To report an outage or emergency, visit csu.org, use our mobile app or call 719-448-4800. Account not monitored 24/7.
Colorado Springs
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Drake Power Plant will shut down for good tomorrow night. We used coal for the last time at the plant one year ago. Now we’re turning off the natural gas units. Drake has served our community for almost 100 years. But it’s time to say farewell. Hello, cleaner energy future.
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Thanks to a few wet years and careful water planning, we've got a three year supply of water ready for your use. We aren't expecting water restrictions nor a change in our drought ordinance this year.
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This is a crew appreciation post. 🙌 They're here for all of us no matter the weather! After a vehicle slid and hit one of our transformers today, they were out making repairs right away. Thank you!!
ALT A man in utilities safety apparel kneels down in the snow to look inside a pad-mounted transformer. He's wearing a reflective green jacket, gloves, hard hat, safety glasses and boots. The transformer is a green box and it's opened up so you can see the parts inside. He is making repairs to ensure it's ready for the lineworkers to come in and restore power.
ALT A man in utilities safety apparel works on a pad-mounted transformer in a snowy neighborhood. His back is to the camera while he uses a piece of long, yellow equipment to reach into the transformer. He's wearing a reflective green jacket, gloves, hard hat, safety glasses and boots. The transformer is a green box and it's opened up so you can see the parts inside. He is making repairs to ensure it's ready for the lineworkers to come in and restore power.
ALT Three lineworkers make repairs to an underground electric vault. There's snow on the ground all around them. One lineworker is kneeling on the ground, another is standing and bending down to reach into the vault and another is standing behind them. The doors of the underground vault are positioned open and you can see some of the parts inside under the ground. One lineworker is using a long yellow piece of equipment that reaches into the vault. They are all wearing bright green and orange safety apparel, glasses, gloves and boots.
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Many thanks to our hard-working and dedicated crews who worked through the night--even through a snowstorm--to make sure everyone's #water was restored. We fully restored all customers' water at 6 a.m. Thanks for everyone's patience during this difficult time. 💧💧💧
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Breaking news: there have been reports of a disturbance in the ponds at one of our wastewater facilities.
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🙌 Thanks to all our employees who braved the bitter cold over the last few days to keep our homes warm, lights on & water flowing. They are out there all year, in all weather, serving you. (As seen here!) Next: more cold days and 3 ways you can help conserve energy.
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Overnight we doubled the number of mutual aid assistance crews who are helping us restore power to the customers who are still out. We have 11 crews on hand from around the state of Colorado. Thank you to everyone who is helping out, to include our own dedicated crews!
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Our electric crews are working hard to remove tree branches from lines and restore services today. Thanks for your understanding as we work around the city. Report downed power lines to 719-448-4800. Never attempt to remove them yourself. Report outages on csu.org
ALT Heavy, wet snow on top of tree limbs that have fallen all the way down to the ground. Green leaves are visible under the snow and the ground is covered in snow.
ALT Tree branches that have fallen on the ground from the weight of the snow. Green leaves are still visible with snow on top. Snow is covering the ground.
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Update: We were optimistic earlier today, but the damage around the city is extensive. We now anticipate that it will be at least Saturday before all customers are restored. Repairs are taking a long time because crews have to clear debris and trees to get to equipment. (1/3)
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Today is the last day we will use coal to generate electricity at our downtown Martin Drake Power Plant. We honor the impact this plant and the employees have had for nearly 100 years, as we eagerly look ahead to a cleaner energy future.
csu.org/Pages/MartinDrakePow…
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We stand in solidarity with our community mourning the senseless loss of lives at the Club Q shooting last night. We thank our first responders, and we grieve with our neighbors today. @cityofcos @CSPDPIO
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#Trafficalert: Garden of the Gods Road remains closed in both directions between Rusina and Chestnut. Please avoid the area if possible. Our crews will be working throughout the day to fix the broken water main. Thank you for your patience.
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MILESTONE: The last coal train 🚂 delivery to the downtown Martin Drake Power Plant arrived today. Another step in our Sustainable Energy Plan to retire all coal generation by 2030.
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We shut down Drake Power Plant permanently at 10:50pm tonight, Aug. 31. Current and former employees gathered to witness this historic event. It’s bittersweet. We honor the legacy of this plant and its impact on our city, yet we’re thrilled for what's next.
ALT A man kneels and switches knobs on a control panel. Others are gathered watching.
ALT A man speaks into a walkie talkie while he pushes a button on a large control panel.
ALT A meter showing 0 megawatts.
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Birds, beware! We've got new security at the solar panels on Pikeview Reservoir. Our fake coyote keeps birds from using the panels as a perch/bathroom. This floating device mixes up the water to control algae growth, but it doesn't work if the panels are covered in bird poo!
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Good news! Garden of the Gods Rd. will be fully reopened by 6:00am tomorrow. 🎉 Freshly laid asphalt will cure overnight. Thanks for your understanding while crews and contractors worked around the clock to make these repairs. 👏
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Our thoughts are with everyone impacted by the #MarshallFire. This morning, we sent electric construction crews to the area to help restore power as part of the mutual aid efforts. Please be safe out there.
Crews continue work to safely restore power as quickly as possible in several parts of Colorado, and will continue working overnight and into tomorrow to restore power in the Boulder area. Report new outages and find related information at spr.ly/6018JN7fk
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We currently have about 20,000 customers impacted by electric outages. **Please call us only if it's an emergency - to report outages use our map on csu.org. You can also find it here: s3.amazonaws.com/outagemap..…. Crews are mobilizing to respond as conditions allow.
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Thanks to @CSFD @CSPD @ColoradoDOT our employees and all the agencies that responded to the Feb. 13 windstorm that knocked over 8 power poles on Powers Blvd. Power was restored to customers within 2 hours and pole repair began shortly after. Great job everyone! #ubtmg
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The water and gas main work is done! 👏 Our crews are leaving the N Academy & Maizeland area today. Huge thanks to our field employees, @CSFDPIO, @CSPDPIO & @CityofCOS for assisting us every step of the way. ⚠️ Important traffic update next. (1/2)
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For those worried about water quality based on news from USAFA about PFOS chemicals, our drinking water is from Pikes Peak & sources west in the mountains - not wells.
We test our water regularly & our water quality report is available online.
csu.org/Pages/waterqualityre…
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Great news: All customers impacted by the wind storm are restored as of this morning. We still have more work to do around the city with repairs & cleanup, but we're glad our customers can have a warm holiday. Thank you again for your patience. More info: csu.org/Pages/Dec2021Windsto…
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⚠️ If you currently do not have power, it is likely power will not be restored this evening. Please plan accordingly.
-Do not use ovens or stoves to stay warm. Bundle up with layers and blankets.
-Keep fridge and freezer doors closed.
- Check csu.org/Pages/Dec2021Windsto… for updates.
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Our crews are making progress this afternoon as they work to restore power to about 130 meters in downtown #ColoradoSprings.
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Evening update: Crews have restored power to about 95% of customers impacted by the storm. Less than 2,000 customers remain out of power. We’re working through the night to make repairs to major transmission lines and smaller repairs in neighborhoods.
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📢 This is a big deal! We are building our next-generation fiber network to enable smart technologies and city-wide #fiber internet access. Watch the live announcement at 10am today via MS Teams or Facebook Live. @COSCityCouncil @CityofCOS Teams link: teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup…
ALT Connected cityscape
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There's a situation at our Las Vegas Water Resource Recovery Facility. Those so-called “flushable” wipes have formed a monster…(he keeps calling himself the Weti??). He gains strength with each added wipe. Help get rid of the Weti. Don't flush wipes down pipes - throw them away.
ALT A large monster made of wet wipes, standing next to a water aerating pond with a mountain range in the background.
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The future is bright for Colorado Springs. Today, we committed to decommission our coal plants by 2030, expand renewable energy and storage and reduce our carbon emissions by 80% by 2030. We’ll start by retiring our downtown Martin Drake Power Plant no later than 2023.
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Windstorm response
-Crews worked safely through the night.
-About 13,000 remain out of electric service. Down from, 34,000 outages (2:30 p.m. Dec. 15).
-Most impacted area of the city is the Old North End/Patty Jewett area. Please avoid the area if possible.
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Great news! We just got the gas line bypass energized & all customers should now have their gas service restored. 👏🔥 Thanks to our amazing crews for working late into the night to get customers' gas back on. If you are still experiencing issues, please call us at 719-448-4800.
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Great news! We just signed a new agreement with @juwisolar to bring 175 megawatts of solar power and 25 MW of battery storage onto our system by 2023. Learn more: csu.org/Blog/archive/2020/09…
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We found the failure in the pipe connection that caused today’s water main break on Garden of the Gods Road. We are working to find the best solution & get the road opened as soon as possible in the safest way. Please continue to avoid Garden of the Gods between I-25 & Chestnut.
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Chief Operations Officer Travas Deal provides an update on our restoration efforts after the windstorm on Dec. 15.
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We have so many people to thank. To our customers for your patience, our community for your support and our employees and mutual aid crews who worked 24/7. We are happy to report that all customers out of power since the storm will be safely restored by Wed. morning.
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We will not be disconnecting services between now and March 30, when we will reevaluate. If you cannot pay your utilities bill or receive a disconnect notice in the mail, you must contact us at 448-4800, csu.org or chat in My Account. csu.org/Pages/coronavirus.as…
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Our crews are responding to outages affecting major intersections throughout the city. Please drive with caution and treat any dark intersections as 4-way stops. Follow our outage map at csu.org/outagemap for updates.
ALT A map of Colorado Springs with red areas showing service outages.
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All but about 100 customers from the power outage downtown have been restored at this time. Thanks for your patience as we work to get everyone back online as quickly as possible. Follow our progress at csu.org/outagemap
We’re responding to an electric outage downtown affecting approx. 2,700 customers. Please use caution while driving and treat any dark intersections as 4-way stops. Report & track the status of outages at csu.org/outagemap
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We’re responding to an electric outage downtown affecting approx. 2,700 customers. Please use caution while driving and treat any dark intersections as 4-way stops. Report & track the status of outages at csu.org/outagemap
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Electric outages near USAFA & Cimmaron Hills have both been restored. We're still working several around the city. You can track/follow outages with our online outage map.
s3.amazonaws.com/outagemap.c…
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Drake is shut down. Thank you to the employees who served this city with power for nearly 100 years. Next: new natural gas generators come online in 2023. Then we will dismantle the power plant. The #ColoradoSprings skyline and energy sources will soon look very different.
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Honoring #NationalLinemanAppreciationDay by recognizing the dedication and talent of our electric line crews. Thank you! #thankalineman
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Today we took the first step toward retiring our downtown Drake Power Plant. We will bring six @GE_Power natural gas generators onto our system by summer of 2022.
ge.com/news/press-releases/g…
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Update: Our website is having intermittent issues. Our outage map is still working. Please use this direct link to the map: s3.amazonaws.com/outagemap.c…
Currently about 23,500 customers impacted by outages. STAY AWAY from any downed lines. Crews are responding as conditions allow.
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Utilities CEO Aram Benyamin, Mayor @JohnSuthers and US Army vocalist Sgt. Katherine Bolcar at the Lineworkers Rodeo opening ceremonies this morning at @RockLedgeRanch @CityofCOS
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We've got a few electric outages around town and lots of tree limbs in lines. Prolonged outages are possible because crews cannot go up in bucket trucks if there are 35+ mph sustained winds. Please report and track outages on csu.org/outagemap and stay safe out there.
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Update: All customers have been restored. Crews got everyone back in service within an hour! 👏 👏
Update: the outage was caused by a vehicle hitting electric equipment. We are working to restore power as quickly and safely as possible. Drivers, please use caution and treat dark intersections as 4-way stops.
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A visual reminder that there is no such thing as a 'flushable wipe'!
Then we sent divers 80-90 feet deep into the wet well/raw sewage to search in complete darkness with their hands to find and identify the obstruction. As we expected, they came up with these large masses of wipes in their first two loads, with more to come.
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Every resource we have has been mobilized and we will continue 24/7 operations until everyone is restored. Thanks for your understanding and thanks to our crews for working around the clock. More info and resources: csu.org/Pages/Dec2021Windsto… (3/3)
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Congratulations to our own Mike Myers, who recently became one of two citizens to receive @CSFDPIO’s Individual Citation in 2022. Mike was recognized for his exceptional efforts to improve training, response and education for fire and emergency services in our community.
ALT Colorado Springs Utilities Manager of Health and Safety Mike Myers accepts CSFD's Individual Citation award.
ALT Colorado Springs Utilities Manager of Health and Safety Mike Myers accepts CSFD's Individual Citation award.
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Many, many thanks to @CSFDPIO and all the first responders who helped keep us safe yesterday - including @CSPDPIO, our wildland fire team, @Securityfire1, @cityoffountain, @BlackForestFD, @TLMFPDPIO, @USArmy_FtCarson, @AF_Academy, Stratmoor Hills, Peyton, Calhan and Ellicot.
“These fires are happening all over the city. The public needs to take this very seriously. We need your help with this." (Via: @ByHughJohnson @JessySnouwaert @ODellIsaacII1)
#COSFire #COWX
ow.ly/huj250J746G
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We are grateful for our crews who worked to keep our community safe. Despite increased demand during this storm, our teams worked to maintain important infrastructure in sub-zero temperatures.
Thank you to all who worked in the cold to help us stay warm.
ALT Colorado Springs Utilities employee Cory Ronas works to replace a transformer overnight Thursday night in central Colorado Springs.
ALT Colorado Springs Utilities employee Kyle Bray uses a tool to repair a electrical equipment Thursday afternoon in Colorado Springs.
ALT Colorado Springs Utilities employees Cody Solberg and Austin Lopez work to repair electrical equipment that experienced high usage during recent sub-zero temperatures overnight Thursday.
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UPDATE:Crews were able to restore power to 124 customers overnight,106 customers are still out. Tree limb and mast info: Crews are working around the clock to restore service to everyone that can receive power. If you can’t receive power it may be an issue with your mast. (1/5)
ALT Two trucks, one is a bucket truck with two Colorado Springs Utilities employees working on overhead power lines. Snow is on the ground with multiple trees in the area.
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Sage advice from Green Santa: Don't overload your powerstrips & outlets! Let's all enjoy a safe and #energyefficient holidays.
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Approximately 1,800 w/out power near USAFA & another 1,600 in Cimmaron Hills area. Conditions are difficult, but we're doing our best to restore power as quickly & safely as possible.
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We're at the Martin Drake Power Plant today with community leaders and our employees to celebrate the plant's history and positive impact on our city. Today is the last day we will use coal at the site. @CityofCOS
csu.org/Pages/Blog/EndEraDra…
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Some of these rescued cutthroat trout are now living on our watersheds on Pikes Peak. 🐟 🏔️
This is a genetically unique cutthroat trout rescued by @COParksWildlife from the 2016 Hayden Pass wildfire. CPW went behind fire lines to catch as many as possible and saved 158. No others survived. Now we're stocking their descendants on Pikes Peak. cpw.state.co.us/aboutus/Page…
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Who let the dogs in? 🐕 We provide our warehouses to @CSPDPIO and @COSAirport to train their explosive-sniffing dogs. Meet Aico, Daisy and Miles. 🐾
csu.org/Pages/Blog/K9Trainin…
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#TBT: Check out what Garden of the Gods looked like back in the day! Love all those Model T's in the "parking lot."
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Power outage: Outage at substation. Crews responding. Working to re-route power, nearly 3,700 restored already, hope to have all customers back in service in about 2 hours.
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Update for Garden of the Gods and I-25: We hope to have the road open by early next week. Please continue to avoid the area if possible. Thank you for your understanding as our crews continue to work around the clock to repair this water main break. #costraffic #trafficalert
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Traffic is flowing smoothly in all lanes on Garden of the Gods Rd. today! 🙌 🚗 🚙 Thanks for your patience and so many thanks to our crews and contractors for working so hard to get everything fixed. #costraffic #trafficalert #trafficupdate
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Morning update: Crews have restored power to 88% of customers. About 5,000 remain out of power. We have restored all outages larger than 400 people. Today we will focus on smaller outages. We still anticipate at least Saturday until everyone is restored. csu.org/Pages/Dec2021Windsto…
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Tonight at 5:00pm: Join a live talk on 'Fighting Wildfires Together' featuring our very own Catamount Wildland Fire Chief Mike Myers, @CSFDPIO Fire Marshal Brett Lacey and more, hosted by @KKTV11News. #ColoradoSpringsFire #ColoradoSprings
kktv.com/2022/05/17/fighting…
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Rock Creek Park - The Rest of the Story: Crews restore elec service in 3 days - effort would normally take 4 weeks! ow.ly/6spc307Wx23
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We're making progress. Overnight crews reduced the number of outages to 18, with 169 affected customers. As we stated yesterday, we believe everyone who is able to receive power will be restored today.
It's been a long few days & we appreciate everyone's patience.
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Great news! The employee injured in the natural gas incident today was released from the hospital earlier this evening. 👏
Our crews are on site with @CSFDPIO at a natural gas incident in a NE neighborhood. Gas is off & the fire is out. One of our employees was injured & transported to a nearby hospital. The extent of those injuries are not yet known. Please keep our employee in your thoughts.
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Wow, today was a big day. We had multiple electric outages around the city caused by a vehicle accident and hit line, we assisted @CSFDPIO with a trench rescue and at the same time we experienced an internet and phone outage. (1/2)
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"I get by with a little help from my friends" 🎶
When our employees found two baby Great Horned Owls at our substation they knew they needed to take action to save them...
ALT A baby Great Horned Owl is on the ground and looking at the camera. It is sitting in between and underneath some concrete and metal parts of electric infrastructure and small red rocks.
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We’re removing the vault coverings to access the downtown underground transformer. We’ll then be able to fully evaluate the extent of the damage caused by this morning’s equipment failure. Follow csu.org for updates.
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A critical reminder: NEVER attempt to drive over or under a damaged electric line. Today, a driver made the dangerous decision to drive their vehicle under a compromised power line, a risk that could have had fatal consequences. Always assume lines are energized.
#COwx
ALT A snowy residential area in Colorado Springs with a tilted power pole, sagging power lines and tire tracks on the snow-covered ground.
ALT A snowy residential area in Colorado Springs with a tilted power pole, sagging power lines and tire tracks on the snow-covered ground.
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Many thanks to @CSFDPIO and all other agencies who responded to the #BearCreekFire yesterday. 🧡
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We are responding to multiple weather-related electric outages in the city, affecting approximately 2,381 customers. Please drive slowly and carefully around dark intersections and treat them as 4-way stops.
Follow updates here: csu.org/outagemap.
ALT Map showing multiple electric outage areas within Colorado Springs. One zone includes the University Village area of the city, including Garden of the Gods Road north to N. Nevada Avenue's intersection with I-25. The other zone is south of Constitution Avenue, and east of Wahsatch Ave, and north of Uintah Street.
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The damaged poles we’ve removed/replaced are stacking up. Crews have restored power to about 92% of impacted customers. Approx 2,800 customers remain out of service. Customers with service may experience intermittent outages as we work in and around the area to restore others.
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We are responding to a power outage in the northeast part of town near Powers and Barnes, Powers and Stetson Hills and the surrounding neighborhoods. Approx. 4,200 customers affected. Estimated restoration is 1-4 hours. Drive safely: treat dark intersections as 4-way stops.
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UPDATE: All lanes on Garden of the Gods expected to open Wednesday. Two westbound lanes are open while crews continue preparing eastbound lanes. We’ve been able to restore water to most of the businesses that had alternate sources of water.
🚧Please go slow in work zone 🚧
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Well done @DohertySpartans! We know our lab employees were honored to host your visit.
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Our crews are actively responding to customer calls regarding tree limbs on electric lines. The heavy, wet snow combined with spring growth on trees has created challenges in areas where there are overhead lines. s3.amazonaws.com/outagemap.c…
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In addition to our own employees, we’ve received assistance from utilities and contractors across the state including @XcelEnergyCO and @cityoffountain. Check out these scenes from this morning as crews were deployed to help restore power to our customers.
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MAJOR ROAD CLOSURE: Please avoid the intersection of North Academy Blvd. and Maizeland Road due to a water main break. Academy is closed in both directions, detours are in place. Expect this portion of Academy to be closed through the weekend for repairs. (1/2)
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We are aware of a power outage on the northeast side of town. Crews are responding and will restore power as quickly as possible. We are also experiencing intermittent phone issues with our internet outage. If you have an emergency call 911.
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Congratulations to Somer Mese, who has been named as our new Chief Operations Officer! She successfully oversaw the decommissioning of the Drake Power Plant as well as daily operations at many of our plants.
ALT Portrait of Somer Mese next to a quote from her that reads, "I am optimistic about the future of Colorado Springs Utilities and thrilled to be a part of the leadership team supporting our community,"
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Every day, hundreds of people work to bring electric and natural gas service to your homes and businesses. We're celebrating all the people behind your power this week. 🎉👏 #publicpower #publicpowerweek @publicpowerorg @APGA @aga_naturalgas
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Sunday morning updates: About 1,500 customers left. 70 crews on the ground. Most will be restored today, but some with complex issues like trees and debris, mast damage, and other situations may not. More info on csu.org.
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Our electric system did well during the wind storm. About 120 customers lost power overnight & were restored within 4 hrs. Crews are still out today restoring smaller outages - currently 11 customers affected. Big thanks to our electric crews & support staff! 🙌 #ColoradoSprings
ALT Two lineworkers are up on an electric pole making repairs. They are wearing long sleeves, gloves, harnesses, hardhats and other safety equipment. Blue sky above them. This photo is from the 2021 December windstorm restoration efforts.
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Heads up! We’re working with lots of big equipment on Kiowa Street. Your favorite downtown spots on Kiowa are open, but this can make getting to them a little difficult. Please heed the pedestrian and traffic signage in the area to arrive at your destination safely.
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We are working to restore power to 3,000+ customers in the area of Woodmen Rd. & Academy Blvd. Please drive safe and treat dark intersections as four-way stops. For the latest updates, please follow our outage map: csu.org/outagemap
ALT A map of northern colorado springs with a red shape showing who is experiencing an outage.
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If you are evacuating due to the #BearCreekFire, don’t spend precious time turning off your services. We will handle that if needed. Please get out safely.
We are providing wildland fire support to @CSFDPIO. No Utilities infrastructure threatened at this time.
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We've got great news for our gas and electric customers...beginning today, you will see a $4.61 DECREASE to your monthly utility bill! Learn more: csu.org/Pages/ecagca.aspx
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Great day in Buena Vista with the local media showing them where our water comes from!
Journalism is sumbemeging yourself in snow with @Spencer_WNews @cgolightlyKRDO and @KOAABillFolsom while @CSUtilities measures snow pack. #forthebrand
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We have good news to share about the downtown outage. Our crews are working to restore 10 meters of the original 280 at the start of the outage. All downtown traffic signals are restored.
Follow updates and view an updated outage map here: csu.org/Pages/DowntownOutage…
ALT A map of downtown Colorado Springs showing a highlighted area of 10 meters without power on East Kiowa Street between Nevada Avenue and West Bijou Street.
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Power restoration continues after an equipment failure in a downtown underground electric vault. The yellow depicts the area still impacted by the outage. Kiowa remains closed between Tejon & Nevada. Crews will work 24/7 until all are restored. Updates at csu.org.
ALT The yellow area depicts those still included in the power outage. This area extends from Tejon St east to Weber St and from Platte Ave south to Pikes Peak Ave.
ALT Crew working in an underground electric vault that was damaged by fire.
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