September 17, 2023
The 3 Rivers Fire Department (CCFD6) has been awarded $87,270 by the Washington Department of Commerce to study the feasibility of installing an emergency backup solar battery power system at the Quillayute Airport. As a “microgrid” connected to the Clallam PUD, the system would provide power for water, light, shelter, and communications during an emergency. In normal times it would be drawn upon by the PUD to help service peak demand.
The award monies are a Track 1 branch of the Solar Plus Storage for Resilient Communities Grant program. ProtoGen, a Pennsylvania-based corporation with extensive experience in microgrid planning and development, has been engaged by CCFD6 to perform the study. A site visit by ProtoGen’s Seattle-based engineer is planned for mid-October. The study is expected to be completed by April of next year. If the Track 1 study proves the project’s feasibility, a Track 2 grant may be awarded to fund the microgrid construction.
The City of Forks, owner of the Quillayute Airport, is concurrently engaged in a separate process of updating the Quillayute Airport Master Plan to address the airport’s needs for the next 20 years. The updated Plan will guide decisions on improvements designed to maintain a safe and efficient airport that is economically, environmentally, and socially sustainable.
For both projects, the goal is to modernize the Quillayute Airport to better serve the larger West End community. The FAA has recognized the Quillayute Airport as an emergency response base that’s uniquely capable of supporting the western Olympic Peninsula in the event of a major disaster, up to and including a major Cascadia Subduction Zone seismic event. Modernizing improvements being considered by the Master Plan include new runway edge lighting, instrument capabilities, renovation of the existing large hangar, and construction of one or more new hangers for rental purposes.
The improvements envisioned in the Plan will enable pilots to safely land under a much greater range of weather conditions, which is expected to promote an increase in private flights to the Forks area. The microgrid, if built, would ensure that instrument landings could be safely done in the event of a power outage.
For more information contact ckeen@3riversfire.org.