MATTAWA, Washington (STPNS) --

By Joyce Edie

Editor

Farmers and concerned residents got together last Friday evening for a meeting of their own regarding new power lines proposed for the local area.

Pacific Power is looking at putting a 230kV transmission line through the area with three alternative routes, two going through Wahluke Slope farmland and one along State Route 243. The line is to connect the Vantage substation with a Pomona Heights station near Selah. The power for the line is not a local utility line or provides power to the local area. It is power or Yakima area residents.



Charlie Lyall called the meeting, explaining that he and other farmers wanted to get people together to write letters to the proper agencies covering all the concerns about the line. One local meeting was held by Bureau of Land Management and Pacific Power in early February and many said there wasn't enough information given out or enough notice given prior to the meeting.

BLM and the US Army are the lead agencies in deciding the site because they are in charge of the Environmental Impact Statement now being worked on. They are only taking public input until March 8 on the proposed routes.

Originally, according to information provided by Pacific Power, the lines passing through the Slope weren't in the plan. A direct route from Selah area to Vantage traveled north along the west edge of the training center and then east over the mountain to Vantage.

After the federal agencies got involved, they had to add a route east of the Yakima Training Center and along the southern boundary of the training center. Now the southern route connects Selah with Priest Rapids Dam area then has to go north, either on a line just west of State Route 243 to Vantage or two different routes proposed through the Slope.

The routes vary in length from 38 to 60 miles with the longest being through the Slope. While a detailed map isn't available, it appears the two lines on the Slope run near Q Road SW.

"We don't even really know where it goes," Charlie said. "I think we have enough lines out here. This one doesn't even do us any good."

Farmers are questioning why take good farm land out of production when going across the military training center won't affect homes and farm land. Calls to the BLM Wenatchee office to speak to Karen Kelleher weren't answered, but farmers said that the environmental concern on the military center had something to do with sage hens or some game bird.

Concerns not just from farmers were brought up. Cliff Naser, a Desert Aire resident and airport commissioner, said the line that goes along the highway will go right through the airport air space. "It's cutting into our airspace," he said. The airport commissioners have contacted the state aviation transportation board with their concerns, including safety.

It was brought up that air ambulances have to land in the area frequently to transport critical patients and adding one more line to the area isn't going to help them. More lines are another hazard to crop dusters and helicopter that fly the area during cherry season to get rain off the fruit.

Some residents of the Slopes said they had three power lines on their property already. It isn't' known the exact amount of right of way, but some said was from 150 to 300 feet. And a landowner can't farm or build within 300 feet of a line without written permission. Dave Gerdes brought up problems with doing anything, including burning, under the lines because of electrocution concerns. Jamie Jamison said that in the Quincy area in an orchard he manages that has power lines, they have to cut trees down from 13 feet to eight feet, an obvious loss of production. In the summer the lines sag, causing danger to workers. Jamie also said that if the poles are wood, as some material said, that if treated poles are put in an organic orchard, you lose your organic certification.

Row crop farmers said a power right of way can take up to 20 percent of the farming area with right of ways and causing problems with irrigation circles.

It was suggested that farmers need to get all local agencies and organization to write letters of concern, addressing all the different aspects of another power line.

For more information you can go to the Pacific Power website at pacificpower.net/transmission. Information on this line is under the Vantage to Pomona Heights heading.

To make official comments to be included in the federal environmental impact statement visit: blm.gov/or/districts/spokane/plans/vph230.php, call BLM at 509.665.2100 or email Wenatchee_mail@blm.gov.