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Preparing for Storms -- All Year

Our community relies on GUC to provide life-sustaining services – electric, water, sewer and natural gas. It is vital that we are always prepared and ready to respond during any type of emergency. Essentially, GUC prepares for emergencies all year long. As part of our daily operations, we plan for the unexpected and for that reason, all of our systems have back-ups and contingencies. We have a well-trained workforce, and a well-maintained system.

Our team of professionals works all year to maintain and repair overhead power lines. Line Clearing crews work each and every day to methodically trim branches, even entire trees, that are a danger to overhead power lines. Their work is critical to the operation of the electric distribution system. And, their work is never more appreciated than during a storm.  

Water Resources crews constantly monitor our distribution system to ensure that it is operating properly and maintained consistently. Water Resources has a crew that inspects the 10,000 valves on water mains. In the case of a water main break, these valves would need to be shut off quickly. Each year, crews locate and replace broken valves ensuring a quicker response time should a main break occur.

The Water Treatment Plant treats water from the Tar River, and has 9 million gallons of treated water in storage, about a one-day supply. While most systems rely on highly technical equipment, there are back-up manual methods of achieving the same results.  

The Wastewater collections system is inspected on a regular basis, and crews routinely inspect outfalls, and clean and repair pipes to minimize the amount of extraneous water that can enter the system.  

The Gas Department similarly inspects and maintains gas valves and has identified those critical for isolating sections of system in the event of an emergency. GUC purchases natural gas for its customers. Should this supply be cut off due to an emergency, GUC’s Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) plant, which is ordinarily used for peak shaving, has enough natural gas in storage to serve our customers during an emergency. And, the plant could supply natural gas indefinitely as long as LNG could be trucked in, and the LNG plant was able to operate at full capacity.

When a weather emergency threatens our service area, we kick into high gear to ensure that we are ready to respond safely and quickly to repair any damage. Find our more here.