Rights of way - Rocky Mountain Power

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Rights of Way InformationThe power grid systemand rights of wayElectricity powers our world through acomplex and carefully engineered networkof transmission and distribution lines thatcarry electricity to homes and businesses.Rocky Mountain Power acquireseasements to ensure that it has the legalright to maintain its power lines and theintegrity of the system. The easementrights obtained are for the safety of thepublic, Rocky Mountain Power personneland protection of Rocky Mountain Power’svaluable facilities and equipment.Violations of the easement may indicate aviolation of the National Safety ElectricCode, and worse yet, could create serious –even deadly – threats to public safety.AccessRocky Mountain Power crews must beable to access facilities, including powerpoles, wires and transformers, at all times.The property owner assumes certainliability and financial consequences shouldRocky Mountain Power have difficultyaccessing its facilities and equipment.EasementsRocky Mountain Power acquireseasements from private propertyowners to safely and efficientlyoperate, maintain and access powerlines. These easements are recordedin county public records and areshown on title policies. Easementsremain valid even when property ispurchased or sold. Rocky Mountain Powermay also have easement rights that do notappear on title policies but are never theless valid.Trees and easementsTrees are one of the most common causesof electrical service interruptions.Generally, Rocky Mountain Powereasements specify that the utility can pruneor remove trees that hinder access to utilityequipment and lines.To reduce the need for pruning orremoval, be sure you choose anappropriate tree for the space. Please visitrockymtnpower.net for a complete list oftrees that are appropriate for planting nearor under power lines.Safety matters – always maintaina 10-foot Circle of SafetyKeep everything – you, the tools, thematerials you are handling and theequipment you are operating – at least 10feet away from all power lines. This isreferred to as the “10-Foot Circle of Safety.”Ten feet is the minimum required distanceyou must have when working near powerlines of 50,000 volts or less. Not only is thisan important safety rule, it is anOccupational Safety and HealthAdministration (OSHA)regulation, and it is a law. Thosecaught violating the Circle ofSafety can be fined. If thevoltage is higher than 50,000volts, even greater distancefrom the wires is requiredfor safety.Your safety is important to RockyMountain Power. For information on safedistances to keep around high-voltagepower lines, order a free brochure on theoverhead line safety act for your stateonline at rockymtnpower.net.DiggingDifferences between distribution and transmission linesDistribution lineProperty owners who need to dig ontheir property or easement must firstcall a locating service to identify and markany underground utility lines.Transmission lineDistinction Power is distributed from Power is transmitted fromsubstations to customersgenerating stations to substationsCategorization By voltage rating By voltage ratingVoltage Lower voltage Higher voltageRanges from 7.5 kV to 34 kVRanges from 46 kV to 500 kVEasement width Range from 10 feet up to 30 feet Range from 25 feet up to 300 feetIdentification Yellow metal license plate tag on pole Silver metal numbers on pole (i.e. 1/47)Typical Distribution line
Call Rocky Mountain Power at1-888-221-7070 for the number of thelocating service in your area. RockyMountain Power encourages landownersnot to build on or near undergroundpower lines. An easement document orlocal Rocky Mountain Power office willprovide setback requirements.Free safety educationmaterials and presentationsRocky MountainPower offers free safetybrochures, posters, stickers, and videos toits customers and community members.Visit the safety catalog online atrockymynpower.net under “Safety,”or call 1-800-375-7085 to order.Please do not blockeasementsRocky Mountain Power needs immediateaccess during outages and otheremergencies to safely and quickly restorepower. That response is significantlyhindered if fences, livestock or otherequipment block access.If crews must access power lines, riskof damage or removal of property mayresult. Property owners who violateeasement agreements are potentially liablefor any property damage, fencereplacement or any other damages thatmay result if Rocky Mountain Powerneeds to access its facilities. Not only doesthis pose a delay in restoring power, butcrews must also take extra risks inremoving these sometimes dangerousbarriers.Periodic access for normal maintenanceactivities is also necessary to ensurepower safety and reliability.Objects or buildings placedunderneath or too close to power linespose serious safety concerns and could beNever place the following items under or neara power line:■■■■■■■■■■■■houses, garages, sheds or barnssecond-story decksplay equipment or tree housesflagpolesrecreational vehicles that block accesshot tubs or poolsfences that block accessantennas or satellite dishesscaffolding or laddersstored materials such as pipes, containers, hay balesmechanical equipment or flammable materialsanything children or adults may climba violation of required clearances.Flammable items, such as hay bales, maycatch fire. Long or tall items, such asirrigation pipes may accidentally be raisedinto overhead lines when being moved,electrocuting the person holding them.Since electricity can arc, it is possible toreceive contact by coming close to a linewithout touching it.For questions on proper access toeasements, please call 1-888-221-7070 orvisit rockymtnpower.net.Completing the applicationLandowners may use their propertyencumbered by a power line easement forany purpose provided that the use doesnot interfere with the easement rights. Inorder to ensure your proposed use isacceptable around power lines, pleasecomplete the attached application. Inaddition, be sure to include a detaileddrawing of your proposed use. Thisshould include all dimensions of theproposed use and measurements fromRocky Mountain Power’s structures.Rocky Mountain Power will use thisinformation to conduct a safety review, soplease include as much detail as possible.If you have questions about completingthe application, please contact RockyMountain Power at 1-888-221-7070 andrequest to speak with the Rights-of-Waydepartment.Please allow four to six weeks forreview. Rocky MountainPower will notifyyou as to whether your proposed use iscompatible with its easement.
Page 1: R O C K Y M O U N T A I N P O W E R

Rights of way - Rocky Mountain Power

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?