Power for Progress

Lending a powerful hand GRDA linemen work to install an electric distribution pole near a home on Navajo Reservation in Arizona. Nine GRDA employees made the trek to Arizona in April to be a part of the American Public Power Association (APPA) Light Up Navajo initiative. The crew spent several days there, helping to bring electricity to homes that still lack power. The effort was one of the highlights of GRDAs 2019.

GRDA’s 2019 in review: Part 2

Last week we began our review of the Grand River Dam Authority’s 2019 with a look back at the happenings during the year’s first quarter. This week, we focus on the second quarter, which proved to be a very busy time for Team GRDA.

In April, GRDA received some of the best news of the year when it learned it was just one of 48 publicly-owned utilities to receive the prestigious “Reliable Public Power Provider (RP3)” designation from the American Public Power Association. “It is a great honor for GRDA to receive the RP3 designation because it recognizes orga­nizational achievement in areas that we have made a priority over the last several years,” said GRDA President/Chief Executive Officer Dan Sullivan in April. “All of these areas are at the very heart of our mission and this recognition is a reflection of our dedicated workforce to achieve reliability for our customers.”

Later that month, nine GRDA employees traveled to the Navajo Reservation in Arizona as part of the Light Up Navajo initiative. The GRDA team spent several days helping to bring power to some of the 15,000 reservation homes there that still do not have electricity. 

In May, Mother Nature made her presence known yet again. GRDA crews spent part of the month repairing the damage to the electric systems caused by spring storms near the Afton and Fairland area. Of course, heavy rains also began to fall across the watershed and, under the direction of the United States Army Corps of Engineers, GRDA continued to make necessary floodgate changes to help control flooding in the system that came in with those rains.

By June, GRDA was welcoming educators to its facilities for programs like Riverology 101. That event was an opportunity for 15 Oklahoma environmental educators to spend three days learning more about Oklahoma rivers, with a specific focus on topics such as point/nonpoint source pollution, erosion and stream, and lake ecology. Much of their time was spent learning those lessons along the Illinois River.

Next week, the review continues with a look back at the busy summer months…

Headquartered in Vinita, GRDA is Oklahoma’s state-owned electric utility; fully funded by revenues from electric and water sales instead of taxes. Each day, GRDA strives to be an “Oklahoma agency of excellence” by focusing on the 5 E’s: electricity, economic development, environmental stewardship, employees and efficiency. 

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