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Show FEB 1992 - MUDDY TIMES - 3 Castle Valley Power Grid After all the electrical power interruptions around Christmas, a quick description of our electrical supply system might be of interest. Our system: Our power comes from the substation at LaSal Junction, passes by Pack Creek Ranch, comes over Wilson Mesa, and finally drops off Porcupine Rim into the upper end of Castle Valley. But it doesnlt stop here. Other branches go all the way to Cisco, run up by Castleton and Willow basin to the back side of the LaSals, then down to White’s Ranch. This is significant, because any problem on any of this extended line will probably affect us here in Castle Valley. We are truly a remote rural electrical system. Christmas power interruptions: According to UP&L, the short but frequent power interruptions around Christmas were due to ice build-up on the lines, particularly at higher elevations. This build-up was much worse than usual, because of the moisture in the fog layer during this year’s inversion. Sometimes the ice would cause shorting all by itself. Sometimes the ice would fall off the lines, causing the lines to jump around and touch nearby lines (particularly when some of the line insulators had been shot off during the fall hunt). The same thing sometimes happened when UP&L linemen would try to knock ice off the lines. How come my power is off but my neighbor’s is still on? This promptly, even if the thunder and phase system is tripped. Our power is lightening and rain were still coming supplied by a three-wire system operating at 25,000 volts when it comes into the valley. At each of our residences the voltage of each of these (out of phase) lines is reduced to 120 volts. Each house is supplied by two of these lines, giving both 120 or 240 volts as needed. Because of this threewire system, the two wires supplying power to one home might have down. I’ve been a lot more appreciative of the service we get since understanding more about the chore UP&L faces in bringing electricity to us. And yes, I too lost a whole letter to the Twilight Zone at Christmas when one of those blips tweaked my computer. —Jack Campbell tripped, but the remaining wire might still have delivered power to your neighbor’s home. Sometimes one circuit in the house is off but the February Singing home’s other circuit may still be working. Fair share. Fortunately for us, we don’t have to pay our fair share of our power cost. We pay the same rate as people living in urban areas like Snow melts into mud 4>\ SLC and Provo, where it is much cheaper to deliver power because of the concentration of users. We would each afternoon. Spring is ,- {J whispering in thefat buds? of cottonwood & the sun lingers a bit longer A have to pay much higher rates if the branches. urban customers weren’t subsidizing us! And having lived in SLC not too many years ago, I remember that those areas also seemed to have a lot of power interruptions, just as we do here. While we will probably get more reliable power in the years ahead (most likely from a power Deep in the dead brown grass, green shoots are stirring. Snifi" the breeze distribution line running across I-70 Lizards are smiling in their sleep. and feeding power down to us via Cisco), this is not likely to happen soon. All in all, it seems to me we’re getting pretty good service from dreaming Sweet gurgle of meadowlark music. with its moist-earth invitation. ofsun-stretched rocks. Blue sky meets red stone in a clean, tart line. Yahoo blue. commonly happens during the late UP&L, given the extreme length of our lines. Any time I’ve called UP&L summer and early fall thunderstorm season, when one leg of our three- about a middle-of-the-night power problem, they’ve sent a crew out —Ahce Drogrn Say yer plummin'stopped up, Got holes in yer doors. They's a leak above your head, So ya swims when it pours? February is afeast. 3’ Q (y 0/), 0'? ' ’90 0 Got four children in one bedroom, Ma says there'll be one more” Call Dave, Call Dave, Navalo-Churro Handsplnnlng Sheep Fleeces Call Dave for them there chores. DAVE WAGSTAFF S E L L I N G Ready-to-spin Wool - Handspun Yarns General Contractor since 1978 Breeding StOCk ' Freezer Lambs 259-5077 after 6 p.m. "Beginning Poet—Skilled Craftsman" ROGER LOWRY 801-259-6589 CVSR 1708 MOAB, UTAH 84532 |