West Seattle, Washington
14 Thursday
10:26 PM: Getting reports of a short power outage in multiple areas – have heard from Admiral, Upper (and lower) Alki, Snake Hill, Seaview, Hansen View, Junction, Beach Drive, Gatewood, Genesee Hill, Morgan Junction (still adding) …, Did your power go out and stay out? Let us know – otherwise we don’t yet know what caused this.
10:39 PM: Still nothing on the City Light map so apparently no one went out and stayed out. No obvious incidents on the 911 map, either. When something similar happened two years ago, it was eventually attributed to equipment failure.
P.S. We’ll be following up with City Light and will update with the cause (likely not until tomorrow).
ADDED FRIDAY AFTERNOON: SCL spokesperson Julie Moore tells WSB, “We were doing some work that caused a momentary (two-second) trip of a breaker.”
3:40 PM: A reader in Gatewood reports a water outage and says SPU is working on a break in Morgan Junction – might not be fixed until mid-evening.
5:02 PM: Photo added – the crew is working on California SW south of Fauntleroy.
11:46 AM: Just received two reports of brown water in Arbor Heights – 35th/102nd is one location mentioned. We’re checking with Seattle Public Utilities; we’ll update when we hear back. If you’re experiencing it, be sure to call SPU at 206-386-1800, even if you know someone else already has reported it.
1:40 PM: Just heard back from SPU’s Ingrid Goodwin, who explains:
SPU crews had to perform an emergency water-main shutdown around 10:30 am today on 35th Ave SW between SW 100th ST and SW 104th St to repair a broken water main. Water was restored (back on for customers) around 11:30 am. As you know, shutting off water can sometimes cause temporary discolored water for customers. As of about 1 pm, our Operations Response Center reports receiving one call from a customer in the area about discolored water.
(WSB photo, Tuesday customers getting Wednesday pickup in Fauntleroy)
Update from Seattle Public Utilities:
Due to winter weather, residential garbage, recycling, and food/yard waste collections will be delayed by one day for the rest of the week. Solid waste contractors will run full operations today, picking up Tuesday customers.
Tuesday customers will be serviced today, Wednesday, with Wednesday customers serviced on Thursday, Thursday customers on Friday, and Friday customers on Saturday.
Monday customers who have carts out should bring their carts in and can set out double next week at no additional charge.
If your collection was missed on your adjusted set out day, please bring your carts in and you can set out double next week at no additional charge.
1:56 AM: Lots of reports of flickers (or slightly longer), in various West Seattle areas. So far we haven’t heard o anyone whose power went out and stayed out, and there’s nothing on the map, but apparently there was a related transformer problem in the 26th/Juneau area.
ADDED 12:32 PM: Thanks to K for the security-camera views of the flashes some noted at the time:
Those cameras are in the Westwood/east Highland Park area.
6:40 PM: Thanks for the tips. We just went over to confirm that West Seattle’s Whole Foods Market (WSB sponsor) is closed because of a power outage. The rest of The Whittaker and its businesses appear to still have power, however, and this outage is not on the City Light map, so we’re trying to find out what happened.
7:28 PM: Just called the store to check on the outage’s status and they told us the power was just restored and they’re reopening. Closing time will be 9 pm as usual.
1:20 PM: Blustery weather continues – though there’s no wind advisory in effect, we’ve noticed some strong gusts, and one has apparently taken down some lines in Gatewood. Seattle Fire has checked out the report at 41st/Southern [map] and assessed one wire as electrical, so Seattle City Light is being summoned. No outage reported, though.
5:17 PM: Just got a chance to go back and look; tape’s down, road’s open.
10:38 AM: Thanks to Mike Monteleone for the photo! Those Seattle City Light crews are working “in alley between 35th and 36th near Fauntleroy.” That’s the trouble spot that took out traffic signals and eventually 282 residential and business customers nearby. We’d been covering it in this morning’s traffic watch, but since the commute’s over, we’re publishing this followup, where we’ll add any updates, including the restoration of power.
10:44 AM: Moments after we published this, Kathy told us the power had just come back on. We had a crew on the way to check 35th/Avalon anyway – and they’ve just verified it’s all restored.
Thanks to the caller who just let us know about a water break west of Arbor Heights. She said it’s affecting their service in the West Beach Condos (10200 block of 47th SW) area, but Seattle Public Utilities told her it’s a few blocks west, on 51st SW, and they have a crew on the way, but service could be affected until after midnight.
If you’re seeing discolored water in Arbor Heights, it’s likely related to an earlier problem: George mentioned it early this afternoon; by the time we checked with Seattle Public Utilities, they said the water was back on. But just now we heard from someone who’s seeing brown water on Marine View Drive. It’ll likely clear after you run it for a while, but just to be sure it’s not a new issue, if you’re seeing it, be sure to report it to 206-386-1800.
With midweek holidays the next two weeks, this might be helpful: Here’s how city trash, recycling, and yard-waste pickups will change because of Christmas and New Year’s Day. If you have Monday/Tuesday pickup, it’s normal. But starting with Wednesday both weeks, everything slides a day – Wednesday customers will see Thursday pickups, Thursday customers on Fridays, Friday customers on Saturdays. Then with the week of January 6th, everything gets back to the regular schedule. Seattle Public Utilities recaps it all here.
Two east West Seattle neighborhoods have a big Seattle City Light project ahead in the New Year:
Here’s the anoouncement that SCL says “affected residents” should already have received directly:
Starting in January 2020, Seattle City Light crews will upgrade the electrical reliability of the Delridge neighborhood by replacing aging utility poles, overhead wire and equipment along SW Brandon St., 21st Ave. SW, SW Andover St., and 23rd Ave. SW. These improvements will support growth for future electrical infrastructure in the area while reducing unplanned power outages.
PROJECT IMPACTS
Crews will begin replacing utility poles, overhead wire and equipment along SW Brandon Street, 21st Avenue SW, SW Andover Street and 23rd Avenue SW.
Maintenance power outages are required to do the work safely. Notification will be provided in advance of outages. The notification will specify the date, time and duration of the outage.
Crews will reduce traffic and parking impacts by working one area at a time. Traffic will be restricted and “No Park” signs will be enforced in work zones. “No Park” signs will be removed once work has been completed.
Some noise is expected from heavy machinery.
The new poles will be placed alongside pre-existing poles, with the exemption of specific pole locations where adjustments are made to improve pedestrian mobility.
Pre-existing poles will be removed once the transfer of all wires and equipment are done by other utilities. City Light will monitor these efforts to facilitate the removal of old poles.
Construction is scheduled to start in January 2020. Daily work hours are from Mondays – Fridays, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nights and weekend work may be needed. The project is anticipated to last approximately five months.
That’s one of the new electric-vehicle “fast chargers” that Seattle City Light is making available for public use in SODO, just off the West Seattle Bridge, and similar to the ones it will install soon in The Junction. First, the SODO announcement:
Seattle City Light announced the launch of five city-owned electric vehicle (EV) chargers at the utility’s South Service Center in SODO, with plans for at least four additional locations in 2020. The publicly accessible stations are part of a pilot program to install 20 EV fast chargers throughout the utility’s service area and supports the city’s Drive Clean Seattle initiative, which centers on delivering community-focused transportation solutions.
“The new charging stations are part of a larger transportation electrification strategy that will allow us to leverage our clean electricity and reach the city of Seattle’s goals of reducing carbon emissions by 2050,” said Debra Smith, General Manager and CEO of Seattle City Light. “This pilot will help us understand the impacts of EV charging on the electrical system as we lay the groundwork to support electrifying all modes of transportation, from passenger vehicles to buses, the Port of Seattle, heavy-duty vehicles and ferries.”
City Light also announced changes to charge fees at utility-owned public EV fast charging stations. Users will be charged $0.31 or $0.17 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) in Seattle (dependent upon the time of day). Previous fees were listed at $0.43 per kWh. The cost-to-charge can change based on the charger’s location and the time of day. At a City Light fast charger, a typical electric car can charge up to 50 kWh in an hour, providing battery power for about 165 miles. This charge would cost approximately $15.88 during “Daytime” hours or $8.69 during “All Other Hours” in Seattle.
“The reduced fees come at a time when City Light is developing a Transportation Electrification Plan that will identify priorities for the utility’s investments in increasing equitable access to electric transportation, reducing carbon emissions, and bringing value to the electric grid and City Light customers,” said Emeka Anyanwu, City Light’s Energy Innovation and Resources Officer.
This new fee structure ensures City Light stays competitive with other EV charging stations in the Seattle area. The charging fees will allow the utility to recover our operating, capital and energy costs over the lifespan of the charging equipment.
Learn more about City Light’s EV programs by visiting seattle.gov/light/electric-vehicles.
Now, about the upcoming West Seattle charging stations – as reported here last spring, they’re planned on 39th SW south of SW Oregon, by West Seattle Bowl. SCL’s project map says they’re expected to be up and running in March.
11:02 AM: Seattle Public Utilities confirms a problem we learned about through a reader tip – an overnight water-pressure problem. Here’s their response to our inquiry:
A pressure-reducing valve in the drinking-water system malfunctioned late Monday night, causing a small number of Seattle Public Utilities customers in West Seattle to experience higher water pressure than normal.
SPU is asking customers along Alki Ave SW and Beach Dr SW between Admiral and Lincoln Park to check their water heaters for water overflow. If it looks like leakage has occurred, please call SPU at 206-386-1800.
Without hearing directly from residents, we don’t know for sure if these are related, but the log for Seattle Fire (which often provides emergency response to water-overflow problems) shows two early morning “water job” calls, in Alki and Fauntleroy.
ADDED 4:05 PM: It’s been pointed out that there are other calls logged for last night – here’s the SFD log, showing another “water job” plus three automatic Alki/Harbor Avenue fire-alarm calls (which can be triggered by water-pressure changes).
ADDED 5:53 PM: We asked SPU a followup question about damage compensation. The official reply:
Seattle Public Utilities is working with customers in West Seattle affected by the valve malfunction Monday evening on next steps like filing claims. Customers can find out information about filing a claim on the City’s website.
(WSB file photo)
Don’t let that happen to your nearest storm drain(s) next time it rains – rake the leaves! Now that it’s November, you can put out up to 10 extra bags of yard waste for pickup without being charged extra, and Roland thought you might want to be reminded (thanks!). One note – that’s 10 bags total over the course of the month, NOT 10 bags extra per week. As noted in the city’s advisory, “Extra yard waste must be in paper bags or placed in an extra container that contains only yard waste. Fallen branches and twigs can be tied into bundles up to 4 feet long by 2 feet in diameter and tied with fiber twine. Do not use wire, nylon cording, or plastic banding.”
(Added: WSB photo, looking at NW corner of Genesee/Avalon)
On Monday we reported on gas-leak repairs on Genesee west of Avalon. They’re not done yet and SDOT has just sent this street-closure alert:
PSE, the Seattle Fire Department and PSE’s contractor are continuing to work on this issue and have closed the west side of SW Genesee St at SW Avalon Way through this evening to make necessary repairs to stop the leak. PSE expects to conduct evening and night work to identify and resolve these issues.
Currently, SW Avalon Way remains open to traffic in both directions. However, people on the west side of SW Genesee St will not be able to turn onto SW Avalon Way and people on SW Avalon Way will not be able to turn west onto SW Genesee St. Residents near SW Genesee St can use SW Andover St and 32nd Ave SW to get to their homes during this work.
We have contact information for many of the buildings in the area and are reaching out to residents, businesses, and (WSB) to help share information about potential travel delays and the closed street.
Thanks to Marlene for the tip that some City View residents are experiencing brown/discolored water because of a pump-house problem. We checked with Sabrina Register at Seattle Public Utilities; she tells us that as is usual in such cases, the water is safe to use, just doesn’t look so great. She said the problem’s believed to be limited to “a few blocks” and crews are working on it. She also mentioned a reason some other areas of West Seattle might experience discolored water tonight or tomorrow night – overnight hydrant testing in two areas, California between Admiral and Lander, and 35th SW between Barton and Henderson. P.S. The general advice on dealing with water discoloration is here.
(Photo courtesy Debora)
Puget Sound Energy confirms that they’re repairing a gas-line leak on Genesee west of Avalon. Nearby residents says the leak was first noticed over the weekend. But it didn’t rise to a level requiring an emergency response, and PSE didn’t send a repair crew until today. The utility told us that no customers are affected; they’re still investigating the cause.
Thanks for the tip: Summit Atlas, the charter middle/high school at 35th/Roxbury, has told families it will be closed tomorrow because of a water problem. The email sent to families says the city had to shut off the school’s water supply because of “a major breakage in the water main.” We haven’t heard of a break in the area but the school email also mentions plumbers trying to fix it, so it might be just a campus problem; we’ll check with Seattle Public Utilities tomorrow.
(Added: WSB photos)
6:56 PM: The thunderstorms that moved through this past hour have done some damage. Seattle Fire is on scene in the ~10700 block of Marine View Drive SW, where residents report lightning hit multiple houses; no fire, but some damage is reported. In that area, more than 200 homes are without power, according to the City Light map.
7:56 PM: We’ve been to two of the homes with lightning damage.
In both cases, glass was broken, but no one was hurt.
Some tree damage too. At one home, the damage was focused on a detached dwelling unit which had no one inside at the time.
9 PM: Photos added. The residents report the lightning strike was colorful – they saw red at one point – as well as powerful.
12:33 AM: Could be more overnight, says @WestSeaWx.
Just announced: A change in what you can put in curbside recycling bins: Plastic bags and film are out as of the start of next year. Here’s the announcement:
Changes are coming next year to how materials are collected for recycling in Seattle and King County.
Beginning Jan. 1, garbage and recycling collection programs will no longer accept plastic bags and plastic wrap in curbside recycling carts and bins. Instead, customers will be asked to take those separated materials to a drop-off location for remanufacturing or place them in the garbage for disposal.
Plastic bags and wrap are often wet or have food waste on them when placed in the curbside recycling and contaminate other materials. Additionally, at recycling facilities, these plastics can jam sorting and processing equipment, leading to frequent shutdowns so workers can remove the tangled materials.
Bringing plastic bags and wrap to a drop-off location keeps the bundled recyclables cleaner and easier to manufacture into new products.
“Recycling is one of the best ways to protect the environment and fight climate change, but to make it work we have to do it right,” said King County Solid Waste Division Director Pat McLaughlin. “Keeping problem items out of our bins at home will save money because we won’t have to throw out good recyclable materials that get contaminated from dirty plastic bags.”
“Our goal is to ensure what goes into the recycling cart gets recycled at its highest value. We want everyone to Recycle Right,” noted Jeff Fowler, Seattle Public Utilities Solid Waste Deputy Director. “Removing plastic bags and wrap from our curbside recycling mix will have a positive impact on the quality of our other recyclable materials and the efficiency of the facilities that process those materials.”
The changes were recommended by a task force of city, county and solid waste industry representatives that was established to research improvements that could be made to the recycling system following China’s change in allowable levels of contamination in bundled recyclables.
Find plastic bag and wrap drop-off locations at plasticfilmrecycling.org. King County and Seattle Public Utilities are working to expand drop-off locations that accept plastic bags and plastic wrap for recycling.
While throwing plastic bags and wrap in the garbage is the least desirable action, it’s better to toss them out rather than contaminate other recyclables.
The lookup shows dropoff spots in this area include the Admiral and Roxbury Safeways and Westwood Village Target. P.S. For a refresher course on “recycling right” – covering other items too – go here.
SFD is out on a “wires down” incident at 61st/Spokane. A reader just texted these details:
City utilities conducting water work on 61st and SW. Spokane St. knocked out major powerline. Wire is live! Street is blocked off. Powerline worker trapped in truck as the wire is touching the vehicle. In front of my house. Police and firefighters present, currently waiting on city light to address the issue.
Avoid the area.
3:05 AM: Thanks for the tips. The Seattle City Light map shows more than 4,200 customers without power on this blustery early morning. More to come …
3:10 AM: Multiple readers point out a short-lived fire call at Myrtle/28th (only one engine still assigned to it per incident log) and suspect a transformer fire in the area because of flashes/booms.
3:24 AM: Map added. Meantime, Engine 11, the only engine still on the 28th SW call, reports via radio, “We’ve got City Light here.”
3:38 AM: SFD has now closed out of that call. While the SCL “restoration estimate” for the outage is 9 am, PLEASE remember that those estimates are only guesses and (as noted in our decade-plus of outage coverage) it could be sooner … or later. Please let us know when you get your power back (SCL’s map does not show when outages end – they just eventually drop off the map).
5:12 AM: Map shows the outage down to 938 customers.
7:11 AM: And now just 33.
10:18 AM: The official cause, per SCL spokesperson Julie Moore, fallen tree taking out wires.
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