Tacoma Power is a public utility

Public utility

A public utility is an organization that maintains the infrastructure for a public service . Public utilities are subject to forms of public control and regulation ranging from local community-based groups to state-wide government monopolies...

 providing electrical power

Electric power

Electric power is the rate at which electric energy is transferred by an electric circuit. The SI unit of power is the watt.-Circuits:Electric power, like mechanical power, is represented by the letter P in electrical equations...

 to Tacoma, Washington

Tacoma, Washington

Tacoma is a mid-sized urban port city and the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. The city is on Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, and northwest of Mount Rainier National Park. The population was 198,397, according to...

 and the surrounding areas. Tacoma Power serves the cities of Tacoma, Fircrest, University Place, and Fife, and also provides service to parts of Steilacoom, Lakewood and unincorporated Pierce County. It is a division of the Tacoma Public Utilities

Tacoma Public Utilities

Tacoma Public Utilities is the public utility service for Tacoma, Washington. It was formed in 1893, and is made up of Tacoma Power, Tacoma Water, Tacoma Rail, and the Click! Network television cable service. Tacoma Public Utilities is the largest department in Tacoma City government, employing...

 and owns the Click! Network

Click! Network

Click! Network is a broadband cable system owned by Tacoma Power, a part of Tacoma Public Utilities in Tacoma, Washington. It provides cable television and Internet connectivity for residents and businesses in Tacoma, University Place, Fircrest, Lakewood and Fife.Back in the late 1990s there was...

, developed by Steven Klein

Steven Klein

Steven Klein is an American photographer based in New York.-History:After studying painting at the Rhode Island School of Design, he moved into the field of photography...

, Tacoma Power's former superintendent.

History

In 1884 Charles B. Wright was granted the exclusive right to create Tacoma's first power and water company, incorporating the Tacoma Light and Water Company. Wright's system drew water from Tule and Spanaway Lakes and Clover Creek

Clover Creek (Washington)

Clover Creek is a creek in Pierce County, Washington. Clover Creek rises near Frederickson, flows through Spanaway and Parkland, is diverted under the main runway of McChord Air Force Base and Interstate 5, and into Lakewood, where it spills into Lake Steilacoom.Its drainage basin is . The creek...

. The water was transported to the city through a 10-mile wooden flume

Flume

A flume is an open artificial water channel, in the form of a gravity chute, that leads water from a diversion dam or weir completely aside a natural flow. Often, the flume is an elevated box structure that follows the natural contours of the land. These have been extensively used in hydraulic...

that emptied into an in-town reservoir. The flume was mostly uncovered and attracted thirsty cows and children in search of a good wading pool. This led to the spread of disease. Tacoma Power was created in 1893 when the citizens of Tacoma voted to buy the privately owned Tacoma Light & Water Company to ensure its safety and longevity.

In 2011, Tacoma Power received the first-ever Award for Excellence in Energy Efficiency from the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA). The award recognizes Tacoma Power's "exceptional creativity, leadership and achievement in the pursuit of energy efficiency." The utility competed against other utilities and organizations served by BPA in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana.

Board of directors

Robert Casey, Chair

Peter Thein, Vice Chair

Laura Fox, Secretary

David Nelson, Member

Woodrow Jones, Member

Management team

William Gaines, Director of Utilities

Ted Coates, Tacoma Power Superintendent

Linda McCrea, Tacoma Water Superintendent

Dale King, Tacoma Rail Superintendent

Steve Hatcher, Customer Services Manager