For More Information Contact:
Lance Robertson, 984-4716 or 729-7690
Eugene Water & Electric Board

June 20, 2008

Substations, power poles hit by metal thieves

A rash of metal thefts have kept Eugene Water & Electric Board repair crews busy over the past several days.

Thieves have struck several Eugene Water & Electric Board substations since the first week of June. The latest incident was discovered on Wednesday (June 18). In each case, thieves stripped grounding wires at the electrical substations or from fences surrounding the substations.

Stolen copper grounding wires at substations or power poles have been a problem for the past few years as the price of the metal has risen to between $4 and $6 a pound. Although copper prices have settled to the lower end of that range in recent months, EWEB and other local utilities have experienced a sharp increase in thefts since late April of this year. Warmer weather, economic conditions and other factors may be playing a role in the increased activity. Law-enforcement officials believe most thieves are selling the wire to support methamphetamine and other drug habits.

The latest thefts were discovered June 18 at EWEB’s Currin Substation, near I-105 and Garden Way, and at the Willakenzie Substation north of Valley River Center. Forty to fifty copper grounding wires were clipped from the perimeter fences of the substations.

Other thefts have occurred since June 2 at the Leaburg, Westmoreland and Laurel substations. EWEB has reported all of the thefts to Eugene police and the Lane County sheriff.

In addition, the Emerald People’s Utility District, which serves a large portion of rural areas of central Lane County, reported grounding wire thefts at its Noti substation, as well as a break-in at another substation.

Metals thefts can pose a safety hazard, in that electricity would have no ability to be “grounded” during an outage or other electrical problem. They also can increase the chance of outages.

Utilities and ratepayers are burdened with the costs of replacing damaged or stolen property. The theft of grounding wire from a single substation can cost $5,000 to $10,000, including materials and labor.