PR 71 05
BONNEVILLE POWER ADMINISTRATION
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
MONDAY, AUGUST 15, 2005
Contact:
Ed Mosey |
, BPA (503)-230-5131
Shooters hit power line, threaten service in Whatcom, Skagit Counties
Reward up to $25,000 offered
BELLINGHAM, Wash. -
Vandals with firearms shot out insulators on a major power line connecting the United States and Canada and providing service to Whatcom and Skagit Counties. BPA is offering up to $25,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible.
A BPA helicopter crew on routine patrol spotted the damage Aug. 10. It is not known when the shooting occurred. The damaged line is located in Skagit County about four miles west of Lake Cavanaugh in an area known as the "Floating Islands." Skagit Valley authorities have been notified and an investigation is under way.
The Monroe-Custer line is a key link in the intertie with Canada. Power moves north and south over the line serving both sides of the border. Repairs to the line are estimated in the tens of thousands of dollars, not counting any lost power sales
When insulators are damaged in this way, power flowing over the line can go to ground, electrocuting anyone standing in the vicinity of the tower. Loss of the line can also cause blackouts, although fortunately there was no loss of service in this instance. About half of the glass, disc-shaped insulators on one line and a substantial number on another were destroyed.
BPA's Crime Witness Program offers monetary rewards for information that leads to apprehending those who cause the damage. Anyone having such information should call BPA's Crime Witness Hotline at 1-800-437-2744 or local law enforcement authorities. The identity of informants will be kept strictly confidential.
Submitted for distribution on 08-15-2005 at 1:28 PM
| 
BPA News
