Fallen tree limb cuts power to George area

MOSES LAKE — About 280 people in southwestern Grant County experienced a short power outage on Tuesday, according to the Grant County Public Utility District.

According to PUD spokesman Ryan Holterhoff, around 1 p.m., some tree limbs reportedly fell onto high-voltage power lines near the Burke Substation in George, triggering circuit breakers in the system and shutting power down for nearly half an hour.

“There was no damage, and once they got the limbs off, everything was fine,” Holterhoff said.

According to the PUD, power was restored at 1:25 p.m.

Grant PUD provides power to over 46,000 residential, industrial, and agricultural customers across Grant County from the Priest Rapids Dam and the Wanapum Dam along the Columbia River, which have a combined generating capacity of around 2,000 megawatts.

Substations take high voltage electricity generated at a power plant and reduce the voltage for distribution to homes and businesses.