With temperatures well below zero, Avista asks customers to conserve natural gas because of mechanical issue

Jan. 13—As Spokane residents were dealing with the coldest weather in more than a year, Avista Utilities warned its customers of a natural gas supply problem and asked them to lower their thermostats.

An Avista news release Friday night said that a pipeline company Avista relies on for natural gas supplies was experiencing a mechanical problem. The pipeline supplier's issue is affecting Avista's ability to supply natural gas to customers' homes and businesses, according to an Avista news release, which did not name the supplier.

The problem is the second time in the last few months that Avista has had to scramble as a result of natural gas pipeline problem.

The company's local gas system is safe and was not damaged by the third party's equipment issue, Avista officials said.

Avista spokesman Jared Webley said Saturday afternoon that the energy company believes its current supply will be enough to maintain customers needs. He said he did not have specific details on what the mechanical issue was but believed it had to do with a "compressor" toward the Canadian border.

Customers should set their thermostats at a lower setting and limit the use of hot water until 8 p.m. Saturday, Avista said. But Avista did not suggest how much colder residents should set their furnaces.

Webley said he expected to provide an update on the situation Saturday afternoon.

Temperatures dipped well below zero Saturday morning, including minus 10 at the Spokane International Airport, slightly above the record cold for the Jan. 13, which is minus 13, said Valerie Thaler, meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Spokane.

"Our gas transmission suppliers are working diligently to resolve this issue," said Heather Rosentrater, Avista president and chief operating officer in a prepared statement. "We recognize the hardship this request presents our customers given the extreme cold temperatures. We will provide more updates as the situation evolves. We are grateful for everyone's patience and please know we are working around-the-clock to mitigate impact to our customers."

As of 2 p.m. Saturday, the high at the airport was 1 degree.

Elsewhere in the region Saturday, Felts Field dropped to minus 8, Deer Park fell minus 21, Coeur d'Alene was minus 15 and Pullman was minus 20.

Temperatures will remain frigid Sunday, with the forecast showing a low of minus 4 and a high of 7 at the Spokane International Airport.

Given the cold temperatures, customers who need additional support are encouraged to call 211. They can also visit www.wa211.org or www.211.idaho.gov.

Saturday morning's low was the coldest temperature Spokane has reached since Dec. 22, 2022 when the temperature also fell to minus 10, Thaler said.

Nearly 37,000 Avista customers lost natural gas service on Nov. 9, after a landowner attempting to install a drainage pipe ruptured a natural gas pipeline owned by Williams Pipeline between Colfax and Pullman. The outage left many residents without heat and forced some restaurants and schools to close, including the University of Idaho.

To restore service, Avista workers had to go door-to-door to manually shut off gas at each address, then return to relight after repressurizing the pipeline. The last customers were restored six days later. That pipeline was owned and operated by Williams Pipeline, which is contracted by Avista to provide wholesale natural gas to customers in the Palouse and Lewiston/Clarkston Valley.