Maintenance Matters
It's been three weeks since storms wreaked havoc on several central Kansas communities, including McPherson. McPherson was hit particularly hard, with 70-80 mph wind gusts reported. The gusts were strong enough to uproot trees, rip off roofs, and take down powerlines, leaving 600 McPherson BPU customers without power. Despite the continued threat of severe weather, the small lineman crew worked [...]
McPherson BPU Recognized For Reliable Electric Service To the Community
McPherson, Kansas – April, 16 2024 — McPherson Board of Public Utilities has received national recognition for achieving exceptional electric reliability in 2023 for performance in 2018-2022. The recognition comes from the American Public Power Association (APPA), a trade group that represents more than 2,000 not-for-profit, community-owned electric utilities. APPA helps electric utilities track power outage and restoration data through [...]
Tree Trimming for Safety and Reliability
One of the qualities that enhances McPherson’s “curb appeal” is its abundance of beautiful trees. While most all agree that trees are great, tree contact with BPU power lines can cause power outages. For this reason, the BPU takes proactive measures to ensure electric reliability and safety for its customers by regularly pruning trees and other vegetation in or adjacent [...]
Project Update: South Well Field
Progress is being made on the collection of projects known as the South Well Field (SWF) Project. BPU water and maintenance crews have been hard at work since kicking off the SWF project last spring. Construction on the new water treatment facility began minutes after the groundbreaking ceremony on June 15th, giving a home to the three new Loprest multicell [...]
BPU Restores Power to over 3,000 Customers After Severe Thunderstorms.
The first week of August turned out to be pretty exciting for BPU crews! The storm that affected the central Kansas region on August 5th disrupted power for over 3,000 customers. It also took out 14 poles on BPU's 115kv transmission line along 17th Street. Crews worked all night and day and not only had all power restored by Monday [...]
McPherson BPU Awarded with “Certificate of Excellence in Reliability”
The American Public Power Association (APPA) has awarded the McPherson Board of Public Utilities (BPU) with a "Certificate of Excellence in Reliability" for reliable performance in 2022. There were 219 public utilities honored, the McPherson BPU was one of four in Kansas. Utilities that are subscribers to APPA's eReliability Tracker service are eligible to earn these certificates. To earn a [...]
McPherson Power:
McPherson BPU’s electric customers enjoy unsurpassed reliability. The BPU strives to provide the most accurate information about system performance to ensure that maintenance dollars are spent wisely and that customer expectations are met. The BPU offers virtually unlimited capacity and unbeatable reliability with a SAIDI Rating of 30.25 (99.99%) through a fully redundant electric system. The System Average Interruption Duration Index (SAIDI) is the most often used performance measurement for a sustained interruption. This index measures the total duration of an interruption for the average customer during a given time period.
BPU achieved this by going above and beyond the typical investment to ensure their system is fully redundant, meaning that almost everywhere in the system there are two sources to serve a customer. Crews at the McPherson BPU are committed to making continual improvements and upgrades to their infrastructure. These crews constantly have an improvement project in front of them, replacing lines and poles to ensure the best for their customers.
McPherson Water:
McPherson BPU owns and maintains 110 miles of water pipe with in it’s approximate 225 square mile service area. The cost to repair and replace this water pipe is around $100 per foot.
Every year McPherson BPU sets aside $250,000 for replacement and repair for existing water infrastructure and another $250, 000 for new development. McPherson BPU is committed to investing in water system repair and upgrades to ensure customers continue to recieve clean, high quality water.