Power outages caused by equipment failure
Recent power outages in Marion will continue until a new, permanent substation is installed by Westar Energy.
City public utilities superintendent Harvey Sanders reported Monday to Marion City Commission regarding electrical problems recently experienced by residents.
This past week, city residents experienced electrical problems due to Westar Energy equipment failure. A temporary substation was installed by the electrical company until repairs can be completed.
Saturday evening, Sanders said city crews repaired problems with the electricity when a "ball of fire" was seen at the temporary substation. Ground wires were burned and had to be replaced.
At about 1 p.m. Monday, the electricity was turned off throughout the entire city to enable electrical crews to switch the power to the old system. Sanders anticipated the change over from the old system, which is inadequate, to a temporary system during the early morning hours this week.
The electricity will be shut off again when the electric company transfers the power from the temporary equipment to new, permanent equipment.
"It was better to shut down the town than to have someone die (be electrocuted)," Sanders said. He said the situation was a "pain" for the city and for Westar Energy.
"It's not the city's fault," Sanders said. "It's a situation that can't be helped."
He added that Wester Energy apologized to Sanders for the inconvenience.
