Lakewood Question -- Oncor and Trees (Dallas, Fort Worth: power lines, houses, neighborhoods)

[Philip T]

I am seeing a lot of these battles going on.

Sample >>>

Lakewood residents balk at terms of Oncor tree-trimming | wfaa.com | Dallas - Fort Worth Local News

Why do not the locals push Oncor (or any other electric utility) to put the distribution lines underground?

Just keep the trees and move the power lines -- even if they trim the trees, they will all need trimming again in a few years, anyway.

Underground is much more reliable (Oncor's claim for needed to trim the trees) and much safer.

[Rakin]

Biggest problem is it costs big bucks, especially going under streets, highways etc.

So far no one likes the way they hack the trees but coming up with cash to bury the lines would be much worse.

Maybe you'd like to make a major contribution ?

[Philip T]

Originally Posted by Rakin

Biggest problem is it costs big bucks, especially going under streets, highways etc.

So far no one likes the way they hack the trees but coming up with cash to bury the lines would be much worse.

Maybe you'd like to make a major contribution ?

First backwards -- EVERYBODY "contributes" as you say, because Distribution is factored in all to all power bills. I follow most folks do not understand the game, and just repeat what they have heard.

But I know the topic pretty well -- IR an Electrical Engineer who does consulting for some of these guys, among others.

There was plenty budgeted for the hack attacks -- something like $250 million at last year's count. Going underground through neighborhoods costs less that going back every 5 to 10 years and re-hack-attacking again.

Geeezzz, as a contractor, I would love to take it all underground just as a trade for the tree hacking budget, alone.

But TXU/Oncor does not tend to think in the long-term. That is why neighbors would have to push this. It is their houses, neighborhoods and quality of life that is impacted.

And for your first part -- Boring under streets tends to be pretty cheap. Generally does not even cost the per-hole minimum. And if we can stop being silly for a moment -- have you ever seen a tree in a Highway?

[loves2read]

probably it has something to do with HOW it is done
getting permits to do that undergound and avoid other cables that are already there is a hassle and TXU/Oncor would have to get permission--
they don't have to get permission and frankly they don't have to pay damages very often
IF they were to do the trenching burying--they would have to do that to ALL neighborhoods that have above ground lines BUT they don't have to cut back trees in every neighborhood they supply to where lines are above ground...
only the ones with trees--
it IS cheaper just to do the hack job...the way I consider the situatuion

[TXNGL]

Originally Posted by Philip T

First backwards -- EVERYBODY "contributes" as you say, because Distribution is factored in all to all power bills. I follow most folks do not understand the game, and just repeat what they have heard.

But I know the topic pretty well -- IR an Electrical Engineer who does consulting for some of these guys, among others.

There was plenty budgeted for the hack attacks -- something like $250 million at last year's count. Going underground through neighborhoods costs less that going back every 5 to 10 years and re-hack-attacking again.

Geeezzz, as a contractor, I would love to take it all underground just as a trade for the tree hacking budget, alone.

But TXU/Oncor does not tend to think in the long-term. That is why neighbors would have to push this. It is their houses, neighborhoods and quality of life that is impacted.

And for your first part -- Boring under streets tends to be pretty cheap. Generally does not even cost the per-hole minimum. And if we can stop being silly for a moment -- have you ever seen a tree in a Highway?

As someone who also lives in a "treed" area of Dallas, I'd love it if they'd go underground, but I don't see them doing it anytime soon. Our live oak is over some wires right now and we've called Oncor to come and trim them. It's been a lesson in frustation and Catch 22! We can't have our regular tree guys, Arboroligical Services (great people, they service a lot of the magnificent trees in lakewood, as well) because the limbs are over the wire. Oncor says they will have someone whom they contract out to come out and do it as a favor to us, but they won't pick up the brush and may very well leave it piled in the alley. They say they have no control over this and it's up to the company they use. Of course they can't tell us when this would happen, which means that we can't schedule our regular guys to come that day to do the rest of the tree and take care of all the brush. I find it incredible that we're having to try so hard to get them to cut these branches (which we are not allowed to cut!) while other people are tying themselves to their trees and threatening lawsuits to prevent them from cutting! And I bet that, if we had a storm and the branches broke, they'd be out first thing in the morning and they'd have someone taking the brush away. Here we're trying to prevent a problem and they really aren't all that interested.

[loves2read]

AND it is certainly possible that doing that kind of tunneling can damage roots of older trees--which might mean killing the tree at some point in time--not just hacking branches and making ugly trees

[TexasVines]

I find it near impossible that Oncor spent 250 million in THE DALLAS AREA to trim trees

maybe all over the USA yes.....but in dallas.....IMPOSSIBLE

you either don't know what you are talking about, you misplaced a decimal point, you were lied to, or you are lying

250 million to trim the trees on power lines around dallas......not a chance in hell even if the city of dallas was managing the project

[Pete53FR]

I live in East Dallas and I appreciate it when trees are trimmed so that in winter I don't lose electricity. Lets face it most of the lines were in place before the trees were planted. I have fairly large live oaks about 40 years old and I have to have them trimmed cause I don't want them to fall on my house.

My neighbor planted a tree underneath the wires and it has cost us days of no power.

[edmpent]

Does anyone know of the cost per foot to relocate underground? I have 4 electric, a large fiber, cable, and phone. I think that a multiduct system would be used.

I am looking to relocate the electric lines that are over my property. Yes, they are over the property without an easement. One pole is just inside the corner of the property and there is a cross member on top extending over my property. I would rather force the lines underground than have TXU use eminent domain to acquire an easement.

Trenching would be under a 5' wide sidewalk for about 120' and a bore of about 30' to cross the street. (There is not enough room to relocate to the 1' of grass behind the sidewalk.) I don't want to pay for the neighbors' relocation, so the poles would have to remain. I would either need guy wires or a single strand to maintain the tension of the removed wires.

[highcotton]

Originally Posted by edmpent

Does anyone know of the cost per foot to relocate underground? I have 4 electric, a large fiber, cable, and phone. I think that a multiduct system would be used.

I am looking to relocate the electric lines that are over my property. Yes, they are over the property without an easement. One pole is just inside the corner of the property and there is a cross member on top extending over my property. I would rather force the lines underground than have TXU use eminent domain to acquire an easement.

Trenching would be under a 5' wide sidewalk for about 120' and a bore of about 30' to cross the street. (There is not enough room to relocate to the 1' of grass behind the sidewalk.) I don't want to pay for the neighbors' relocation, so the poles would have to remain. I would either need guy wires or a single strand to maintain the tension of the removed wires.

I would call them and ask. Depending on the current setup you may need to have a ground mounted transformer. My best guess would be $3k - $5k, and maybe much more. Also, since you currently have overhead service your service wires come into the watt-hour meter from overhead. Therefore, after the change to underground service you'll have to feed the watt-hour meter from below. Does your current service wires run through a conduit that penetrates your roof and shingles?

BTW, many areas of Lakewood have too manye houses on the same smallish transformer. As the neighborhood teardowns have been replaced with much larger homes the electric demand is more than what the old transformers can deliver. You probably already experience light dimming when your (or your neighbor's) A/C comes on. If so, the transformer that supplies your house is sized too small...