Traps set at Moses Lake substation

MOSES LAKE — The Grant County Public Utility District asked the federal government to begin nabbing gray squirrels near a high-voltage substation on the eastern edge of the city, following repeated power outages caused by the bushy-tailed rodents.

The utility district claims the squirrels — which are not native to the area — have become increasingly abundant in the trees and grassy fields around Hylander Greens Golf Course and the Moses Lake Convention Center Plaza just east of Highway 17 on Nelson Road.

The squirrels usually roam the golf course and plaza, but are frequently crossing a nearby parking lot and infiltrating the Nelson Road substation, where they're being electrocuted and causing power outages.

"It's really hard to keep them out of electrical equipment," utility district spokesman Gary Garnant said Wednesday. It's especially difficult to keep the squirrels out during the winter, Garnant said, because the critters seek the warmth created by the substation.

He did not know how many outages were directly attributable to squirrels at the Nelson Road substation. "That's where the recent power interruptions in Moses Lake have occurred," he said.

Attempts by the PUD to keep the squirrels out using barriers have failed.

Gray squirrels, which tend to live near large deciduous trees, usually have a couple litters each year with two to three young. They are very agile climbers and jumpers, using their tail for both balance and as a parachute.

"While they're lovely to some people, they're problems for others," Garnant said, recognizing the squirrels' popularity with nature watchers.

Starting Sept. 5, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, through its wildlife services program, will begin a "live trapping" effort to reduce the number of squirrels and potential power outages, Garnant said.

"Is there going to be a relocation plan, or what?" PUD Commissioner Tom Flint said last week, after receiving word the utility district planned to have critters trapped at the substation.

The answer is yes.

The squirrels will be relocated and released, Garnant said.

The wildlife services program provides federal leadership and expertise resolving these types of conflicts between people and wildlife, allowing the two to coexist peacefully, according to the USDA's Web site.

Officials from the wildlife services program already assist the utility district with predator controls along the Columbia River at Priest Rapids and Wanapum dams, Garnant said.

Tony Webb, the PUD's director of customer service, said last week that efforts at the Nelson Road Substation will serve as a "test case." The strategy may be implemented at other substations, depending upon the results.