The BPU confirmed this week it has received the Village Council’s petition, seeking a hearing regarding the installation of higher electrical poles in town.
The residents group I Care has put together an FAQ on the over sized utility poles
I-CARE – Frequently Asked Questions
Is the neighborhood mainly upset about the height and appearance of the poles?
No.
While the poles are unsightly and caught our attention, our main concerns are the legality and safety of them.
We were never notified of the impending project, which consists of running a new, high-voltage (69,000 volt) transmission line through our town, creating a veritable electricity super-highway. And we strongly feel that PSE&G has skirted the legal process by proceeding with the project without first going to the town zoning board for a variance. The 65-foot poles far exceed the permissible height limits for the residential zones through which they intend to run. As such, the company should have gone before the proper boards to obtain the necessary variances.
We are appalled by the fact that PSE&G started the work (in June 2013) without first obtaining clearance from the town. In this regard, we feel that certain officials were initially misled about the nature of the project. The company proceeded to steamroll through without even filing the necessary paperwork. The town engineer had to hit the company with summonses and a cease work order before they actually did so. And it wasn’t until after we alerted the town to our concerns (on or about July 10, 2013) that PSE&G even bothered to pay for the “minor work” permits that had already been issued. The check arrived in the mail on July 17, 2013.
We are also concerned about high-voltage wires running too close to our homes on poles that are much taller than almost all of them. For more information on the topic of our safety concerns, see below.
Won’t this project help keep my power on in the event of another storm?
Unfortunately, no.
In the event of downed lines resulting from adverse weather conditions, we all need (1) more tree crews, (2) better communication centers, and (3) utility workers that are properly versed in the re-installation of various types of power lines. Not a new transmission line.
The proposed 69,000 volt transmission line bears no relation to the distribution lines running to our houses. They are part of an infrastructure upgrade that will not directly assist our town in the event of a storm.
While PSE&G framed this project to town officials as a response to Hurricane Sandy (2012), it is actually part of an earlier plan that was mandated by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in 2007.
What information was the town given?
Nearly none.
Our understanding is that the Village Council was told of an impending “restringing of the lines” in March 2013, but given no substantive information on the nature of the project.
After already starting work, PSE&G presented the town engineer with a site plan showing the intended route of the new transmission line and, more specifically, the exact pole locations (78) along the route. The route begins on S. Maple Ave. in Glen Rock; proceeds north into Ridgewood; hangs a right (heads east) on Spring Ave., then left (north) on Hope St.; before turning right (continuing east) onto E. Ridgewood Ave. into Paramus.
The site plan does not indicate the size of the poles – 65 feet – required by the upgrade. This information is reflected only in the brand marks on the individual poles.
In addition, neither the Board of Public Utilities (state regulatory authority) nor the town zoning board (local regulatory authority) were notified.
Why didn’t PSE&G use their own right-of-way along the old trolley line for the new high-voltage transmission line?
Good question. We don’t specifically know why. It is a question we would like to have addressed by the company.
This right-of-way consists of a wide swath of land running from Fair Lawn through Glen Rock and Ridgewood, where PSE&G already possesses an easement for its infrastructure. The impact to actual residences, schools and the like, would be far less if PSE&G were to run the new transmission line here instead.
In an e-mail sent to us by the Village Manager, PSE&G cited “setback/clearance requirements and major environmental issues” in their decision not to use this land. Presumably, they would have had to have gotten permits from the state Department of Environmental Protection in order to upgrade the structures on this property, which in many parts runs adjacent to the Ho-Ho-Kus Brook.
What are your safety concerns?
Simply put, death by electrocution.
The new transmission line consists of 69,000 volts – more than 300 times the power of household electricity, i.e., 220 volts.
The reason the poles are so much higher is because of the magnified danger created by this higher voltage. To our understanding, the existing distribution line consists of 4000 volts on Hope Street. Because the addition of a transmission line to those distribution lines significantly ups the voltage, engineering codes kick in and dictate the new mammoth size of the poles.
According to what we know, you don’t even have to touch a 69,000 volt line to be electrocuted. If you breach the recommended safety clearance from them, you are in serious danger of being electrocuted. This places a number of people in immediate danger, namely, the contractors operating near the lines. There just isn’t enough “wiggle room” for them to do their jobs safely.
There is evidence that 69,000 volt lines can arc electricity through smoke. If a house is on fire, this creates a seriously dangerous situation, not just for the people inside, but also for the emergency personnel responding to them.
We also worry about what happens in the event of a storm. In the past, wires have touched down in the floodwaters that envelop our streets. There is no shortage of cases where those lines fail to “de-energize” in a timely manner. What will happen to the people below?
The list of dangerous scenarios simply rolls on.
Are there health concerns related to high voltage wires?
Several studies have demonstrated a clear correlation between proximity to high-voltage power lines and seriously heightened incidences of childhood leukemia and brain cancer. While the studies have been inconclusive to date, their importance has been elevated to examination by the World Health Organization.
Why did PSE&G avoid the intersection of S. Maple Ave. and E. Ridgewood Ave. in its route, detouring, instead, into the wholly residential areas of Spring Ave. and Hope St.?
Good question. We’d certainly like to know.
Why didn’t PSE&G avoid as many residential areas as possible and simply head east on Century Road from the Fair Lawn substation then north on Route 17 to the Paramus substation?
Again, another head scratcher.
https://icareridgewood.org/faqs
Last sentence sounds like a pretty good idea and seems to make sense so why not require PSE&G to look in to this.