held, here’s our coverage of one from last fall.
Thanks for the tip about a power “blip” around quarter till 2 noticed by some in West Seattle. SFD is handling a situation in the 8100 block of Occidental Avenue S. in west South Park [vicinity map], reported as a flipped/sideways truck that took down power lines and might also have sparked a brush fire. It hasn’t led to a major outage, according to the City Light map, but the live wires have required the area to be blocked off.
1:08 PM: Passing the Morgan Junction electric-vehicle charging-lot construction site (4118 SW Morgan) over the weekend, we noticed that it didn’t appear to have made much progress. Then this morning, before we could even send Seattle City Light an inquiry, we received this note from SCL spokesperson Jenny Levesque:
I would like to provide you with an update about construction progress for the Morgan Junction Electric Vehicle Charging Station. Site conditions during construction have been more challenging than we anticipated. This, in combination with the right-of-way construction moratorium for the FIFA World Cup™, means that we will not meet the estimated completion date of August 2026. We will have a better idea of the new estimated completion date after the moratorium ends in July. Crews will continue to work within City Light property during the moratorium.
We asked an immediate followup question about what constituted the “challenging … conditions,” but have yet to hear back. Four months have passed since we reported the first signs of construction work at the site, which is designed for eight chargers and was originally supposed to be built in 2022.
10:57 PM: We got a reply to our followup question at day’s end, but this still doesn’t elaborate on any surprises, so we’ll try again:
The project site is compact and located between two heavily trafficked streets. This makes construction challenging. Crews are working to bring in power from north Fauntleroy Way SW, across the road, to the site. Crews ran into challenges with existing site conditions and the required night and off-peak hour work. Our original goal was to complete the work before the FIFA World Cup construction moratorium started. All construction schedules are estimates based on the known conditions at the time. We are working to address issues as they arise, and we will continue to move forward on the project.
In addition to the pump-station work already under way on the south side of Lowman Beach Park, the King County Wastewater Treatment Division has another project starting this week: Sewer-pipe repairs that will start in the park and continue about a quarter of a mile north on the southbound side of Beach Drive SW. KCWTD says the work has to be done this time of year “when flows are lower and conditions are safer.” They’ll be working weekdays, 7 am to 7 pm, and while they don’t expect any interruptions in wastewater service, there’ll be some sidewalk closures and some alternating-lane traffic at times. The work is expected to continue into fall; once it’s done, road and park restoration will be done.
We obtained followup information today about two West Seattle incidents we reported last weekend:
SUNDAY FIRE: SFD firefighters extinguished a fire at a residence in the 3900 block of SW Holly on Sunday afternoon. Today SFD spokesperson Kaila Lafferty tells WSB today, “The cause of the fire was determined accidental, likely caused by a charging electrical device overheating and igniting nearby combustible materials.”
SATURDAY OUTAGE: More than 200 customers in North Delridge were out for hours on Saturday, and it was mapped as two adjacent outages, one that started in the morning, one in the evening. City Light spokesperson Julie Moore tells WSB, “The initial outage was due to a line down at Puget Boulevard SW and SW Hudson Street. We don’t know what caused the line to fail. To safely make repairs, the crew had to de-energize a larger area, which appeared on the map as a separate event. All customers were restored around 9:20 p.m.”
Readers are reporting brown water in Upper Gatewood and near Fairmount Park. They’ve also reported it to Seattle Public Utilities (206-386-1800 is the number to call any time). So far “probably hydrant testing” is the only explanation provided – the water-woes map doesn’t show any current or recent emergencies.
Thanks to Barbara for the tip: 221 Seattle City Light customers are without power in North Delridge – above is a screengrab from the SCL outage map, which shows it as two separate but adjacent outages. No indication yet of the cause.
10:41 PM: According to the SCL outage map, this has been resolved.
5:56 PM: Thanks for the tip! Seattle City Light says 319 customers in the Brace Point area lost power just before 5:30 pm. That’s the same area where SCL has been working for months on a long-delayed project to replace equipment including buried cables that have factored into past outages. No word yet what’s to blame this time.
1:25 AM MONDAY: Still out, per SCL’s map.
Firefighters are out testing hydrants today in Gatewood; we spotted this one at 37th and Holden. Hydrant-testing stirs up sediment – aka rust – in the lines, and that can lead to discolored water in the area. We’ve already heard from one person who had it, though he says it cleared up relatively quickly. Always a good idea to report to Seattle Public Utilities at 206-386-1800 if you’re not absolutely sure of the cause (it could also mean there’s a water break nearby, for example).
| 3 COMMENTS