Rolling Blackouts Cause Confusion, Results in Mass Water Supply Issues
The winter storm-induced rolling blackouts affecting the entire state left many wondering who decides where the power goes out and how those decisions are made.
As a historic winter storm ravaged Texas, the state’s electric grid could not keep up with demand. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), manages the state’s power grid. ERCOT directed transmission companies to reduce demand on the system.
In Fayette County, La Grange never lost power while Schulenburg residents went without electricity for much of Monday and Tuesday. Fayette Electric Cooperative (FEC), the City of La Grange and the City of Schulenburg said their wholesale power supplier, the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA), decides which circuits to cut during the blackouts.
The Record attempted to contact LCRA for details on how those decisions are made, but LCRA has not responded in time for this publication.
“If a certain substation serves critical infrastructure or emergency operations, they won’t be impacted,” said Catherine Poppe of FEC.
La Grange City Manager Shawn Raborn said his city never lost power on Monday and Tuesday because St. Mark’s Medical Center gets its power from the same circuit that serves the City.
In Schulenburg, however, power was off for so long on Monday and Tuesday that the City’s water pumps could not keep enough water in the town’s water towers. City Administrator Tami Walker told the Record on Tuesday that water levels in the towers dropped to dangerous levels.
“What concerns me the most is we have a water tower that can’t maintain a safe level of water, and if we have a fire, we’re going to be in trouble,” Walker said on Tuesday.
Walker said the drop in water pressure may require the City to issue a boil water notice to citizen.
“I wish I understood who is controlling it,” Walker said. “I’ve put in a phone call to LCRA to express my concerns and I have not gotten a call back. I don’t know what their plan is or how they determine which city gets hit the most. I know we don’t have a hospital, but we have two nursing homes and assisted living. It’s not like there are no concerns here.”
The rolling blackouts also cut power to several water wells belonging to Fayette Water Supply Corporation, cutting off water to rural water customers in many parts of the County.
Walker said the two nursing homes in Schulenburg, Regency Nursing Center and Colonial Care, both have backup gen erators. College Place Assisted Living, however, does not have backup power, She said the residents there have been keeping warm around fireplaces.
Some Schulenburg residents drove around town in their vehicles to stay warm because power was out at their homes.
“It has caused a lot of unhappy people,” Walker said.
On Wednesday morning, ERCOT indicated that the rolling blackouts could extend into Friday.
Looking forward, Walker said Schulenburg may need to consider investing in backup generators to power critical infrastructure like water pumps.
“This is critical infrastructure, and if that’s what we need, then we need to find it and get it,” Walker said. “But as important as those generators are, I want answers to find out why our electric substation was hit so hard.”
Water Woes
The rolling blackouts have caused major problems with water systems throughout the county. The two water towers in Schulenburg drained empty on Wednesday. The electric pumps could not operate long enough fill them.
“Schulenburg, by far, has been effected the most by the blackouts and brownouts,” Moreau said.
Ellinger was out of water on Wendesday. The Frisch Auf! Subdivision on the Bluff had been out of water for several days. Many rural customers of Fayette Water Supply Corporation we’re also out of water - all due to the rolling blackouts, Moreau said.