News

GRDA’s 2024 in review: Part 3

Jan 30, 2025

Helping our neighbors in need … GRDA Officers Paul Mader and Corbin Peters traveled to Florida in September 2024, with Oklahoma Task Force One. They were there to conduct water rescues and help with emergency efforts following Hurricane Helene.

We continue our look back on the Grand River Dam Authority’s 2024 with a review of July, August, and September, which are typically the busiest months on GRDA’s waters.

July is a busy month for GRDA’s Vegetation Management and Excavation Crews, and 2024 was no different. Both crews spent part of the month building a new transmission pole storage yard for overflow, near the GRDA Railcar Maintenance Shop at the Grand River Energy Center (GREC). The summer months are also a time of heavy vegetation growth across the region, so the Vegetation Crew remained busy maintaining GRDA rights-of-way. This helps ensure the reliable flow of electricity across the system. Late in the month, the GREC also played host to a blood drive, with many employees turning out to donate, to help their neighbors in need.

In early August, GRDA was able to reopen the boat ramp below Kerr Dam, to access the Grand River. The ramp had been closed for an extended period while a large project was taking place in the area. Meanwhile, down on the Illinois River, GRDA’s Grounds Crew attended a special aquatic chainsaw overwater training class. The class was intended to teach participants how to use a chainsaw while in a boat, in order to remove debris and logs jams safely from the river.

In September, a scheduled maintenance outage on GRDA Unit 2 at the GREC took place, with crews completing several tasks to ready the unit for future operations. September was also a month for mutual aid, as GRDA personnel traveled to Louisiana, Florida, and North Carolina to assist in areas impacted by Hurricanes Francine and Helene. Both line maintenance and law enforcement personnel took part in these efforts.

Next week, we will take a closer look at GRDA’s Fall 2024 and wrap up our year in review!

GRDA is Oklahoma’s largest public power electric utility; fully funded by revenues from electric and water sales instead of taxes. Each day, GRDA strives to be an “Oklahoma agency of excellence” by focusing on the 5 E’s: employees, electricity, economic development, environmental stewardship, and efficiency.