From OPALCO

A routine maintenance inspection showed a weak link in OPALCO’s Eastsound circuit. To make the necessary repairs, an outage is planned for the night of Thursday, October 11 beginning at 11 p.m.

The crew will be opening switches, which shuts off the power, to create a safe environment in which to work on the repairs. Members who live in Olga up to Youngren’s Pond will be out of power from 11 – 11:30 p.m.  The areas of Eastsound Village, North Beach, Buck Mt.  and Raccoon Point will be out of power from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m.

OPALCO apologizes for the last minute nature of this planned outage. These repairs must be completed before the larger loads of the heating season test the system. Please help your Co-op to spread the word by sharing this information with your neighbors, co-workers and island family and friends.

OPALCO members are responsible for their own equipment and OPALCO encourages all members to install surge protection to safeguard electronic, computer and other sensitive equipment and appliances. To prepare for the outage, members may want to turn sensitive electronics and equipment off at the surge protector, or unplug them completely. It’s a good idea to keep a flashlight handy overnight. In the morning, turn electronics and appliances back on slowly, one at a time. For more information on surge protection, to learn how to prepare for an outage and what to do during an outage, go to www.opalco.com.

OPALCO is our cooperative electrical utility serving more than 11,000 co-op member-owners on 20 islands in San Juan County. We provide electricity that is 95% greenhouse-gas free and is predominately generated by hydro-electric plants. OPALCO was founded in 1937 to bring electricity to our rural islands.