Imperial Irrigation District completes power restoration following to Salton area, County of Imperial continues providing aide

IMPERIAL COUNTY – Late Tuesday evening, February 28, the Imperial Irrigation District (IID) 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.

According to a joint press release from Imperial Irrigation District and County of Imperial, 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 21 after exceptionally high winds knocked down about 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 over 1,200 IID energy customers, the release states.

“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 release reads. “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,” IID Energy Manager Jamie Asbury said in the release. “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.”

Per the release, the IID Board of Directors held an emergency meeting on Friday, February 24, followed by the Imperial County Board of Supervisors on February 28, together declaring an emergency. The resolution warrants reimbursement funds from the governor’s Office of Emergency Services.

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