Submitted by Duke Energy
While trees are part of the natural beauty of the region, they are also a leading cause of power outages and power quality issues. A reliable electric system is essential to meeting the energy needs of the greater Cherokee community. Duke Energy delivers on this commitment in part by keeping the lines that transmit electricity free from trees and other vegetation.
Vegetation near power lines can also present a potential safety threat for utility crews and the public. Managing vegetation along power lines and in rights of way is an effective way to improve reliability for customers who depend on energy every day. To minimize power interruptions resulting from overgrowth, Duke Energy uses an environmentally responsible integrated management program to control the natural plant growth along power lines.
A critical part of this program is herbicide application, which keeps lines clear of tall-growing plants while maintaining low-growing vegetation for wildlife habitat. This approach is recognized as an industry best management practice by the International Society of Arboriculture. All products that Duke Energy uses for herbicide application are highly diluted forms with predominantly water (90 percent or greater) that have been approved and registered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) following rigorous toxicological, environmental and chemical testing.
Duke Energy uses specially trained vegetation maintenance crews to apply approved herbicides in an environmentally responsible manner and all applications are performed under the supervision of a licensed applicator.
Herbicide application work in Cherokee
An invasive species of vegetation, kudzu can grow a foot a day and grow into power lines, interrupting power. Eradication of kudzu creates a better pollinator habitat and decreases the threat to large transmission lines. In Nantahala, Duke Energy has already been managing kudzu with manual cutting and spraying.
One method that Duke Energy uses to maintain vegetation is manual backpack spraying of herbicides to control plant growth, which takes place on a three-year cycle. This summer, the company will manage kudzu with backpack spraying focusing on the Birdtown and Yellow Hill communities Including Acquoni Road – the location of offices and businesses of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians – as well as a transmission line in Cherokee County that crosses lands held in trust. From July to August in the same area, an aquatic safe mix will also be used for backpack spraying, targeting vines, fast growing pine and hardwood saplings, which tend to resprout prolifically when managed only with mowing.
Beginning in July, backpack crews on foot will also apply herbicides inside the right-of-way along a high voltage transmission line that runs from Whittier to the hospital, in unmaintained areas only. Backpack spraying is selective and involves backpack crews walking the right-of-way, targeting specific vegetation that can impact reliability such as kudzu, tree saplings and vines.
Apiary preparation
To help with power reliability, beekeepers should consider maintaining the property around their bee colonies by encouraging low-lying grasses and vegetation and not allowing young hardwoods or pines to sprout – which regrow quickly. The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality maintains a file of all statewide property owners with apiaries and regularly reviews Duke Energy herbicide application plans.
Protecting customers, crews and the communities it serves during herbicide applications is Duke Energy’s priority as the company works to achieve a high level of reliability and protect the environment. Information about vegetation management practices can also be found on Duke Energy’s website. The company also reminds customers annually of its vegetation management practices through inserts in customer bills.
