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Poles
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1939, and on which “age has taken its toll.” The utility hired an independent contractor to inspect all the poles along the line’s route, and “we are getting the really bad poles out now.
“Our effort,” he .said, “is to assure better reliability of the electric service to Rappahannock County.”
Mr. Jackson said he understood Mr. Vierling’s complaint. “I’d be the first to agree that the poles are ugly — but they are very necessary.” Mr. Vierling, he added, “is feeling the impact more, because it is visual. The poles pass right across his property.”
In all, the maintenance chief said, about 50 property owners will be affected by the maintenance work on the transmission line. So far, he said, Mr. Vierling is the only one who has complained. But, Mr. Jackson added, he has no way of knowing how many of those landowners are aware of the utility’s plans.
Mr. Jackson explained that the taller poles are necessary to bring the line up to the National Electrical Safety Code standards for clearances.
In some places, he said, the line is too close to the ground. And another specification requires more clearance — five feet — between the neutral conductor on the line and the phased wires above it than is possible on the old poles. That clearance, the supervisor said, ‘improves safety for the linemen working on the wires. ’’
Another specification requires that the single conductor shield wire — the shiny steel one which runs along the top of the poles — be a certain height above the live wires. The shield wire. Mr. Jackson continued, is designed to protect the currentcarrying lines from lightning strikes. Such strikes are “the biggest problem we have."
Along with the new poles, Mr. Jackson said, the old conductors are being replaced with larger wires to allow the line to carry more amperage. The bigger wires will allow the line to carry a larger load, a necessary improvement, he said, as more homes are built and more electricity is required.
He was quick to add that the voltage on thfe line has not been increased, fchich would require a permit from the county.
Mr. Jackson compared the increase in load-carrying capacity to a
Mistakes are made
According to the Virginia Extension Service, a recent nationwide study found that 98 percent of all hospital bills contained errors. The most common errors, the survey found, were overbilling for drugs, time in intensive care and the total number of days spent in the hospital.
87.7%