A power outage planned for the West End early Sunday morning (July 28) was postponed after plans changed for a Neah Bay stop on the 2013 Paddle to Quinault, said Meredith Parker, Makah general manager.
Clallam County Public Utility District spokesman Michael Howe confirmed that there will be no planned power outage Sunday morning and said that a new date had not been set by Saturday.
The Bonneville Power Administration, or BPA, had planned the outage for equipment maintenance at a substation in Sappho.
Power to the Forks area, Jefferson County south of Forks, Sekiu, Clallam Bay, Neah Bay, Beaver, Sappho, Pysht and all areas west of Lake Crescent was to be turned off between 12:01 a.m. and 6 a.m. Sunday.
Parker said she approached BPA staff about postponing the outage when it became clear that canoe journey pullers would stay overnight in Neah Bay instead of leaving for Cape Alava and would leave for LaPush at about 4:30 a.m. Sunday.
Parker was concerned that some of the thousands of visitors to Neah Bay might need medical care or be made uncomfortable by the outage.
“The BPA was kind enough to reschedule the power outage,” Parker said. “They want to make sure our community and guests are safe.”
Howe said other planned outages on the West End — scheduled for Sunday, Aug. 18; Sunday, Sept. 8; and Saturday, Sept. 21 — have not been changed.
