Rochester Public Utilities | Blog

Archive for October, 2014

Be Bright Campaign- List of Retailers

Thursday, October 9th, 2014

BeBrightArtwork

Here is a list of retailers for the Be bright Campaign highlighted in the October edition of RPU Plugged In. Retailers are subject to change. Click here to view other electric and water rebates available from RPU.

Arrow Ace Hardware– All four Rochester locations

Home Depot

Menards– Both Rochester locations

Walmart– Both Rochester locations

Lake Zumbro Hydro Drawdown Draws Near

Tuesday, October 7th, 2014

The annual drawdown of Lake Zumbro is scheduled to begin on October 25th. The drawdown is necessary for planned maintenance and shoreline restoration work. The public should be aware that the drawdown planned for this fall will be substantially greater than normal. A typical fall drawdown is less than two feet; whereas this year a four foot drawdown will be attempted. These plans are subject to change depending on rainfall and resulting runoff. RPU’s drawdown plan is as follows:

  • Saturday, October 25th start the gradual drawdown from summer pool elevation 914.5 and continuing releasing water until a target elevation of 910.5 is achieved.
  • Maintain the lake level at or about 910.5 from November 3rd thru Sunday, November 9th.
  • On Monday, November 10th the lake refilling will begin. The level would be slowly raised back up to normal winter pool at a rate no more than 0.5 feet per day while maintaining a minimum release of 70 cfs.  We anticipate a minimum of 8 days will be required to raise the lake level to normal winter pool of 913.0 to minimize the impact on downstream resources.

The drawdown plan is subject to change depending on weather conditions.

During the months of November through March, Rochester Public Utilities (RPU) will attempt to maintain the lake level at the winter pool of 913.0.

Real-time lake level information, along with Lake Zumbro hydro updates are available on the RPU web site (www.rpu.org). For additional information regarding the Zumbro Hydroelectric Facility please contact Tony Benson at (507) 280-1534.

 

Tips for lake ice safety:

 

Be extremely careful during winter activities that involve Lake Zumbro such as ice fishing, snowmobiling or just walking out on the frozen lake.

Watch the weather and river flow conditions.

Ice thickness and condition can vary greatly. Be very cautious.

Look out for ice heaves and exposed logs and snags.

Be cautious in the vicinity of the dam. De-icing equipment has been installed along the upstream face of the dam resulting in open water and/or thin ice.

Do not proceed past the warning signs and buoys.

 

About Rochester Public Utilities

 

As the municipal utility of Rochester, Minn., for more than 120 years, RPU provides high-quality and reliable electricity to over 50,000 customers. Water customers number more than 38,000. RPU continually investigates innovative technologies to help customers realize the best value from the services they receive. Current initiatives include smart grid, water sustainability, wind power, and photovoltaic offerings.

 

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New Director of Corporate Services Hired

Tuesday, October 7th, 2014

Rochester Public Utilities (RPU) announced today the hiring of Peter Hogan as the new Director of Corporate Services.

In his new role, Hogan will be responsible for operations in accounting, information technology, business services, and purchasing.

Hogan has held positions as Controller, Chief Technology Officer, and Contract Controller/CFO where he implemented quality control and board reporting metrics, developed detailed five year budgeting and cash flow models by lines of business, prepared weekly forecasts for a $1.5 billion publicly traded company, delivered quarterly reports and monthly financial variance analysis along with key performance indicators.

Hogan also oversaw the design and implementation of high availability systems and redundant IT infrastructure to support 24/7 online banking, ATM’s, and cash management. In addition, he led the implementation of compliance requirements including system security, customer information, incident response, business continuity, and vendor management.

Most recently, he served as a Contract Controller/CFO with CliftonLarsonAllen LLP in Rochester.

Hogan has a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting, Summa cum Laude along with additional studies in computer science from Winona State University. He is also a Certified Public Accountant.

The official start date for Hogan was September 15.

About Rochester Public Utilities

 

As the municipal utility of Rochester, Minn., for more than 120 years, RPU provides high-quality and reliable electricity to over 50,000 customers. Water customers number more than 38,000. RPU continually investigates innovative technologies to help customers realize the best value from the services they receive. Current initiatives include smart grid, water sustainability, wind power, and photovoltaic offerings.

 

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