Ubits March /April 2016
Soak it up
COMMUNITY SOLAR
Tacoma Power gets into the solar business April 30 Rebuilding Day
In this issue
A new Tacoma Power project will soon have many customers singing “here comes the sun.” To help customers get the most out of generous state incentives, Tacoma Power is building a community solar project that includes four, 75-kilowatt solar arrays on the Power Warehouse building. Customers who buy solar units fund the cost of building the project, then receive annual state incentive payments, along with payments for the value of the electricity produced. The state incentives are scheduled to run through 2020, and participants will receive payments for the value of the electricity produced between 2016 and 2036. (In August 2020, participants will get their final payment, which includes payment for the estimated electricity produced from 2021 to 2036.)
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Q & A with Water’s Chris McMeen
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“This is a great chance for us to help customers get the most out of the state incentives,” said TPU Director Bill Gaines. “We saw significant interest early on, so it’s good to know that building this project matches what our customers want.” Tacoma Power initially took a conservative approach to community solar by planning to install just one solar array (a group of solar panels). After the utility announced it would build a community solar project, however, customer response led the utility to build four arrays instead. Here’s what some customers had to say about the project: n “That is fantastic!!!” n “I want some!” n “I love this idea!” n “Just signed up to participate. Great project.”
Community Connection
Continued on page 6
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Climbing Protection
Q&A with Chris McMeen Deputy Water Superintendent and Water Quality Manager
In light of what’s happened to the water supply in Flint, Michigan, and how its residents have been affected, Tacoma Water is addressing how it cares for its own water, the regulations surrounding drinking water and how our water compares with Flint’s.
Q A
How does lead get into people’s drinking water?
Lead in drinking water does not typically come from the water source. It usually comes from the corrosion of lead-containing plumbing or fixtures, or the solder that connects copper pipes. Lead-based solder was banned in 1986, but small amounts of lead can still be found in many brass plumbing fixtures and can slowly dissolve into water after standing in pipes for a long time.
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How does Tacoma Water help prevent lead from getting into people’s drinking water? The utility treats water from the Green River, our primary water source, with caustic soda (sodium hydroxide) to raise the pH. That makes it less corrosive on plumbing and reduces the amount of lead that can dissolve into the drinking water. Tacoma also provides corrosion control treatment for a majority of its seasonal groundwater well supply.
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What is Tacoma Water’s process for testing for lead and who sets the rules for that? The federal Lead and Copper Rule, which was developed by the Environmental Protection Agency and is implemented by the Washington State Department of Health, prescribes the minimum number of samples, how sample sites are selected, the process for collecting lead samples in customers’ homes, and what the levels must be below. Tacoma Water collects a minimum of 50 samples every three years. Sample sites are selected based on what are believed to be the most likely, worst-case sample sites for lead exposure.
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The federally acceptable limit of lead in drinking water is 15 parts per billion (ppb) in no more than 10% of collected samples. If more than 10% of samples are above that Lead Action Level, it would trigger Tacoma Water, like any other water provider in the country, to improve its corrosion control treatment and increase the amount of monitoring required. The water provider would also have to provide additional information to its customers.
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Are there inherent differences in the water from Flint, Michigan, and Tacoma Water? Yes. The Flint River runs through a heavy industrial area, while the water Tacoma Water takes from the Green River comes from a protected mountain watershed. The water chemistry is also quite different. With high levels of chlorides, the Flint River supply was found to be quite corrosive to metal pipes and fixtures. Flint, like many systems on the East Coast, also has cases where the pipes that connect houses to the water system are made out of lead. The most critical difference between Flint and Tacoma was the fact that Flint was not using effective corrosion control treatment for the water from the Flint River.
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What is Tacoma Water doing to make sure what happened in Flint won’t happen here? Tacoma Water continues to evaluate and monitor corrosion control treatment to ensure that it is optimized to reduce the risk of lead exposure to our customers. Although all of our primary sources of water now have corrosion control treatment, we do have some infrequently used backup groundwater sources that do not yet have the treatment. Those sources are used very
little and may not run for several years at a time. The 2015 drought, however, highlighted the value of those backup sources. Tacoma Water is working to ensure that all sources of water for the system, even those not typically needed, have optimal corrosion control treatment.
Q A
Why should people trust Tacoma Water?
The Green River is a high-quality source. It’s treated at a state-of-theart filtration facility by dedicated staff with years of drinking water treatment experience. The water that Tacoma Water provides to its customers is treated not only to remove or kill germs that might make people sick, but also to make the water non-corrosive to home plumbing and fixtures that might allow metals to absorb into the water. The drinking water that Tacoma Water provides is sampled extensively, both by use of continuous monitoring equipment and samples analyzed at state-certified laboratories. Our staff has experience with drinking water treatment and also has regulatory and public health backgrounds. Water Quality staff are state-certified Water Treatment Plant Operators and Distribution Managers, licensed engineers and experienced water quality and maintenance personnel, all of whom are dedicated to providing safe and reliable drinking water to our customers.
See the entire Q&A at MyTPU.org/InfoOnLead
Sign up for Rebuilding Together project Mark your calendars for this year’s home remodel event on Saturday, April 30, starting at 8 a.m. Community Connection has once again partnered with Rebuilding Together South Sound to help seniors and homeowners with disabilities by making their homes safer and more efficient. “Rebuilding Together is a great organization that helps people whose homes are in dire need of repair to be safe, warm and dry in those homes,” said Community Connection Program Manager Erika Tucci. “The organization relies on volunteers with specific skills, like those our employees have, along with folks who are willing to dig in and do some manual labor.”
Employees, their families and retirees of all skill levels have come together for the last six years to landscape, paint, clean and do light construction to transform several homes in TPU’s service territory. The event benefits more than just the recipients whose homes are repaired. “Year after year, employee volunteers return and comment that it’s one of the most rewarding events they participate in,” Erika said. If you want to help, contact Erika at 502-8225 or etucci@cityoftacoma.org. If you can’t make it, you can provide supplies for the Rebuild and get donation credit. Watch Newsline for specific information.
HAPPILY EVER AFTER
TPU employees help change the story with book drive for kids When it comes to reading, the story for low-income children doesn’t always end happily ever after. By age four, they hear 30 million fewer words than children from higher-income families, which puts them on the high school dropout track. To change that story, TPU employees recently donated 1,500 books, valued at more than $4,500.
“Studies show that having books in the home improves a child’s reading performance by producing improved attitudes toward reading. Unfortunately, not every family has that ability. That’s where we can help,” said Community Connection Program Manager Erika Tucci.
Community Connection
BETTER TOGETHER
Through the United Way of Pierce County, the donated books were given to Tacoma Community College’s Early Learning Center, the low-income childcare center for UW Tacoma students at the Tacoma Children’s Museum, Launch into Literacy and Little Free Libraries. “Early childhood literacy is a priority in Pierce County, thanks to leadership from the United Way and the Boys & Girls Clubs. Their research proves early intervention in that single area has dramatic returns for our entire community. Once the Community Connection team heard the research, we had to get involved. Those are the kinds of returns we look for and support,” Erika said. From left to right: Mary McDougal of HR, Nancy LeMay of Electrical Permitting and Lyndsey Michels of Water Distribution Operations.
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bits & pieces QUITE A COLLECTION
Cowlitz Falls Dam facilities upgrades aim to attract more fish How do you get inside the mind of a fish? That’s the challenge for Tacoma Power biologists and engineers charged with collecting more juvenile salmon at the Cowlitz Falls Dam in Lewis County. Although Tacoma Power owns two hydroelectric dams on the Cowlitz River, Mossyrock and Mayfield, in 2014 the utility signed a long-term agreement with Lewis County PUD (LCPUD) and the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA). The agreement allows Tacoma Power to take ownership of BPA’s fish facilities at LCPUD’s Cowlitz Falls Dam, the river’s uppermost dam, in order to help improve overall fish returns. Millions of fish have been produced at Tacoma Power’s two hatcheries downstream of Mayfield Dam. Returning adults have been trapped and hauled to a variety of upstream release locations. However, collecting their offspring continues to be the bottleneck for recovery efforts. Average collection rates have ranged from around 20% for Chinook to 70% for coho. As part of their federal license to run the dams, Tacoma Power is aiming for a 95% fish passage survival rate. “We’ve tested various improvements to help with juvenile fish collection at the Cowlitz Falls Dam for the past 12 years with limited success,” said Matt Bleich, fisheries biologist. “We’ve had difficulties attracting the fish, designing entrances through which fish are apt to be collected and working through the logistics of a collector that will function in concert with dam operations.”
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Here fishy, fishy
As part of the agreement with LCPUD and BPA, Tacoma Power is trying to improve collection rates by remodeling the Cowlitz Falls Fish Collection Facility and constructing the Cowlitz Falls North Shore Collector. The collector is being built on, around and through the Cowlitz Falls Dam. “The new collector is designed to attract juvenile fish to the facility entrance at the northern corner of the dam with flows created by large pumps,” said Kirk Kessler, senior principal engineer. “The entrance to the facility is on the upstream side of the dam, but the collector structure is on the downstream side. We connect the two by cutting the entrance through the dam.” ”We tried to imagine ourselves as a fish and picture how it might approach the collector,” Matt said. “We’ve designed a lot of adaptability into it so it can be as effective as possible.” The $35.5 million collector is targeted to begin operation in 2017. Once captured, the juvenile fish will be sorted within the collection facility, loaded into trucks and released into the river below Mayfield Dam. “This project has been an extraordinary challenge,” Matt said. “We look forward to launching this important step in helping restore salmon populations on the Cowlitz.” See the construction in action: Check out the Dec. 12, 2015, edition of the “Tacoma Report” at bit.ly/cowlitz15.
Historic, unsightly North Tacoma power lines to be replaced The median on N. 21st Street in Tacoma and sightline above it are getting a bigtime makeover. Tacoma Power’s Transmission & Distribution Engineering group is leading a project to replace the bulky, rusty lattice towers that line the otherwise picturesque 1.25 miles between N. Highland and N. Adams with sleek, galvanized steel poles. The lattice towers are in a state of significant deterioration. The tower replacement is part of the Pearl/Cushman Upgrade project, which also includes: Decommissioning the Cushman Substation building and switchyard on N. 19th Street (equipment in the yard will be removed; the classic building will remain)
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Improvement to how the circuit breakers will work for the transmission lines that connect the Pearl, Cedar and Hilltop substations
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The N. 21st Street towers are part of the Potlatch Transmission Line, which was originally built in 1925 to bring power from Cushman Dam No. 1 to Tacoma. Their replacement will follow the rest of the Potlatch line segments: the Narrows in 2006, North Bay in 2014, and the Henderson Bay towers at Purdy, which will be replaced in 2017. Design and permitting for 21st Street are already in the works. Demolition and construction are slated for the spring through fall of 2017. The estimated $8 million project, led by Joe Rempe, is scheduled to be complete in early 2018. As the tower replacement is planned, Tacoma Power is also working closely with the City of Tacoma’s Public Works Department to integrate the new steel poles into its design for potential street improvements to N. 21st. Find information about the pole replacement project at MyTPU.org/21Street.
New poles on N. 21st Street will look similar to this.
PICTURE PERFECT
Updated photos will provide new angle on Tacoma Power’s campsites A little mystery in life can be good, but not when it comes to reserving a campsite. Customers are bound to have a better time vacationing in the great outdoors if they know what to expect upon arrival. Luckily, the mystery is solved for people who camp at one of Tacoma Power’s four beautiful parks. When campers use the reservation system at TacomaPower.com/parks, they’ll see exactly what their home away from home will offer, including: A full description of each campsite
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Maps that show availability, site size, ADA-accessibility and utilities
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Photos of each campsite and group camp area
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The photos are courtesy of Jackie Gonzalez, Natural Resources technician, and Kurt Topel, Generation engineering technician. They took on the task of updating all of the ground-level campsite photos for each park and adding aerial shots for Alder Lake Park (aerials of Mayfield Lake, Mossyrock and Taidnapam parks are coming soon). Jackie also added descriptive captions to some photos, bringing attention to certain features for campers. “Times have changed since Tacoma Power started offering photos of their campsites in 2006,” Jackie said. “Some sites have additional amenities, and there are new individual and group sites. It’s important to give our customers the most accurate perspective possible.”
Camping space at Tacoma Power’s Taidnapam Park. The new aerial photos are especially useful for group camp areas. Customers can now get a better perspective on the group camp areas as a whole, from the proximity of their campsites to how many fire rings are available. “Our parks are in incredible shape. We get great reviews and have lots of repeat customers,” Kurt said. “These photos will help our campers make even better decisions when it comes to choosing their sites.”
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LATCH ON
New pole climbing gear keeps line electricians safer For the past 100 years, the standards for safely climbing a power pole hadn’t changed much. That is until last year when the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) updated its safety rules for high-voltage electrical workers. Starting in July, line electricians will be required to be attached to the pole at all times when climbing. With that requirement came another industry change — major improvements in climbing gear technology designed to prevent electrical workers from slipping down power poles. “It’s the most significant change to fall protection equipment I’ve seen in my 37-year career,” said Craig Lohrey, Tacoma Power’s construction and maintenance operations manager. “I’m a huge advocate for safety, and I know the improvements in the gear can save someone from a serious injury.”
Getting around obstructions like phone lines is easier and safer with the improved gear. A two-strap and double-belt system allows climbers to remain hooked to a pole even when climbing around attached objects. Previously, when climbers encountered something that blocked the strap from moving up the pole, they would have to hang on with their hands while unhooking the strap to move it above the obstruction. Now it works like this: When climbers get to the phone lines, they use a second strap attached to their belt to wrap around the pole above the phone lines. The extra strap keeps climbers attached while they unhook and re-hook the primary strap above the obstruction. “There’s a big safety factor and peace of mind with the new equipment,” said Tacoma Power’s Jeff Stevenson, a senior line electrician and Climbing School
Trentin Echegoyen of T&D. instructor. “There are a lot of good climbers out there that don’t want to be slowed down by gear, but we can work efficiently and safely with this new stuff.” Tacoma Power’s 100 climbers are receiving updated climbing gear, training and recertification in pole-top rescue using the equipment. The full version of this story, written by Transmission & Distribution Safety Manager Jim Boyd, originally appeared in NWPPA’s “Bulletin” magazine.
Community solar continued from page 1 Cost helped determine the number of arrays as well. “Thanks to some great project management by Ryan McLaughlin and Terry Ryan in Generation, and quick action by our solar contractor, we were able to build the project at a much lower price than we originally anticipated,” said Bruce Carter, community solar project manager. “They found some panels with minor cosmetic flaws that work just as well as A-grade panels, and reduced the cost of the project. That ensured that the project was not only cost-effective, but a good deal as well.” Moving the project from concept to completion required a lot of work from a lot of people throughout the utility.
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“I applaud everyone involved in this project,” Bill said. “It took a wide array of people with a variety of skills to develop the program, iron out the legal details, work through some political challenges, create awareness, build the technology to sell units, and launch this program.” The work groups who helped pull off the community solar project include: n Conservation Resources Management n Generation Engineering n Public Affairs n Power Management n Utility Technology Services n IT – Business Solutions
Tacoma Power is working on a website that will show in real time how much electricity the community solar project is producing. Meters on the project will track accumulated production, which will help determine the size of the annual payments participants receive. Tacoma Power started selling solar units on Feb. 23. At press time, 7,620 out of 10,447 units had sold. Customers bought an average of 10 units. (The limit was 20.) For the next 20 years, employees and customers alike will have a new reason to soak up the sun.
Who’s new around here
Eric Combs Angelica Garcia Customer Service Representative Customer Service Representative Customer Services Customer Services
David Mangum Engineer Tacoma Power
Jeffrey Mellick Utility Worker Tacoma Water
Michael Hill Assistant Manager Customer Services
Zachary Rice Utility Worker Tacoma Water
Jessica Leslie Monica LaCelle Customer Service Representative Customer Service Representative Customer Services Customer Services
Shanna Tipton Customer Service Representative Customer Services
Brandon Wachholz Engineering Technician Tacoma Power
Who’s ready to relax The following employees retired in January or February: Joshua Wilkening Utility Worker Tacoma Water
Bryce Willis Utility Worker Tacoma Water
Donald Carroll, communications system technician with Tacoma Power, retired after 23 years of service. David Hubbard, utility worker with Tacoma Water, retired after 16 years of service. Craig Maxwell, hydro utility worker with Tacoma Power, retired after 15 years of service. Greg Munford, systems power dispatcher coordinator with Tacoma Power, retired after 34 years of service.
Austen Wright Utility Worker Tacoma Water
Tony Pantley, grounds maintenance crew leader with Tacoma Power, retired after 32 years of service. Hazel Ratliff, wire electrician with Tacoma Power, retired after 30 years of service. Janey Zetterstrom, utility service specialist with Tacoma Power, retired after 23 years of service.
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QUEUED UP
Customer ticketing system launches in TPU lobby
Ubits is a publication for Tacoma Public Utilities employees and is provided as a courtesy to retirees. Jenae Elliott, editor cms@cityoftacoma.org • (253) 502-8754
Customers who visit TPU will be pleased to find that standing in long lines in the lobby is a thing of the past. Now customers grab a ticket when they arrive and find a comfortable place to sit until their number is called. Designed to improve customer experience and comfort, the new ticketing system went live in February. It’s the last step in the lobby remodel and security upgrade project. “Instead of standing in line or heading to different counters throughout TPU, customers now come to one central lobby, tell us why they’re here, grab a number, sit down and relax in our beautifully remodeled space,” said Customer Services Manager Steve Hatcher. Connected to the system are all of the lobby counters that serve customers — Water Services, Electrical Permitting, Conservation, Customer Solutions, Customer Services and Click! Using a touch-screen kiosk when they enter the lobby, customers answer a few questions about why they’re visiting TPU. Here to pay a bill? Apply for a permit? Sign up for cable? Need financial assistance? Based on their answers, customers are assigned a number and a service counter. While they wait to be called, three hanging screens with rotating slides show customers where they are in the virtual line
and provide information about utility programs. When it’s the next customer’s turn, a number is flashed on the screens and is called through the lobby speakers. The ticketing system provides valuable data about how well TPU is serving its customers. Information about wait times, transaction times, number of visitors, reasons for visits and high-traffic periods will be used to continually improve services and staffing. A team of 12 employees representing workgroups across the utility spent eight months researching, testing, selecting and implementing the ticketing system. As part of the larger lobby remodel project, the team visited four municipal lobbies and reviewed their ticketing systems to see how the one-stop-shop service model has successfully been done in other public spaces. The ticketing system TPU chose is the same one used by Pierce County. “It’s the system that benefits everyone,” Steve said. “It allows customers to relax in our lobby instead of standing in line, staff to improve efficiency by matching skills and services with customer needs, and management to gain operational information from real-time customer service metrics.”