La Plata Electric Association had power restored to all customers in La Plata and Archuleta counties at 2:30 a.m. Wednesday.
The only exceptions were 12 customers in a gas patch near the New Mexico line. The energy companies said they didn’t need power before daylight, LPEA spokeswoman Indiana Reed said.
Specifically, the 12 customers were in Cox Canyon.
Sporadic, planned outages would continue Wednesday as crews turned temporary fixes into permanent restoration, Reed said. Customers would be contacted before power is turned off, she said.
If customers have questions about an outage, they can call 247-5786, Reed said.
An estimated 13,000 customers were affected by outages Tuesday, with 10,000 out at the peak.
LPEA trims trees throughout the year to remove branches that can cause problems in heavy snow, Reed said.
LPEA lines around Purgatory at Durango Mountain Resort and in the Hillcrest neighborhood are buried, Reed said. But they constitute a very small percentage of lines in the region, she said.
Lines can be buried at the request of a governmental jurisdiction or if residents of a subdivision foot the bill, Reed said.
The cost of trenching is much higher than what it costs to string power lines on poles, she said. The rocky soil in the region contributes to the cost of trenching.
An LPEA online power outage map shows where problems are. The map is updated by dispatchers as they send out crews.
The map was inaccurate during the outage Tuesday because of an equipment failure, Reed said. The system was being examined Wednesday to find out why.
“It was a fluke,” Reed said of the map performance Tuesday. “Ordinarily it functions fine.”
daler@durangoherald.com
