It seems Hydro One has heard the frustration of residents on the north end of Tasso Lake and come up with a possible solution to restore power to the area a bit sooner.
About 37 properties – at least half a dozen of them contain year-round residents – have been without power since December 24 and their estimated restoration time wasn’t until January 16 at 5 p.m. or longer, depending on when the lake froze.
The problem involves an underwater line and on December 31, Hydro One said it could not send its crews out until the lake froze. That left some residents very worried, wondering when Hydro One would deem the ice safe enough to try and restore power. “It’s going to be a hell of a job but to do it when the ice is a foot thick seems ludicrous when they can probably find some kind of watercraft to do it now,” said resident Shane Baker on December 31. See the initial story Here.
Yesterday, Hydro One announced it may have come up with a better plan.
“We appreciate our customers’ patience as our crews have been working tirelessly to restore power following the severe winter storm. We know how hard it is to be without power for an extended period of time, and that’s why we have been working on an alternate solution to restore power to customers on Tasso Lake,” stated Tiziana Baccega Rosa, senior media relations advisor with Hydro One.
She explained that customers on Tasso Lake are served by a distribution line that crosses various terrains and approximately 300 metres of that line lies underwater. That portion was damaged in the recent storm.
“Due to safety concerns with lake conditions, crews have been unable to repair the submarine cable using boats or snowmobiles in order to restore power to customers on Tasso Lake. Hydro One has developed an alternate solution which we anticipate power will be restored by the end of this week as long as current local weather conditions remain favourable,” she said, adding that the solution being contemplated .requires approval from the Electrical Safety Authority (ESA), specialized equipment along with easements from neighbouring properties “in order for us to install a new submarine cable at new access points on the lake.”
She added via email correspondence that “the team has the correct amount of new submarine cable so that when the ice melts, the cable will sink to the bottom of the lake. In order to install it, they need easements as it will enter the lake at different points [than] it currently does. They also need specialized equipment such as hovercrafts and pullers to complete the work.”
Baker welcomed the news, even if it means getting restoration just a week sooner than anticipated. He said that Hydro One has been communicating with residents much better, which is something they’re all grateful for. He hopes the weather cooperates so residents will get their power back and be able to resume ordinary life.
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We know hydro crews work hard. We have also been without power since Dec 24. (Fletcher Bay on Kawagama Lake). NO communication about what exactly the issue is , only rumours, and a plugged in ETA of Jan 15. No response to escalations and documented complaints ! We are year round residents and have only snowmobile access in the winter. We are worried we will run out of propane with no chance of a delivery till the road is drivable in May!