The City of Lethbridge released a Public Service Announcement early afternoon Monday, July 9, concerning a power load shed in the province that will cause staged power outages in areas of West Lethbridge.

The City of Lethbridge Electric Operations office received word from the province (Alberta Electric Systems Operators) that the city must shed power in order to maintain reliability of the Provincial Grid. The rotating outages are expected to last for 30 to 45 minutes.

The areas of Lethbridge initially impacted are: Paradise Canyon, SunRidge and Riverstone in West Lethbridge.

As this is a provincial control, the City of Lethbridge will work with the province and restore power as quickly as is permitted within provincial guidelines.

At this time, the outage does not affect the University of Lethbridge, butthe University community is being urged to lower power consumption at home and on campus when possible, thereby assisting the city in managing power levels. This includes turning off computers, lights and all unnecessary equipment. If a shut-off does affect the U of L, every effort will be made to give some advance notice.

POWER OUTAGE TIPS

- Keep the City of Lethbridge Electric Department phone number handy (403-320-3940).

- Keep doors, blinds/drapes and refrigerators closed.

- Turn your thermostat to the lowest setting.

More information and an informational video on what to do during a power outage can be found here: http://bit.ly/IynqpU