PUD rates will not increase immediately

EPHRATA - Rates for Grant County PUD customers will not increase this year.

Rate payers are concerned repairing the cracked Wanapum Dam spillway will eventually increase their monthly bills, but commissioners and PUD spokesman Tom Stredwick said that will not be the case in 2014.

Rates are set by PUD commissioners on an annual basis, meaning the earliest increase in bills will not occur until 2015.

"There has been no discussion on rates thus far as it is too early to know what the financial impacts will be," Stredwick said.

PUD Commissioner Tom Flint also said it's premature in the process to discuss rate increases. He said the PUD's insurance may cover some of the cost of repairing the cracked spillway, and the PUD has some reserve funds that may be tapped into to keep rates low.

Commissioner Bob Bernd agrees it is just too early to tell what the impact will be to customers.

"Right now, we don't even know if rates will go up at all. We have such strong reserves, that will help." Bernd said he was happy to read a recently released report from the credit rating agency Moody's, which stated the utility's credit rating is still equivalent to an A+.

Grant County residents pay among the third lowest rates in the country for electricity.

Power generation is still at about half of its capacity at the Wanapum Dam. PUD engineers and private contractors are trying to figure out what caused the crack, and how to fix it.