Ramble On

Link: http://www.juneauempire.com/stories/041708/loc_269314122.shtml

Juneau (Alaska's Capital City) has been dealt a difficult blow this week. The main power transmission line to Juneau from the Hydroelectric dam about 40 miles south of town went down after an avalanche 1.5 miles across wiped out 5 - 7 large transmission towers that carry the power to the capital city. These towers were built years ago by the Army Corp of Engineers and then given to the privately owned AEL & P

The towers were not engineered obviously to survive such a disaster. The whole city now faces a 500 percent increase in utility costs. The city is currently utilizing backup generators which consume 100,000 gallons of diesel a day. There is concern that AEL & P might not be able to keep the generators running smoothly for the 2 - 3 months necessary to finish the repairs especially considering that they cant even know where to start until 20ft of snow is removed (melts?) from from some of the tower locations.