electirc substation on 176th/15th (Vancouver, Mill Plain: apartment, power lines, houses)

[KOCMOC]

There is a big electric substation on 176th/15th St that sits right in the middle of the subdivision. Looks like a lot of people live right near it. Is anyone aware of any health issues asociated with a substation? I see that huge powerlines are going south alongside of 176th Ave, right by houses.

Do you guys see Aurora Borealis at night because of all the electricy flowing down those wires? I heard very negative things about living close to powerlines/substations/etc, those who live near them die young and pretty.

Please share your thoughts/concerns.

[StealthRabbit]

You can rarely hear crackling in power transmission lines when humidity is just right, not sparks or glow.

You can have the Electo magnet field tested at your home, and since we had power lines nearby and small kids I did that. The worst EMF offender by far was the clock on the oven, (AND RIGHT AT HEAD LEVEL FOR KIDS!!) the impact from power lines falls off pretty fast as your distance increases. Bonneville Power has a great website and probably there is a brochure online. They sent us a whole technical packet when we were concerned. Since I grew up under power lines in Colorado, where the residual Uranium content in the soil is 3x the total release of 3-mile Island... I'm doomed. Oh, and I had a basement apartment, so radon will get me if the other doesn't. Probably a good chance of a volcano event in the local area too, and / or earthquake. You can never be to careful, so be a diligent shopper for property.

re: HP, I don't think you will have any problems with whoever buys that joint, It is not Zoned Heavy Industrial, and Clark County and City of Vancouver Planning are quite stringent on environmental issues. Unlikely they would grant a variance or conditional use permit exceeding previous use. The last joint I heard looking at it was going to build solar panels. The nearest high density housing was at Bella Vista when they built the HP plant (~ 1.2 miles west) it was all grain fields and a 2 lane road with a 4-way stop at Mill Plain., then basically a few houses on west until getting near I-205. Things have changed, but the houses are not going anywhere, so the planners will shutter the plant before they cause risk to the homeowners by granting a 'new-use'.