2011-08_MM

Page 1

August 2011

Balancing beauty with reliable, safe electricity Blue Ridge Electric takes great pride in providing our members with the most reliable electricity possible. Tree contact with power lines is the single leading cause of outages, and that’s why we have a carefully planned vegetation management program. Yet, we’re also committed to protecting the natural beauty of our landscapes and being good environmental stewards. Blue Ridge Electric helps ensure reliability by controlling large tree and brush growth for its 7,500 miles of distribution lines and 280 miles of transmission lines. We’ve reduced the amount of time it takes to complete clearing of our entire system from 12 years to 6, which means we’re doing more trimming of trees instead of cutting. This type of program not only aids reliability and is better for the environment; it also helps control costs, which benefits members. Keeping trees away from power lines is also a safety measure that can save a life or prevent an injury. Children climbing trees or homeowners trimming trees near power lines can result in death by electrocution because trees and other objects that come into contact with power lines can become energized. Even downed power lines can still be energized, which is why no one but a Blue Ridge Electric line technician should ever go near a downed power line. A clear path for power lines also helps provide a safer working environment for line technicians during outages or routine maintenance work. Bllu B ue e Rid idg ge e Ele ect ctri ric ri c is s amo mong ng th he e top pe errffor ormi min ng g uttiili liti ties ti ties in n the he co ou unt unt ntrry y for o relliiab re ble e elle ect ctri trriicity it ity, y,, th ha an nk ks in gre eat at p rrtt to ou pa our ve vege getage ta ation ti on ma an na ag gemen em ment ent en prog pr ogram. ram. ra m.

Members can help ensure safe, reliable electricity by avoiding planting trees near power lines. If a tree is already in the right of way and must be removed or trimmed too often, Blue Ridge offers a tree voucher program. Members can redeem this at an approved local nursery to select a lower-growing variety of tree. While trees contribute to the beauty of our region, we encourage members to work with the cooperative to ensure we balance beauty with reliable, safe electricity.

Carolina Country AUGUST 2011 21

BlueRidge-0811.indd 21

7/11/11 1:01 PM


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.