Variable clouds with strong thunderstorms. Damaging winds, large hail and possibly a tornado with some storms. Low 63F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 3 to 5 inches of rain expected..
Tonight
Variable clouds with strong thunderstorms. Damaging winds, large hail and possibly a tornado with some storms. Low 63F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 3 to 5 inches of rain expected.
Sequachee Valley Electric Cooperative provides energy to over 37,500 homes and businesses in all or portions of Bledsoe, Grundy, Marion, Sequatchie, Coffee, Hamilton, Rhea and Van Buren counties. To keep the power on, we maintain over 3,100 miles of power lines. Lined up end to end, our lines would stretch from New York City to Phoenix, AZ and beyond.
Keeping these power lines maintained and functional is not an inexpensive undertaking. It may surprise you that one of our largest expenses on average is not poles or wire but trimming trees. We spend approximately $2.4 million each year on right-of-way clearance or “tree trimming.”
Reliable energy is important to the co-op and to the homes and businesses we serve. Keeping trees and other vegetation safely away from power lines is a crucial part of our ongoing system maintenance. While some power outages are out of our control – things such as car accidents or lightning – many outages can be prevented by making sure trees and other vegetation are kept well away from the lines.
Each year the co-op and our tree-trimming contractors clear limbs and brush and in some cases remove entire trees that are too close to the lines or near other electrical equipment. They carefully follow guidelines and best practices provided by the International Society of Arboriculture.
It’s pretty simple. When trees and other vegetation get too close to the lines, it will result in a power outage. One tree could knock out the power for a hundred homes. Keeping them away from the lines is necessary to keep the lights on.
Proper right-of-way maintenance is a good investment that keeps the lights on for our consumer-members. To keep everyone in our community safe, our distribution system is designed to cut the power when it detects a contact with the power line.
We can’t tell if the contact is from a child flying a kite, a car accident or a limb brushing against the line. This means that trees and limbs can knock out the power even if they don’t break the lines. If they do break the lines, the outage can last even longer. That’s why it is so important to keep vegetation away from the lines.
As a co-op member, you can help maintain a reliable flow of electricity in your community by reporting any potential problems you see. It’s also important to be understanding when tree trimming crews are working on or near your property. The work they are doing impacts both you and your neighbors. Though co-ops like SVEC have the right to inspect and maintain power lines without the consent of property owners, we make every effort to meet with property owners to discuss the work ahead of time.
As a part of SVEC’s right-of way maintenance plan SVEC will be using herbicides to control brush under the power lines during the late spring and summer. We are selectively targeting only those species that will grow into the lines and will choose only areas of right-of-way that are not maintained by some other means.
Yards, gardens, hay/livestock fields and other maintained areas will not be sprayed.
The products used for this treatment have been approved for use by the Environmental Protection Agency and state of Tennessee and will be applied using a combination of backpack and truck sprayers.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding the use of herbicides or our line-clearance operations, please contact Roy Harver, SVEC senior system arborist, at 423-837-5060, call your local SVEC office.
From homes to hospitals and farms to factories, much of our lives depend on reliable energy. Power is essential to maintain health, safety, comfort, productivity and connection, and Sequachee Valley Electric Cooperative is passionate about fulfilling our responsibility and meeting your expectations.
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