Puget Sound Energy proposes rebuilding and expanding its Eld Inlet substation  

The Olympia Site Plan Review Committee held a presubmission conference to review Puget Sound Energy's plan to rebuild and expand its Eld Inlet substation at 1330 Kaiser Road NW.  

According to the narrative submitted by Trevor Lessard, PSE Municipal Land planner, the project aims to improve safety by updating the substation to modern PSE standards, installing equipment that will assist with wildfire protections on distribution lines serviced by the substation, and repairing components of the substation to extend the life of the equipment so that it can continue providing electrical service to PSE customers in the area.  

PSE plans to start construction in early 2025.  

• A new grounding wire will be buried under the outside edge of the existing fence.  

• Replace existing, old, and degrading equipment concrete pads. 

• Install a manufactured, uninhabited control house with a concrete pad. Install new equipment, improve system reliability, and add wildfire protections. 

• Conduct vegetation management to improve reliability and protect the substation while maintaining screening for neighboring properties.  

PSE acknowledges a large wetland complex in Green Cove Creek, located across Kaiser Road NE. Grass Lake also sits a few hundred feet southeast of PSE's property, and residential properties surround the substation.  

Given this knowledge, PSE is proposing practices to minimize environmental and neighbor impacts. During construction, PSE will employ best management practices to control stormwater and prevent any impacts from leaving the work area.

This includes marking off the work zone, installing fencing around the perimeter to catch any sediment, and covering exposed soil when construction is finished. Necessary protections will be employed to prevent root damage and tree impacts.

Work will be conducted during allowed daytime construction hours for noise control. 

According to Paula Smith, Olympia's associate planner, the substation is situated in a residential low-impact (R-1) zoning district. In this district, electrical utilities are either permitted outright or require a conditional use permit, depending on whether the project triggers the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA). 

"Since this project is confined within the existing substation site, it is exempt from SEPA review," Smith explained. "That means there is no formal land use process required for the city to approve these upgrades." 

However, Smith noted that PSE would need to address a few critical requirements for the R-1 zone, including:  

• Providing protection measures for the nearby wetlands and streams to prevent any negative environmental impacts. 

• Ensuring the project does not increase the existing substation's non-conforming impervious surface area, limited to 2,500 square feet or 6% of the lot, whichever is greater. 

• Maintaining the existing vegetation screening around the substation, as there were likely previous requirements for such landscaping when the facility was originally developed. 

One key aspect of the project is vegetation management, which raised some concerns from Jasen Johns of Olympia Urban Forestry. He acknowledged that utility arboriculture practices differ from standard municipal tree care. He noted that techniques like air spading or water excavation could be used carefully to expose and retain the tree roots during the work.  

However, Johns deferred to the electrical engineers on the specific grounding requirements and clearances needed to ensure the roots would not become energized.