ELECTRIC OUTAGE: 800-848-9333 | INTERNET OUTAGE: 800-668-8413 | PROPANE: 877-574-2740 | OFFICE: 800-562-8232 |
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your power was 99.97% reliable Last Year.

Learn About Our Efforts To Keep Your Lights On

While we’ve always invested in maintaining our electric distribution system, in the past several years we’ve been working on our long-range plan to improve reliability by upgrading our entire system and reclaiming rights-of-way along existing lines. This is a long-term project, as our system includes over 2,900 miles of overhead lines across mainly rural and recreational areas with lots of trees.

Upgrading Our System:

We use several different means to identify power line circuits with more occurrences of outages and blinks, and prioritize upgrading them in each year’s work plan. Many of you have told us you can see a difference already.

Reclaiming Our Rights Of Way:

  • Trees and branches touching power lines are the biggest cause of outages and blinking lights. Tree and brush management along power line rights-of-way is essential to providing safe and reliable electric service. The cooperative maintains over 2,900 miles of overhead lines in 13 counties and 96 townships.
  • In the past five years, we have invested well over $3 million to clear over 1,500 miles of line.
  • Our plan is to continue clearing our lines on a seven-year cycle, conditions permitting.

Other Preventative Measures:

We have other tools to test and inspect our system for potential problems, and correct them before they lead to outages and blinks. Additional fuses and other power line protection devices help limit the number of members affected by any outage.

Tree Removal Practices:

Our ability to provide reliable electric service is vital to us, along with the safety of our employees and members. In order to achieve both goals, we maintain our equipment and power line rights-of-way through a variety of tree removal practices. 

Routine right-of-way clearing activities are completed on a regular cycle of approximately every 7 years. Tree cutting or removal outside of this regularly scheduled maintenance is limited to emergencies only, or to correct a hazardous situation.

How Much Will Be Removed?

The amount of space required for overhead electric line clearance is determined by the USDA Rural Utilities Service, based on the line’s voltage. In other words, a high-voltage transmission line can require a 100-foot right-of-way, while HomeWorks Tri-County’s 7,200 volt distribution lines require a 30-foot right-of-way. The service wire from our transformer to your home requires even less clearance.

In developed areas, a low-growing tree species can sometimes be cut back instead of removed. Our crews may use directional cutting methods to remove the branches growing within a certain distance of overhead lines. This allows the tree to re-grow more normally, and in the long run will help prevent pest problems and decay. Other times it’s better to remove a tree than to prune it drastically. Not all trees are candidates for directional cutting and may require removal below the lines. Our professionally trained contractors evaluate each tree individually.

Our practice in undeveloped areas and deep right of way, away from roads and easy access to the power lines, is to remove trees completely. Please do not attempt to cut a tree yourself if it’s under or near an overhead line.

What About Debris Removal?

During normal circuit work in developed areas – Our crews remove smaller branches and brush with a chipper. Larger limbs are cut into manageable sections and left for the member. During normal circuit work in undeveloped areas – Right of ways are cut, mowed or wind-rowed. Larger limbs and branches are left for member disposal. Storm-caused debris – We are not responsible for storm-damaged trees and debris. We clear hazards away from our lines to restore power, and members are responsible for clean up.

 

Proper Planting Graphic

Proper Planting:

You can help prevent your trees from being cut in the future by taking into consideration the location of each tree and how large it will grow. Certain species grow too large to be planted under overhead lines, which may result in removal by our contracted tree crews.

 Avoid planting trees within 20 feet of overhead power lines. Trees that have a mature height of 40 feet or less should be planted closer to 50 feet from power lines. Tall-growing trees (with a mature height of 40 feet or more) should be planted well away from the lines.

Tree Removal Schedule

We will notify members if tree clearing is happening in their area by means of a postcard or phone message notification, approximately one week before the work begins.

Electricity You Can Count On

At HomeWorks, we understand that the number one cause of electric outages is trees touching and falling on power lines. That’s why we invest in regular right-of-way maintenance, to prevent power outages before they happen.