Airway marker light damaged by firearms in Cathlamet

The Bonneville Power Administration is investigating and offering a reward for information in connection with an incident that occurred near Cathlamet.

Last week, BPA officials discovered an airway marker light damaged by firearms on a 115-kilovolt power line structure near Cathlamet on Puget Island. Such lights help steer aircraft away from power lines. BPA estimates that $4,000 worth of damage was done to the equipment.

"Damage that takes out airway marker lights creates an extremely dangerous situation,” said Kim Howell, BPA district manager. “The safety of low flying aircraft is seriously jeopardized when these lights are not functioning properly. Pilots rely on markers like these to ensure that they can take evasive action and avoid structures.”

Howell also pointed out that the danger associated with replacing the lights poses challenges for BPA crews doing the work. She added it’s important that hunters and others using firearms around high-voltage power lines remember to use caution when shooting.

BPA must take lines with damaged equipment out of service. Depending on the amount of time the line is out of service and the size of the line, the costs associated with making the repairs can be much higher than the actual costs for equipment. Any time a line is taken out of service, it limits the amount of electricity that can be carried on the BPA system, which in turn has a negative economic impact on those entities that rely on the system.

"We’re hoping that this information will help jog the memory of someone who may know about this or may have seen someone shooting at power lines in the area,” said Kevin West, BPA physical security specialist. “Sometimes even small details can help law enforcement officials make significant investigative progress.”

Information leading to the arrest and conviction of someone who purposefully shot the insulators could lead to a reward. Under its Crime Witness program, BPA provides rewards up to $25,000. Anyone who has information about this incident should call BPA’s Crime Witness hotline at (800) 437-2744.

Since 2006, BPA has paid eight rewards totaling almost $6,500 for information provided that led to arrests or convictions of individuals who stole or defaced BPA property.