Power Back On Around Salton Sea Following Wind Storm

Late Tuesday evening, February 28th 2023,  Imperial Irrigation District was able to fully restore electric service to all customers in the Salton City power outage area, transitioning customers from a 2-megawatt generator to full IID power.

District crews, assisted by Irby Construction, Edison Power Constructors and Burbank Water and Power, have been working around the clock since the night of Tuesday, February 21st  after exceptionally high winds knocked down  78 transmission poles and associated distribution infrastructure in the Salton City, Salton Sea Beach and Desert Shores area.

The windstorm caused a loss of electrical service to more than  1,200 IID energy customers. IID diligently pursued interim engineering solutions to restore power, integrating energy into the electric grid from a mobile generator for several days to pick up all but a few commercial customers in the Salton City area. The use of the interim power source was successful as newly restored customers in the area assisted in conserving energy during the course of operations.

“IID extends its deepest appreciation to all its customers for their assistance and patience as we worked to restore power,” said IID Energy Manager Jamie Asbury. “We want to especially thank the dedicated crews who have given it their all, along with the people and entities, such as the many agencies representing the County of Imperial, the Red Cross, and CalOES, as these responders were key in meeting customer needs.”

 

Line construction crews continue working in the Salton Sea area. As repairs are made in the northern section, crews will be released. IID continues to assess the extent of the damage.

County of Imperial

The County of Imperial’s Fire Department and Office of Emergency Services, Social Services, Behavioral Health, Public Health, Public Works, and Area Agency on Aging continue to assist the community and those impacted by the recent windstorm event. The Red Cross Community Resource Center closed  at 6 p.m., Wednesday, March 1st, but County staff will remain on standby.

The County would like to thank all the organizations and individuals that assisted with donations of ice, food, water, blankets, flashlights, and other vital items that were distributed throughout the community.

In the County’s continuing efforts to assess the needs and receive feedback to help prepare for future emergency events, those impacted are encouraged to completed the Power Outage Assistance Survey at the following link: https://survey123.arcgis.com/share/e3ca2a03d5764717b93cfc7b6ea4916c

 

Imperial Irrigation District Repair crews restoring power in Imperial County Feb 28th 2023.

Photo from Imperial Irrigation District Imperial CA