Utility operators across Southeast Missouri say they are prepared for whatever an approaching winter storm brings, and like their highway maintenance counterparts, they now are in a wait-and-see pattern.
“We’ve taken all the steps we know to take, and we’re just waiting to see what it does,” said Ozark Border Electric Cooperative General Manager David Schremp.
Preparations, he said, include making sure equipment and trucks are ready and fueled up, and other systems have been tested.
Additionally, Schremp said, “We make sure we have all the materials we need, which has been a little bit of a challenge right now with the supply chain issues.”
As of Wednesday morning, about one-tenth inch of ice was predicted to fall on the area, and that much is not expected to cause utility problems.
“The tenth of an inch of ice they are predicting is not too troublesome. We design (the system) for half an inch of ice,” Poplar Bluff Municipal Utilities General Manager Bill Bach said.
“Usually a quarter to half inch is not typically a problem. Up to a half inch, we’ll see some isolated individual stuff, but nothing too bad,” Schremp added.
More ice, however, can become problematic.
“With a half inch to one inch, most of our system will take that and be fine. You get beyond that, like we did in 2009, it’s really a problem then,” Schremp noted.
As they wait to see what happens with the storm, both said crews are ready for whatever lies ahead.
“Utility workers have already started preparing for any possible call outs,” Bach said. “We’re always on call. We’ve got (trucks) ready to go. It’s no different than in the summer time when you have a good thunderstorm with a lot of wind. It’s the same thing … you’ve got to protect your system.”
Ozark Border, Schremp said, has plenty of crews and contractors on standby.
“I think manpower-wise we’re in good shape,” Schremp said.
Both utilities prepare for such situations year-round.
“The utility is prepared because of tree trimming, to keep branches away from power lines,” Bach said. “We do that year round and this is why. We have these weather events, and we try to make it to where the power stays on for the customers.”
Ozark Border, Schremp said, does the same preparations throughout the year.
“We’re always working on trying to improve the right-of-ways,” Schremp said. “People allowing us to cut the trees in their yards, and people allowing us to do the spray programs, when it comes down to crunch time, it makes a big difference.”
Both utilities spend a great amount of time keeping their systems updated and maintained.
Maintenance of the system is also a regular priority, Bach said. The heavy duty 69-kv power poles used to carry lines to the substations have seen 16 polls replaced in the past year, mainly due to woodpecker damage. Around 50 of the smaller utility polls, like those seen along the streets, have also been replaced in the past year, he noted.
“We’re always doing system improvements,” added Schremp. “We’re either upgrading our poles and our wire out there or we’re tying lines together and building extra lines in order to give us some backups.”
Ozark Border also has extra contractors available, Schremp said, plus crews from other regional co-ops “are a phone call away from us.
“If we have a moment where we have problems, they can bring in as many people as we need on short notice,” he said.