Especially on the west end of the county, falling trees and limbs are a major cause of power outages. Tree clearing specs State and federal safety rules require minimum clearances around power lines. Ground within 10 feet on either side of the power line must be cleared of trees and brush must be cut to within four inches of the ground. Limbs must also be cleared 15 feet from the top of the power line. In addition, any dead tree that could reach the power lines must be removed.
More stringent clearing is required near transmission lines.
Again, all trees must be removed and brush cleared within four inches of the ground. To some customers, that seems harsh, especially if the trees are near their homes. If we don't, they are eventually growing into the lines or dropping limbs into them. We'll send someone out to evaluate the situation and trim the limbs if necessary. Please remember that our crews are trained to work around safely around power lines.