The City of Idaho Falls is issuing the following general informational tips in preparation for the Great American Solar Eclipse:

 Utility Division

• In anticipation of the volume of visitors to our city, the City of Idaho Falls Utility Billing Office will not be processing utility connects or disconnects on Monday, August 21.  The offices will resume these services on Tuesday, August 22, during regular business hours (8 a.m. – 5 p.m.).

Idaho Falls Library

• The Idaho Falls Library will not open until noon on August 21.

Community Development Services

• The Building Division will not be conducting inspections or processing permits on August 21.  They will resume on August 22 during regular business hours (8 a.m. – 5 p.m.).

Idaho Falls Power

• Idaho Falls Power (IFP) is taking every precaution necessary to ensure electric service is secure for this event. This includes coordinating with Rocky Mountain Power to make sure there are no planned outages during this period that would impact capacity of the grid in our area. If the power goes out during the eclipse, it will most likely be from something other than the number of people in our region, such as a squirrel, which is the number one culprit of power outages.
• IFP’s electric consumption peaks in the winter, with an all-time winter peak of 154 megawatts.  With the cooler temperatures settling in this week, the consumption is around 95 megawatts. IFP has capacity in their system because it is not peak season.  This also is the time of the year that irrigation load is declining in Rocky Mountain Power’s service territory (they peak in the summer).

Sanitation Division

• Residential trash collection will be delayed by one day during the week of the eclipse. For instance, trash normally picked up on Monday will be picked up on Tuesday, and so on.
• Additional commercial collection will be available to accommodate the large influx of visitors. To schedule additional commercial collections, contact the Sanitation Division at (208) 612-8491.
  

Street Division

• Anticipate traffic delays due to high traffic volumes and plan your time accordingly. Exercise patience when streets become congested.
• Do not block intersections during times of high traffic congestion.
• If you approach a signalized intersection that has lost power, treat the intersection as if it was a four-way stop.
• Contact the Street Division at (208) 612-8490 to report street-related issues.

Wastewater Division

• Prevent trash from entering the City’s wastewater system. This will help prevent system blockages and assist the wastewater treatment process.
• Contact the Wastewater Division at (208) 612-8108 with any storm water or sewer related issues.

Water Division

• Water conservation measures (particularly reductions in landscape irrigation) are encouraged to accommodate increased system demands, especially during the dates of August 18-22.
• In the event of a power outage, please cease all landscape irrigation, as this will help the water system to supply indoor uses.
• Although no emergencies are anticipated, it is always a good idea to store drinking water just to be prepared.
• If you experience large pressure fluctuations or notice non-official persons using fire hydrants, please contact the Water Division at (208) 612-8471.

Please note that service call-outs from any division may be delayed due to additional traffic volumes.

All essential services, such as those provided by the Idaho Falls Fire Department, Idaho Falls Police Department, Parks & Recreation, Public Works, Idaho Falls Regional Airport and Idaho Falls Power will be fully operational.

We are encouraging community members to stay tuned to local city, county and media communication channels over the next 10-14 days for continued eclipse updates.       

To sign up to receive email notifications from the City of Idaho Falls, including press releases, emergency alerts, events, city council meetings, etc., simply click on the Notify Me button on the homepage of our website and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

City departments are available and committed to helping our community have a safe solar eclipse, as we all prepare for this once-in-a-lifetime event.

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