La Plata Electric Association dealt with two power outages Sunday: one east of Durango and another near Vallecito.
About 5:20 a.m. Sunday, LPEA reported more than 215 members were without power north of U.S. Highway 160, between County Roads 225 and 228, said spokeswoman Indiana Reed.
LPEA linemen found four broken insulators during an inspection. The equipment was replaced and then crews worked to re-energize the electric distribution system and restore power.
About 9 a.m., LPEA reported power had been restored.
Reed said when temperatures drop below freezing, and when snow weighs heavy on infrastructure, insulators can crack.
Then, around 3 p.m., Colorado State Patrol received a call that a single vehicle had crashed into a utility pole near the 1200 block of County Road 502, said Capt. Adrian Driscoll.
Reed said almost 60 members were without power in the Vallecito area, and that crews had to replace the broken pole before power could be restored.
LPEA restored power by about 8 p.m.
“LPEA linemen had to wait for the removal of the vehicle before they could replace the utility pole, a transformer and additional equipment before re-energizing the system,” LPEA posted via social media.
Driscoll said there were no injuries in the crash. It appeared the road had slushy/icy conditions and the driver was going too fast around a corner and lost control of the vehicle.
The driver was issued a citation for careless driving, Driscoll said. Drugs and alcohol were not considered factors in the crash.
jromeo@durangoherald.com
