Tacoma Public Utilities

See power lines hanging low today? It’s likely the snow. Wet, heavy snow can weigh down power lines and make them appear lower than usual. Power lines are designed to handle this type of weather, and some sagging is expected during heavy snow events. We appreciate customers letting us know. If you see lines that look unusually low, damaged or in contact with trees or other objects please give us a call at 253-502-8602 and provide a location so we can check it out. Our crews might need more valuable information from you, so please answer your phone if we call you back. The number will start with 253-502. Our crews will respond to outages and monitor conditions across our service area as the winter weather conditions continue.

Today, we're honoring the achievements of Martin Luther King, Jr. His fight to make our nation more equitable inspires our commitment to the most pressing needs of our community. Our lobby and Customer Services phone lines will be closed today, Monday, January 19. Emergency lines remain open. TPU will return to regular business hours on Tuesday, January 20.

Are you paying extra attention while driving through work zones this winter? Around this time each year, our crews work in dark and stormy conditions, making it harder for drivers to see them. When you arrive at a work zone, please move over if you can, slow down if you can't, pay attention, and be kind. It's the law. Let's all do our part to keep our workers safe!

The best way to launch a long-term career at Tacoma Water starts here. We’re building an eligible list to fill Water Utility Worker vacancies as they occur throughout the year. These skilled workers help install, maintain, and repair one of the nation’s oldest municipally owned water systems. This is an apprenticeship position, allowing you to build in-demand skills, earn while you learn, and help serve our community. For more information and to apply, visit bit.ly/42lTWJd. Applications are due by 1/21.

Don’t forget! Thursday night is our Women in Trades Event, where guests will hear female leaders from the @CityofTacoma discuss trade careers, the hiring process, salaries and benefits, and first-hand accounts of what it's like to be a female journey-level employee. While the event highlights opportunities for women in the trades, everyone is welcome to attend and participate! More info at: bit.ly/3LxXYbe

Your career with Tacoma Power starts now! We’re accepting applications for our 2026 apprenticeship programs in three electrical career pathways PLUS our electrical trainee program. If you’re ready to build in-demand skills, earn while you learn, and help power our community, explore all opportunities here: bit.ly/3DMveqO

Working night and day, is a team at Tacoma Rail that partners with multiple entities to move nearly 5,000 vehicles weekly through the Port of Tacoma. It’s complex and nonstop work that supports the economic strength of our region and keeps the global supply chains on track. youtube.com/shorts/l_dOTo-…

Are you interested in a career in the trades? Join us in person or virtually for a free Women in Trades Event from 4:30-7:15 p.m. on Jan. 15. Attendees will learn about trade careers from women who work across the @CityofTacoma, including Power, Water, Rail, Public Works, Environmental Services, and Police. They will discuss the hiring process, salaries and benefits, and first-hand accounts of what it's like to be a female journey-level employee. While the event highlights opportunities for women in the trades, everyone is welcome to attend and participate! bit.ly/3LxXYbe

As our staff wrap up another year keeping the lights on, water flowing, and freight moving, we’re taking a moment to reflect on what makes this season bright: the community we serve. We wish you happiness and optimism for the year ahead. Our lobby and Customer Services phone lines will be closed today, Thursday, January 1, for New Year's Day. Emergency lines remain open. TPU will return to regular business hours on Friday, January 2.

This month we’re sharing about the shaggy mane mushroom (Coprinus comatus). This mushroom is common in many places throughout the world, including this cluster we discovered in the Upper Green River Watershed. The fruiting body (mushroom) of this fungus goes through a rapid transformation after poking out of the soil. It starts as a hoagie-shaped cap covering the stem, white with a shaggy exterior, then morphs to reveal part of the stem, and finally changes to a cymbal-shaped flat cap much darker in color. It then melts into a black liquid filled with spores, which is the fungi's means of reproduction. This is why shaggy mane is also referred to as "shaggy ink cap." This mushroom is edible but decomposes very quickly after being picked. It closely resembles a different inky mushroom that is poisonous. Never eat mushrooms unless you are completely certain of their identity!

As powerful atmospheric rivers moved into the Pacific Northwest, we partnered with the Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes (CW3E) to launch weather balloons that support critical water research. McMillin Reservoir in South Hill has been an official CW3E launch station for several years. These balloons collect real-time data on temperature, pressure, humidity, and wind as they travel east with the storm, passing directly over the Cascades. The data gathered by CW3E from the McMillin site is a component of Forecast Informed Reservoir Operations, a project to better inform decisions to retain or release water. This information helps us to more accurately forecast our water supply conditions and ensure there is enough water for our community. You can watch live CW3E weather balloon launches here: bit.ly/4qs1Mtx

As a weather system moves north toward Western Washington on Christmas Eve, winds are forecasted to increase across our area. While there’s still uncertainty about how strong those winds may be, the @NWSSeattle has issued a High Wind Watch, from the morning through the evening on Wednesday, Dec. 24, with afternoon wind speeds of 25 to 35 mph and gusts of 50 to 60 mph. Our crews are preparing now and will be ready to respond if outages occur. They will work around the clock, and through the holiday, as quickly and safely as possible, to restore power. For outage resources and details, visit MyTPU.org/OutageMap. As a reminder, our Customer Services phone lines and lobby will be closed Thursday, Dec. 25 in observance of the Christmas holiday. Emergency phone lines remain open and the outage map is available. We will return to regular business hours on Friday, Dec. 26. We appreciate your patience and support. Stay safe, everyone!

Thank you for reaching out. Supporting our community is a top priority, which is why we want to ensure you’re enrolled in our assistance programs and payment options, which help make paying your utility bill more manageable. For more information, go to MyTPU.org/Assistance or give us a call during business hours at 253-502-8600.

. @MyTPU @GovBobFerguson @WAUTC Help! Our power was shut off without notice for nonpayment amid WA's state of emergency flooding & freezing cold in western WA. We're low-income—husband lost job to pancreatitis, our 2yo toddler is freezing without heat. Isn't this illegal under winter moratorium? #WAFlooding

FINAL UPDATE: Our skilled and dedicated crews have navigated challenging conditions to successfully restore power to nearly 20,000 customers since Tuesday morning’s windstorm. Crews will continue their work until the remaining 200 customers are restored. We appreciate your patience and understanding as we restored power after this storm event. Please visit MyTPU.org/OutageMap to report and track current and future outages. You can sign up to receive email and text message notifications through MyAccount. This also allows you to report outages via single text message.

9:05 AM UPDATE: Crews made significant progress overnight, bringing the number of customers affected by power outages to about 700. Since the beginning of the storm, crews have restored over 18,000 customers. As we head into daylight hours, the work continues. We are prioritizing outage restoration repairs and will address non-outage storm damage once all customers are back in power. There is potential for more weather events beginning today through this weekend that may cause additional power outages. Our teams are monitoring the forecast and will adjust response efforts as needed. Thank you for your continued patience and support of our dedicated crews. For ongoing updates, visit MyTPU.org/OutageMap. If you are unable to access the map, you can call 253-502-8600 to report an outage.

More than 20,000 customers across our service area are without power. Follow restoration efforts and register to receive notifications at MyTPU.org/OutageMap.

Morning Tonia. We appreciate your patience and understanding. Crews continued to work around the clock last night and made significant progress, though we're aware that a few outages persist. If your power remains out, continue following updates at MyTPU.org/OutageMap. Our outage map remains the best source of ongoing updates.

@MyTPU Can we get updates on when the power will be on? It’s been 10+ hours!

4:45 PM UPDATE: Just under 7,500 customers remain without power this evening as our crews continue working to assess and repair the damage caused by last night’s windstorm. In addition to the existing repairs needed from fallen trees, limbs, and wires, a recent car versus pole accident has added to the work. As we lose daylight hours, please be aware of crews working in the roadways. Move over or slow down to help keep them safe and ensure they can continue restoration efforts in the dark. We understand that long power outages have big impacts and our priority is restoring power as quicky and safely as possible. Estimated times of restoration are provided for each outage once crews are able to evaluate damage and estimate repairs. For ongoing updates, visit MyTPU.org/OutageMap. If you are unable to access the map, you can call 253-502-8600 to report an outage – our call center will remain available until 8:30 p.m. this evening and will reopen in the morning.