Showing posts with label utilities. Show all posts
Showing posts with label utilities. Show all posts

Data breach at Northshore Utility District vendor

Saturday, March 6, 2021

Northshore Utility District (NUD) was notified on February 9, 2021) of a cyber security incident involving its payment processing vendor, Automatic Funds Transfer Services, Inc. (AFTS). 

The AFTS servers were illegally accessed by an encrypted ransomware attack, occurring between February 3, 2021 and February 4, 2021. AFTS maintains customer data as part of its payment processing services. 

As an immediate response to this issue, District staff will be receiving and processing all utility payments made by check. This will remain in place until further notice.

NUD customers who pay their bill via automatic fund transfer, credit card, or in person, may have potential limited exposure related to following information: NUD customer account numbers, customer names, addresses, and the balance due on the account. 

Please note that customer credit card information is not shared with AFTS.

Customers who pay their bill via check, routed to AFTS, may have potential additional exposure related to scanned check images residing on the AFTS network servers, which include bank account and routing information. 

It is unknown at this time if any of these scanned records were accessed. However, customers are encouraged to monitor their accounts for suspicious activity and immediately report such activity to their bank. 

AFTS has reported this incident to local law enforcement and to the FBI for investigation. Northshore Utility District will continue to work with AFTS to determine the full extent of this incident and will provide updated information as soon as it becomes available.

NUD serves parts of Lake Forest Park and Kenmore.



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Customer candidate sought for City Light Review Panel

Thursday, February 25, 2021

Crews installing an automated
switch. Photo courtesy City Light
Seattle City Light is seeking a candidate to serve on the City Light Review Panel and represent our suburban franchise customers. 

This is a Mayoral appointment to the Review Panel and the candidate will be appointed by Seattle Mayor Durkan and confirmed by the Seattle City Council.

The Review Panel, established in 2010 through City Council Ordinance Number 123256, plays an important role in providing input and engagement of City Light ratepayers in the development and review of the utility’s biennial update to the six-year Strategic Plan. 

The Review Panel is also tasked with reviewing electricity rate proposals, assessing City Light’s electricity rate design, and considering the implementation of cost allocation changes among customer classes.

The current vacant panel position is designated for a City Light Suburban Franchise Customer Representative, preferably with knowledge and interest in the electricity industry.

The candidate must reside in one of the following communities - cities of Tukwila, Burien, SeaTac, Renton, Normandy Park, Shoreline, Lake Forest Park, or unincorporated King County (White Center/Bryn Mawr-Skyway). 

City Light is committed to racial diversity and inclusion in recruitment for this position.

For more details regarding participation in the Review Panel and Strategic Plan, including the time commitment to attend regular monthly meetings, please visit the links below:
This position is appointed by the City Council to serve a renewable three-year term. Qualified candidates will be screened and forwarded to Seattle City Councilmember Pedersen’s office for consideration.

To be considered for appointment by the City Council to the City Light Review Panel, please send a letter of interest and resume by Friday, March 19, 2021 to SCL_CLRPquestions@seattle.gov



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Data breach at Recology exposes Shoreline customer data

Friday, February 19, 2021

Malware holds your files for ransom
Graphic from ClipArtBest
A third party application used by Recology Shoreline to invoice customers was attacked by ransomware. 

Shoreline residential, commercial and multi-family customers as well as commercial customers in north Seattle were among northend cities contracting with Recology whose data was accessed.

Recology is working to determine what data was exposed and the third party app has hired a cyber security firm to investigate.

Customers will not be able to pay their bills by phone or online until this is resolved. Auto-payments will not be charged. To pay your bill, send a check.

No late fees will be charged during this time.

Recology has posted much more information here

Ransomware is a form of malicious code that encrypts the files on the victim's computer, making the inaccessible. The attacker then demands money from the victim to restore access. If affects the computer and any back-up plugged in.



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Republic Services will collect double next week for missed routes

Tuesday, February 16, 2021

Republic Services for Lake Forest Park
Service Alert for Monday 2/15/21

We have suspended all routes due to inclement weather and hazardous road conditions on Monday 2/15/21. 

We will collect double your regular material at no charge on your next regular service day.


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Recology schedule change week of Feb 15

Updated Collection Services Week of 2/15

Recology King County Customers: Due to inclement weather, today’s collection service was cancelled (2/15).

Shoreline customers will have service delayed by one day for the remainder of the week (i.e. Monday customers collected on Tuesday, normal Tuesday customers collected on Wednesday, etc. Friday customers will receive collection on Saturday).

Please place your carts at the curb by 7am and leave out through 6pm.



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A reminder from PSE: Preparing for winter weather, possible outages

Thursday, February 11, 2021

Snow falls on branches; branches fall on power lines; power goes out
December 2020 Photo by Allen LaValle

The City of Lake Forest Park would like to share this reminder from Puget Sound Energy (PSE):

Preparing for outages

The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning and a wind advisory for portions of our service area from today through the afternoon of Saturday, February 13, 2021.

PSE is closely watching the forecast, including receiving briefings from the National Weather Service, as wind and heavy snow can cause tree branches to fall onto power lines.

PSE crews are prepared and ready to deploy with assignments when outages occur and as soon as it is safe to do so.
 
As we prepare for storm conditions, PSE encourages its customers to do the same:

Safety first:
  • Never touch or go within 35 feet of downed power lines because they might be energized. Call PSE at 1-888-225-5773 or 911 to report problems.
  • Do not use a charcoal or gas grill to cook indoors. Never use a natural gas range for heating, or charcoal as an indoor heating source. This can cause a buildup of poisonous carbon monoxide gas.
  • If you choose to use a portable home generator, read the manufacturer’s instructions for the safe operation of the generator. Do not operate generators indoors or in enclosed spaces to avoid the buildup of carbon monoxide.
  • If you are using portable heaters, keep them away from furniture, draperies, and other flammable materials.
  • Always use flashlights instead of candles.


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North City Water District new maintenance facility is complete and ready for use

Tuesday, February 2, 2021


After more than 30 years of planning and creative responses to various setbacks... we are beyond excited to begin using our new facility!

"I have built Water Transmission Mains, Supply Stations, Pump Stations, Water Reservoirs, Pressure Release Valve Stations, and an Administration Building during my four decades in the water industry... but this is my very first Maintenance Facility. 
"These do not get built very often, which made this project an even more exciting experience." – Denny Clouse, North City Water District's Operations Manager

Back in 1946, when the District was serving a total of 1720 customers, we purchased our very first property at the corner of 15th Avenue NE and 169th Street NE and began operating all of our activities from there.

By 1995, our service area had grown to nearly 8200 customers, and we were no longer able to house everything in one location. We purchased a second property — the old Key Bank building near 15th and 177th NE — and after a bit of remodeling to make it work, moved our administrative operations there.


Meanwhile our maintenance functions stayed behind at the first location, where ever-increasing space and operational constraints prompted us to begin exploring a variety of options for expansion or relocation.


When every available option fell through, it seemed those doors had closed so we could find the perfect solution: a site at 15555 15th Avenue NE — close to our administrative headquarters, and ample for all of our needs, both now and into the future.


After occupying the same facility for more than 75 years, our maintenance crews are beyond thrilled to move into a new state-of-the-art facility—a building that will support far more technical operations than any of us ever foresaw in 1946.

Curious to see what it looks like? Take a Virtual Walk-Through Inside!

Click here to walk through our new facility!


One of the most unique features of our facility is located on the southwest corner of the site, in the middle of a large grassy area. Designed by LPD Engineering, our new “bioswale” will address stormwater and parking lot run-off with a more natural, environmentally friendly approach. The added benefit? We’ll have enough open land available for a future reservoir as the needs of our community unfold!



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Customers can get help from SPU for utility bills

Monday, January 4, 2021


Seattle Public Utilities

If you are having a hard time affording your Seattle Public Utility bills, let them know. 

"We’re here to help." Call 206-684-3000 or visit http://seattle.gov/utilities/covidhelp…

There are payment plans, flexible options, and discounts for seniors, persons with disabilities, and low-income customers.



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An equipment failure Saturday kept Ballinger neighborhood in the dark

Tuesday, December 29, 2020

An early morning power failure on Saturday, December 26, 2020 meant that 3,700 households centered in Shoreline's Ballinger neighborhood were in the dark and cold most of the day.
According to a City Light spokesperson, 
"It was an equipment failure. It was not a transformer, as people on social media surmised, but a sectionalizer, which is a protective device that automatically isolates a faulted section of line from the rest of the distribution system."
The power went out about 6am and was restored about five hours later.

The photo shows three sectionalizers on a utility pole, courtesy of the webpage Fundamentals of Electricity.



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Classifieds: Commissioners from Shoreline Fire and North City Water District to hold a joint board meeting

Thursday, December 24, 2020


SPECIAL MEETING NOTICE

As required by RCW 42.30, the Open Public Meetings Act, you are hereby notified that the Board of Commissioners of Shoreline Fire Department will hold a Special Meeting on Thursday, January 28, 2021 at 5:00pm for a joint Board meeting with North City Water District.

Due to the Governor's Proclamation 20-25 Stay Home – Stay Healthy (Open Public Meetings Act and Public Records Act) the Public Hearing meeting will be held via conference call, which will be posted on the Fire Department's website and at Station 61 Headquarters. 


Notice posted by:Beatriz Goldsmith
Executive Assistant
December 23, 2020



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Cardboard recycling for Recology customers

 


With many of us stuck at home these days, Recology has been collecting a lot more cardboard than normal from residential customers.

To help facilitate efficient collection, Recology is asking Shoreline customers to follow these steps when setting out extra cardboard that doesn't fit in their recycling carts:

  1. Extra cardboard must be flattened, bundled, and stacked inside a roughly 3'x3'x3' box, OR
  2. Organized into 3'x3'x3' pieces and wrapped together with twine.
  3. If the amount of extra cardboard is larger than the size of the recycling cart, please call customer service to schedule a pick up: 206-763-4444, or shoreline@recology.com
Learn more and find service updates at www.recology.com/shoreline



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This may be the culprit that caused your power outage on Monday

Wednesday, December 23, 2020

 
Photo by Allen LaVallee

Thanks to Allen LaVallee who took this photo of City Light crews working to remove a tree at 1800 Perkins Way NE in Shoreline on Monday night.

The location is a good match for the dead center of the outage area on Monday. The houses are reflecting the flood lights set up for the work crews.

Power was out around 5pm. It was supposed to be back on in an hour but it apparently took longer. It was back on by midnight.





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Heavy rains cause overflow into Puget Sound from Richmond Beach Pump Station in Shoreline

Pump station at Kayu Kayu Ac Park

King County Wastewater Treatment Division’s Richmond Beach Pump Station experienced intermittent overflows on Monday, December 21, 2020 as a result of heavy rains in the service area.

The pump station was operating properly but high flows exceeded station capacity.

King County reported sewer overflows into Puget Sound on Tuesday, December 22, 2020 as a result of a powerful rainstorm that dumped over 2 inches of rain across most of the county on December 21.

Located in Shoreline, just south of Point Wells, the Richmond Beach Pump Station is operating at full function. Large volumes of rainfall throughout the day on Dec. 21 exceeded the capacity of the pump station, and overflows happened intermittently between approximately 2:30pm and 11pm on Monday.

King County has notified health and regulatory agencies, will monitor water quality and has posted signs warning people to avoid contact with the water over the next several days as a precaution to protect public health.



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Garbage / compost / recycling collection schedule for Christmas and New Year's

Pick-Up Schedules are revised for Christmas Day and New Year’s Day

In Lake Forest Park:

The Republic Services collection schedule is revised for both the Christmas Day and New Year’s Day holidays. No collection will take place on Friday, December 25, 2020 or Friday, January 1, 2021.

Customers with a Friday pick-up schedule are advised to put their carts out on Saturday, December 26, 2020 and Saturday, January 2, 2021.

The regular collection schedule resumes on Monday, January 4, 2021. Please note the Republic Services administrative offices are closed on December 25, 2020 and January 1, 2021.

In Shoreline:

If your collection day falls on or after Christmas or New Year’s Day, your collection will be one day later that week.



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Well played North City Water, well played

Saturday, December 19, 2020

 

An ugly concrete pad has two large hook shaped pipes standing up on two of the corners. The pipes are about 3 feet high. They have been painted white with a red stripe circling them. They look like the top half of candy canes!
Photo by Rob Oxford


This is a pump station belonging to the North City Water District. It's on the corner of 5th NE and NE 185th by the overpass.

Quite a visual improvement!




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Seattle City Light recognized as No. 1 West Midsize Utility in J.D. Power 2020 Customer Satisfaction Study

Monday, December 7, 2020


Seattle City Light received the highest customer satisfaction index score of any midsize electrical utility in the western United States, according to the J.D. Power 2020 Electric Utility Business Customer Satisfaction Study.

The overall satisfaction index examines six factors: power quality and reliability; corporate citizenship; price; billing and payment; communications; and customer contact. Seattle City Light received the highest score (5 of 6) in the following: power quality and reliability; corporate citizenship; price; billing and payment; and customer contact.

“This award is a great example of the commitment of our City Light employees to our customers, especially during a year that has brought so many unexpected challenges for our business community,” said City Light General Manager and CEO Debra Smith. 
“We are honored to receive this prestigious award, especially when so much has been asked of our employees. We cannot thank them enough for their dedication to their work.”

The study, fielded from February through October 2020, was based on responses from 18,457 online interviews of business customers in decision-making roles related to their utility company.

As the number of COVID-19 cases began to rise within the region, City Light’s Business Customer Services took significant strides to support its customers, including small and medium business customers, to help ease the financial challenges of the pandemic.

The team, including Key Customer Managers, provided a holistic approach to supporting its customers, including proactively offering payment plans or arrangements, providing virtual energy audits to identify methods to reduce electricity usage within their business, working with customers one-on-one through a concierge-style service and contacting known closed businesses such as restaurants to assist in closing their City Light accounts.

We believe these efforts contributed to the utility’s increase in its overall customer satisfaction index score by 32 points from 2019.

“Customer service demands continuous improvement while remaining nimble enough to anticipate change,” said Craig Smith, City Light Chief Customer Officer. 
“This year, our Business Customer Services team went above and beyond to provide the outstanding level of service our utility strives for. City Light will remain steadfast in its commitment to its customers as our region recovers financially from this pandemic and beyond.”

The 2020 Electric Utility Business Customer Satisfaction Study, now in its 22nd year, measures satisfaction among business customers of 86 targeted U.S. electric utilities, each of which serves more than 40,000 business customers. In aggregate, these utilities provide electricity to more than 12 million customers.

For more information about the J.D. Power Electric Utility Business Customer Satisfaction Study, visit https://www.jdpower.com/business/utilities/electric-utility-business-customer-satisfaction-study.

J.D. Power is a global leader in consumer insights, advisory services and data and analytics. A pioneer in the use of big data, artificial intelligence (AI) and algorithmic modeling capabilities to understand consumer behavior, J.D. Power has been delivering incisive industry intelligence on customer interactions with brands and products for more than 50 years.

Seattle City Light, one of the nation’s largest publicly owned utilities, generates and delivers affordable, reliable and environmentally responsible power to the homes, businesses, and communities we serve. We provide carbon-neutral electricity, generated primarily from carbon-free hydropower, to over 900,000 residents in Seattle and the surrounding areas.



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Classifieds: Ronald Wastewater Commissioners workshop

Saturday, December 5, 2020

Special Meeting Notice
Ronald Wastewater District

Board of Commissioners Workshop

As required by RCW 42.30, the Open Public Meeting Act, NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Board of Commissioners of Ronald Wastewater District will hold a Commissioner Workshop to review and discuss the draft 2021 Comprehensive Sewer Plan.

Date: Tuesday, December 8, 2020
Time: 6:00 p.m.
Location: remotely (via Zoom)

AGENDA

1. Call to Order

2. Public Comment

3. 2021 Draft Comprehensive Sewer Plan: Discussion and Possible Decision(s)

4. Conclusion

Any member of the public wishing to join the Zoom special meeting, please email dwittinger@ronaldwastewater.org for a link to the meeting.



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Sound Transit light rail trains now running on clean energy

Wednesday, December 2, 2020

Photo courtesy Sound Transit
Sound Transit’s Link light rail system is now running on 100 percent carbon-free electricity, making it the first major light rail system in the country to achieve this milestone.

The accomplishment is made possible through an innovative agreement with Puget Sound Energy (PSE) to purchase wind energy directly from the utility’s Green Direct program.

The agreement with PSE is projected to save more than $390,000 in electricity costs over the 10-year contract while also supporting the creation of local clean energy jobs.

“Innovative projects like PSE’s Green Direct program demonstrate how Washington state continues to be a national leader in the clean energy economy,” said Gov. Jay Inslee. 
“Puget Sound residents can now travel on Sound Transit’s carbon-free light rail while supporting our local economy and homegrown solutions to solve our global climate crisis.”

“Sound Transit is now at the national forefront of operating carbon-free transit,” said Sound Transit CEO Peter Rogoff.

In addition to continuing to partner with the Green Direct program, in the coming months Sound Transit will be adding a 100KW solar power installation to the Operations and Maintenance Facility– East.

In 2021, the agency will receive additional renewable energy from Phase 2 of the Green Direct Program to power the remainder of its PSE accounts, which will enable Sound Transit to reduce its agency-wide greenhouse gas emissions from electricity by 96%.

More information on Sound Transit’s sustainability program is available on soundtransit.org/sustainability.



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Republic Services pick-up schedule revised for Thanksgiving Weekend, November 26-28, 2020

Saturday, November 21, 2020

The Republic Services collection schedule in Lake Forest Park is revised for the Thanksgiving holiday. 

No collection will take place on Thursday, November 26, 2020. 
  • Customers with a Thursday pick-up schedule are advised to put their carts out on Friday, November 27, 2020.
  • Customers with a Friday pick-up schedule are advised to put their carts out on Saturday, November 28, 2020.
The regular collection schedule resumes on Monday, November 30, 2020. 

Republic Services administrative offices are closed on November 26, 2020 and reopen on Friday, November 27, 2020.

LFP City services are closed for the Thanksgiving weekend.



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Strong odor of gas reported in the Ballinger - Mountlake Terrace area

Thursday, November 12, 2020

Numerous residents in the area where the Ballinger neighborhood adjoins Mountlake Terrace reported a strong smell of gas.

Shoreline Police and Fire were investigating the area around 20100 blk of Ballinger Way NE in Shoreline.

At the same time, the 6000 blk of 244th St SW, in Mountlake Terrace was being investigated as a possible source of the strong odor.

This story will be updated as more information is found.




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