La Plata Electric Association reported that a power outage that affected 1,296 customers Friday afternoon was restored just before 5 p.m. The outage was likely caused by inclement weather conditions.
Indiana Reed, spokeswoman with LPEA, said crew members were unable to definitely determine the cause of the outage.
However, early winter storms, and typically wet weather, pose a problem to LPEA wires. To avoid fire, the substation will automatically cut power. LPEA personnel is then required to check the equipment and re-energize the lines as safety permits, she said.
LPEA’s Fourth Avenue substation malfunctioned about 3:40 p.m. today, causing the power outage that affected downtown and nearby residents.
The Fourth Avenue substation provides power to parts of downtown Durango and residents in the historic district.
The areas primarily affected was the south part of the residential historic district, all business and residents along College Drive, and East Eighth Avenue, Reed, said.
It did not appear that business on Main Avenue had been affected, but she couldn’t say for certain.
Given the upcoming weather conditions, LPEA lines could continue to be affected, she said.
Customers can check outages at www.lpea.coop.
vguthrie@durangoherald.com
