As a part of a regularly scheduled maintenance program, Riverland Energy Cooperative clears vegetation from its right-of-ways. Trees and vegetation interfering or growing too close to power lines can create a multitude of inconvenient and dangerous situations, including damage to equipment or vegetation, blinking lights, fire threat, power outages and safety threat to the general public. Because the Cooperative is required by federal law to keep the lines free of interference from trees and vegetation, our contractors will trim or remove existing trees and vegetation growing within 10 feet of overhead lines.
Herbicide applications
We apply herbicides to control the root systems of woody-stemmed vegetation and to reduce the cost of future maintenance. Our contractors use herbicides that are registered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and are consistent with Wisconsin state licensing guidelines. Herbicides are applied by the licensed contractor, 4 Control, Inc. (Menomonie), following mechanical cutting or mowing. Members in the areas where herbicides may be applied are notified by our automated phone system prior to spraying. If you have any questions about the herbicide applications, please contact 4 Control at 888-454-1121.
Permission to access property to maintain right-of-ways
Tariffs and agreements with various state regulatory entities give utility companies and their contractors the authority to enter private property for maintenance purposes regardless of the existence of an easement or prescriptive rights. Therefore, the cooperative and our contractors have the right to access our facilities, as necessary, to properly maintain our facilities.
If you have any questions regarding our maintenance programs, contact our operations department at 608-323-3381/800-411-9115.