Preventing Power Outages

By Gary Glover, Vice President & Chief Operating Officer – Electric Operations

We know power outages can be frustrating for our members. When an outage disrupts your family dinner, interrupts your favorite show, or shuts off your alarm clock it can be inconvenient. It becomes a more serious concern when it stops you from working or going to school. It may even shut off your heating and Gary Glover cooling system, or prevents you from using important medical devices. We know our members depend on the energy we provide, and we also do not enjoy power outages. In fact, we work very hard to avoid them.

MAINTAINING THE ROW

Right-of-way (ROW) refers to the strip of land underneath or around utility lines. Utilities have the right and responsibility to keep this area free of trees and debris. Keep this in mind when you decide where to plant trees, especially trees that can grow into the power lines. Trees that are directly underneath our power lines and require frequent trimming are a financial burden to the cooperative. Our crew of right-of-way workers are out on our system every day. They diligently clear hazards and keep power lines free of debris. Clearing trees and overgrown vegetation is an important part of providing you safe and reliable electricity.

Trees are the most common cause of power outages. Storms, small animals, and vehicle crashes are also responsible for their fair share. Some of these things are beyond our control, especially when trees fall from outside the right-of-way. When a strong storm blows through our system, it can leave behind a mess. A vehicle accident that takes down a pole involves extensive repair. There is one common cause of outages we can control – keeping trees away from our power lines. Maintaining our right-of-way helps us prevent problems before they occur. Our right-of-way clearing includes cutting, mowing, and spraying certain distances around overhead and underground electric facilities. The Energy Cooperative uses herbicides to remove unwanted weeds, brush, and trees from right-of-way. This enhances wildlife habitats by promoting grasses and other ground cover that birds, deer and small animals prefer. When our team applies herbicide, we practice precision application and use buffer zones to avoid gardens, flowers, and other plants.

As for small animals, we wrap our poles with ‘critter guards’ to discourage them from playing near power lines. We also have special equipment in our substations to minimize damage from squirrels, birds, and raccoons.

Keep Your Family Safe

When falling trees and/or branches bring down power lines it creates an unsafe condition. Always assume downed power lines are energized and dangerous. Consider any object touching lines energized as well. If you see a downed power line, or other electrical hazard, call 911. Then call us at 1-888-535-5732 or 1-800-255-6815 to report it.

The Bottom Line

There are many ways we work to prevent power outages. While we cannot control everything, we can do our best to plan for and prevent outages before they happen.

Questions?

As always, give us a call us at 1-800-255-6815. You can also chat with a member service representative from myenergycoop.com or through the SmartHub app.

Pro Tip: When our right-of-way crews are working in your area, you will receive a phone call or voice message. If you want to receive this notification, be sure to check your SmartHub app. Make sure we have your correct phone number, and that you are not on our ‘do not call’ list.