History

Granite Falls Electrical Distribution
History:

Granite Falls has a rich history when it comes to electrical distribution. Granite Falls has operated a municipal electric utility since 1891 and continues to maintain its own distribution system with a three-man crew. At one point in time, Granite Falls supplied electricity to a wide area. Neighboring towns, still without electricity 20 years after Granite Falls was wired, asked to buy current. Maynard took service in 1911 and Clara City and Wood Lake in 2013. At that time, farms along the line were also energized. In Stony Run township, a farm cooperative was formed and built its own lines and bought power from Granite Falls. This is believed to be the first rural electric cooperative in the country. 

Even with it's rich history, there have also been a few periods where the distribution team has been challenged. A spring flood in 1997 was followed by an F4 tornado in 2000 and another flood in the spring of 2001. Approximately a quarter of the municipal electric distribution system was damaged, including 300 poles. Damaged was estimated at $1.2 millionFollowing the 2001 flood, a new transmission line from the hydro plant across the river was built and is now is great shape after the recovery. 



Source: https://www.mmua.org/userfiles/files/January_2016_Resource_for_web(1461).pdf