Tacoma Public Utilities history

The new electric utility rebuilt its steam boilers and by 1894 it was twice as profitable as the water system.

Early in his presidency, Theodore Roosevelt signed the Reclamation Act of 1902, which encouraged the development of previously inhospitable land through public works projects.

In 1909, Tacomans finally approved the Green River plan and also a reorganization of city government that eliminated the 16-member City Council from the management of the agencies.

In 1910 the City Council authorized construction of the Green River gravity supply system.

Its first independent power generation came with the construction of LaGrande Dam on the Nisqually River, 36 miles away from the city, producing hydroelectric power as of November, 1912.

Commissioner Nicholas Lawson completed work on the 43-mile Green River line in 1913, overcoming significant legal, engineering, and financial hurdles.

In 1914, after years of negotiations and failed ballot propositions, Tacoma built a line across the bridge that was used by TR&P cars.

In 1930, Tacoma Power became a monopoly when Puget Sound Power & Light’s franchise to sell electricity in Tacoma expired.

In 1936, Superintendent Charles H. McEachron purchased buses as part of a goal to replace the electric streetcars.

In 1942, the Belt Line served 27 industries with 13 miles of track.

Replacement of the old wooden mains began in 1945, funded by property owners in local improvement districts under Commissioner Clifton A. Erdahl.

In 1956, 17 Washington public utility districts formed the Washington Public Power Supply System (WPPSS) in order to combine their resources to build generation.

5, began in 1967 and would have tapped an aquifer in North Fork Valley.

The situation was relieved somewhat with the Cowlitz dams and a portion of a coal-fired power plant in Centralia purchased in 1970.

But the energy crisis of 1973 forced Tacoma Power to raise rates and to ask consumers to conserve.

Congress passed the Pacific Northwest Electric Power Planning and Conservation Act (Northwest Power Act) in 1980, which granted BPA the right to acquire new resources to serve load growth of public utilities.

A 1984 audit of the line’s operations found numerous operational problems and safety violations, but served to obtain the long-needed increase in switching rates that could finance improvements.

In 1985, Tacoma Rail absorbed the switching operations of the Port of Tacoma, first on a trial basis, then permanently.

Laws in many states, however, prohibit many activities ordered by FERC and the Energy Policy Act of 1992.

In 1996, City Light examined providing cable television and Internet access to consumers, services already supplied by private companies.