PG&E reviews storm, outages with officials

The force of a storm that knocked out power for many San Anselmo residents last month caught Pacific Gas & Electric Co. by surprise, a utility representative said.

“We were prepared for substantial storms, but really nothing of the impact and breadth that we experienced,” Mark van Gorder, a PG&E government liaison, told the Town Council during a presentation on Feb. 27.

The presentation covered the utility's response to the outages in early February and what they might portend for fire season.

On Feb. 4, a tree uprooted and landed on an electric distribution line that extended from Woodacre to Fairfax. The line is one of the main service providers to the Fairfax and San Anselmo area.

The tree broke a pole, two spans of wire and a crossarm. Repairs were hindered by access to the equipment, which was on a dirt road and down an embankment.

Between Feb. 1 and 8, there were 14 outages in San Anselmo affecting 2,738 meters, according to Megan McFarland, a spokesperson for PG&E. Of those, 801 were without power for more than 24 hours.

All meters were restored to power by Feb. 6, she said.

McFarland called the storm “one of the strongest, single-day winter storms in three decades.”

“The damage to PG&E equipment was significant, including in San Anselmo,” she said.

Fifteen PG&E crews were dedicated to support

Marin during the course of the storm, which cut power to about 32,000 meters throughout the county. The storm brought 100 mph winds in some areas, along with heavy rain.

Van Gorder said the storm has prompted a review of equipment resilience as fire season draws closer. From roughly May to the end of autumn, fire risk increases because of dry weather, increased unburned fuels and high winds. Downed trees can strike PG&E equipment, sparking wildfires.

Van Gorder said PG&E is taking a number of measures to reduce the risk. He said the utility will consider precautionary power shutoffs and might place 10,000 miles of power lines underground in the highest fire risk areas.

Van Gorder said significant portions of San Anselmo are considered “high fire risk,” but the utility plans no undergrounding in the town.

Mayor Eileen Burke asked if the town could compel the utility to bury lines.

Sean Condry, the town's director of public works, said the town cannot require PG&E to put lines below ground, but it has regulations for new developments.

“We do have a requirement for new houses and for substantial remodels that they have to underground the lateral, but not the main PG&E line,” he said.

Van Gorder said neighborhoods could collectively decide they want lines underground, but they would have to bear the expense themselves.