Murden Cove – Winslow 115kV transmission line

In comparison to other route options, Route A:

⦁ Is the shortest route (3.4 miles).
⦁ Affects the fewest parcels, including residential parcels.
⦁ Follows public road rights-of-way for the entire length, limiting both environmental and community impacts.
⦁ Contains land uses and zoning that represent less population density.
⦁ Has a comparatively lower area of tree canopy.
⦁ Has existing overhead distribution lines along its entire length, which allows for more opportunities to collocate the transmission line with existing distribution.

The selected route provides the best opportunity to minimize impacts on the following community values:

⦁ Trees, wetlands and habitats
⦁ Private property and residential neighborhoods
⦁ Schools

PSE weighed the community’s feedback alongside a variety of considerations, including a thorough review of existing restrictions and regulations, wetland delineations, coordination with the City of Bainbridge Island and technical reviews by engineers, vegetation management and other technical staff.

• Selected route option factsheet
• Engagement by the numbers factsheet

After more than two years of technical analysis and community engagement, PSE selected a route for the Murden Cove – Winslow 115 kV transmission line. This was an important step towards improving reliability for two-thirds of the Island currently at risk of outage due to lack of transmission system redundancy.

PSE worked diligently to understand from a technical and impact perspective which route option best meets the route criteria and project need. Feedback from the Community Sounding Board (CSB) and the community – which we had been gathering since the project launch in 2019 – was considered in the route selection.

• We heard a wide range of input from hundreds of island residents on their values related to route siting. The feedback was varied, and it helped PSE better understand community values and perspectives to inform route selection.
• We appreciate the hundreds of islanders and the dedicated CSB members who took the time and made the effort to join us in the sitting conversation and share their feedback to inform our selection of the preferred route option.

PSE held an online Community Announcement on November 30, 2021 to share the selected route option with the Bainbridge Island Community.

• Community Announcement materials packet

High-level overview of PSE’s transmission line routing community engagement process.

Prior to selecting a route option for the Murden Cove – Winslow 115 kV transmission line, the Bainbridge Island City Council shared a letter with community values and interests that PSE should keep in mind when selecting a preferred route. The City Council delivered their letter of recommendations via email to PSE on October 8, 2021. The letter from City Council is available below.

City Council letter

On November 1, 2021 PSE responded to the City Council’s letter. PSE’s response letter and its appendices are available below.

• PSE response letter
• PSE response letter appendices

In response to community interest shared during feedback periods for the Murden Cove – Winslow 115 kV transmission line project, PSE held two information sessions. One focused on underground transmission lines and the other on electromagnetic fields (EMF).

The first information session on underground transmission lines was held on August 16, 2021. Information provided at the session included the benefits, challenges, and processes involved with underground transmission lines. Attendees were able to submit questions to a panel that included an independent underground transmission line expert and representatives from PSE.

Underground transmission line information session materials packet

The second information session on EMF was held on September 29, 2021. Information provided at the session include a discussion of what EMF is, where frequencies are found, and how it relates to health. Attendees were able to submit questions to a panel that includes an independent, board-certified health physicist and representatives from PSE.

EMF information session materials packet

PSE hosted two workshops where Bainbridge Island community members could provide feedback to inform the routing process. The first workshop was held virtually on Jan. 21, 2021. PSE introduced the route segments and invited initial community feedback on these segments. Following the first workshop, PSE held a feedback period between January 22 and February 12 to continue collecting community input on route segments. During this time, PSE heard feedback from a variety of community members. Feedback was collected through responses to an online interactive Segment Explorer tool, emails, voice messages, online comment forms, and mailed letters. A summary of themes PSE heard during the first feedback period is available in our community workshop materials below.

Route Segment Online Community Workshop materials packet

The second workshop— held virtually on May 3— introduced the route options and provided an opportunity for public feedback on the potential routes. Between May 4 and June 2, PSE continued collecting feedback on route options through an online interactive Route Explorer tool, email, voice message, and online comment form.

Route Option Online Community Workshop materials packet

PSE convened the CSB to help inform the routing process for the new Murden Cove – Winslow 115 kV transmission line between the Murden Cove and Winslow substations. The 18-member CSB individually provided input and feedback on routing criteria, route segments, route options and other project related topics identified by PSE during the transmission line routing process. Members were selected from a pool of applicants and represented a variety of geographic, organizational, and individual interests on Bainbridge Island from inside and outside the project study area.

Materials

• CSB meeting 1 (May 14, 2020)
• CSB meeting 2 (May 21, 2020)
• CSB meeting 3 (June 8, 2020)
• CSB info session 1 (August 6, 2020)
• CSB info session 2 (September 17, 2020)
• CSB meeting 4 (October 12, 2020)
• CSB feedback on project area and route segments
• CSB Update meeting (January 11, 2021)
• CSB meeting 5 (March 31, 2021)
• CSB meeting 6 (December 2, 2021)

Yes, the Murden Cove – Winslow 115 kV transmission line is critical to improving electric service reliability on Bainbridge Island. If the new transmission line had been in place, PSE estimates:

• Bainbridge Island could have experienced 60% fewer substation outages between 2018 and 2023. 
• Bainbridge Island customers’ minutes of service interruption could have been reduced, on average, by nearly 30% between 2013 and 2023. 

The new transmission line will connect the Murden Cove and Winslow substations. Today, these substations are each served by single radial transmission lines, referred to as “taps”. If the transmission line serving the substation goes out, then the substation and all customers served by that substation lose power.

By connecting the Murden Cove and Winslow substations, the new transmission line will create a transmission loop. This means each substation will be connected to two transmission lines. If one line goes out, the other line can still feed the substation and provide power to customers. This project along with others in our hybrid solution package will make the Island’s electric grid more resilient and reduce the impact of outages by adding redundancy to the system.

PSE’s goal is to minimize impacts to trees and other vegetation while building and maintaining safe and reliable transmission lines to serve the community.

For the new Murden Cove – Winslow 115 kV transmission line, we plan to collocate the transmission line over existing aerial distribution lines because the vegetation around the distribution lines is already being maintained. In addition, the route PSE selected for the new transmission line has a lower density of tree canopy than the other route options considered. We will take additional care during design to first avoid and then minimize potential impacts.

PSE is committed to working with property owners and the City of Bainbridge Island to replace trees we remove consistent with applicable laws and regulations. If one or more trees on your property are identified for removal, PSE will contact you to discuss replanting options.

PSE plans to collocate the transmission line over existing aerial distribution lines unless there are specific locations where this is not feasible or there are better design alternatives. During detailed engineering design, we will analyze opportunities to collocate, vegetation management needs and pole engineering, among other considerations, to determine more detailed siting for the transmission line route.

In all of the route options considered, impacts to wetlands could not be avoided. With the selected route, we expect that the primary impact to wetlands will be removal of vegetation along the edge of the roadway.

The selected route runs along existing roadway and will be collocated with our existing distribution lines along the majority of the route. Because the vegetation around the existing distribution lines is already being maintained, we will have less impact to the environment, including wetlands.

PSE looked at environmental and economic inequalities – such as impacts to air or water quality, access to green space or increase in costs of housing or transportation – using environmental justice and equity databases maintained by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Washington Department of Health (DOH). We used these sources to review whether transmission line construction and operation would contribute to environmental and economic inequities.

In looking at the Bainbridge data in these databases, as well as the types of impacts contributing to environmental justice inequities, we determined that new transmission lines, like the Murden Cove – Winslow 115 kV transmission line, do not contribute adversely to conditions contributing to environmental inequities as analyzed in environmental justice and equity databases.

We have also reviewed and considered questions relating to equity on Bainbridge Island generated in the Murden Cove – Winslow 115 kV transmission line outreach process. We know that inclusion and education are key components of equity and environmental justice efforts.

The community engagement team will continue their efforts to inform and educate individual customers and community organizations on the Island and ask their assistance in sharing information with the people they serve.

PSE is on a journey to be a more inclusive organization and that includes gaining the perspectives of historically underserved customers and communities to inform our decisions and investments. PSE has been, and continues to be, committed to hearing feedback from the community on this and our other projects on the Island.

There will be additional opportunities for community members to provide feedback on the project to the City when permit applications are submitted and reviewed. We will keep those along the route and the broader community informed as the project progresses.  

You can always contact the team at 360-394-2676 or Bainbridge@PSE.com. Sign up for our monthly e-newsletter to stay up-to-date about our work on the Island.