In response to dry summer conditions and increasing wildfire danger in the region, Avista is making temporary changes to power line operations in its Washington and Idaho service area.
The changes, under what the utility calls “Dry-Land Mode”, are being made to decrease the potential for wildfires that could occur when re-energizing a power line. In most cases, lines located in rural and/or forested areas are normally re-energized automatically. However, during the current dry weather conditions, Avista’s line personnel will physically patrol an outage area before a line is placed back into service which can require more time to restore service but decreases the potential fire danger.
Since 2020, Avista has enhanced the dry land system by pairing it with a fire-weather monitoring system that allows system operators and field managers to make more informed decisions to reduce fire risk.
