6.1h ERMUSR 01-10-2023��i
Elk River
Municipal Utilities UTILITIES COMMISSION MEETING
TO:
FROM:
ERMU Commission
Mike Tietz —Technical Services Superintendent
MEETING DATE:
AGENDA ITEM NUMBER:
January 10, 2023
6.1h
SUBJECT:
Staff Update
ACTION REQUESTED:
None
DISCUSSION:
• In December, the locators processed 104 locate tickets. These consisted of 3 emergency
tickets, 75 normal tickets, 14 updated tickets, 2 cancellations, 2 meets, 6 non -
excavation, and 2 boundary surveys. This resulted in a 50.2% decrease in tickets from
the previous month and is a 42.2% decrease from the prior December. Overall, the
ticket count for 2022 is down 13.9% from 2021's record -breaking numbers. I believe
that the numbers have returned to normal.
• Electrical technicians completed 189 service order tasks, updated the power bill,
addressed customer meter issues, and any off-peak concerns.
• On December 21, staff ran generators #1, #2 & #4. Staff informed me of a water leak on
engine #4 which was promptly investigated and repaired shortly after the run.
• The mapping department continues to work on GIS updates, GPSing splices and assets.
Locators are gathering data to identify billed vs. donated lights. Lineworkers are
verifying data of various pieces of equipment and performing infrared scans, looking for
problems. We are using GIS maps to evaluate the placement and/or replacement of
aging fault indicators within the distribution system to provide optimal troubleshooting
of faults.
Staff completed the transition of the SCADA communications at the West substation
from GRE's 700mHz radio system to our fiber network. This is a huge accomplishment
for us that will reduce our overall costs of operations and reliance on GRE's network.
• 1 attended the Minnesota Municipal Utilities Association's Technical & Operations
conference in St. Cloud, MN December 6-8. Much of the discussion was about the
impact of residential and commercial EV chargers on the distribution network. Keynote
speakers, roundtable discussions, and presentation sessions all touched on relevant
topics within the industry.
Page 1 of 2
111
• On December 16, we hosted a disaster recovery tabletop exercise which involved staff
from ERMU and the City of Elk River. The scenario was based on a winter ice/snowstorm
that hits Elk River over the Thanksgiving/Black Friday weekend, causing numerous
outages. Participants discussed the coordination of various resources to aid in the
restoration efforts and identified several opportunities for improvement.
Page 2 of 2
112