Nile Spacer Cable System Line Rebuild Project

We're proposing to upgrade approximately 28 miles of existing distribution line. The project includes portions of the line that will be rebuilt in place within existing right of way (ROW), portions will be removed entirely, and areas of new construction (moving the line to the Highway 410 ROW). All construction will involve pole replacements, anchors, guy wires, and new covered overhead conductor.

The purpose of this project is to:

• Reduce fire risk associated with the existing electrical facilities in a high fire hazard area through hardening of facilities (i.e. using fire-resistant, insulated conductor) in the OWNF.
• Authorize the power lines and associated facilities needed to continue electric service to a variety of users within and adjacent to the OWNF through an amendment to the existing Special Use Permit or under a new authorization in a manner that is consistent with the OWNF Land and Resource Management Plan (LRMP). 

The proposed power line replacement project requires authorization from the U.S. Forest Service either through an amendment to the existing Special Use Permit or under a new authorization, National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) compliance, a variance from Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) to occupy their right of way adjacent to Highway 410, as well as various other local and state permits and authorizations. Pacific Power will be working with the U.S. Forest Service to determine the appropriate biological and cultural resource surveys needed for this proposed project. Appropriate surveys will be executed, and the results will be taken into account during further project planning.

The project consists of the following primary components:

• Replace/rebuild approximately 12.3 miles of overhead conductor with new, fire-resistant (insulated) conductor in high risk areas.
• Removal of approximately 8.2 miles of existing distribution line and poles in high fire risk areas.
• Construction of approximately 14.4 miles of new distribution line adjacent to Highway 410.

The project has been broken into three types of activities for the overall Nile project.  Refer to the attached maps for a breakdown of the different portions of the line (removal, replacement, new construction). There will be portions that are rebuilt in place within existing ROW, portions removed entirely, and areas of new construction (moving the backbone line to the Highway 410 ROW). All three types of construction will involve pole replacements, anchors, guy wires, and new insulated, fire-resistant overhead conductor (wires). 

The portion of the line that will be rebuilt in place will include 12.3 miles and the entirety of the rebuild portion would occur within existing ROW. The rebuild portion will include the replacement of 323 wood pole structures with fiberglass, fire-resistant structures and new insulated, fire-resistant conductor. The estimated impact area (all within existing ROW) will total 1,948,800 square feet (45 acres) and no areas outside of the existing ROW will be disturbed for this rebuild portion of the line. The rebuild portion would also include re-conductoring nine (9) existing river crossings of the distribution line.

The portion of the line that will be removed completely includes 8.2 miles of overhead distribution line. The removal activities will also include the removal of 144 existing wood pole structures. Following the removal of the line in this area, the existing ROW will be maintained for emergency access to adjacent portions of the line that will remain in service. The removal portion of the project also includes removing 11 existing river crossings of the distribution line.

The newly constructed portion of the line would consist of 14.4 miles of new distribution line in the Highway 410 ROW. Trees and brush will be removed along the ROW where required and vegetation management will be implemented for safety/maintenance purposes. The impact area has been conservatively estimated at a 15-foot width (this will vary by pole location due to access and how much existing disturbance associated with the ROW is present at proposed structure locations). However, the majority of the proposed structures will be installed from the existing roadway. The typical permanent disturbance for each structure is estimated at three feet by three feet (nine square feet). The proposed newly constructed portion of the line would include six (6) new river crossings of the distribution line and tree removal along the highway ROW. Vegetation removal will be limited to the greatest extent practicable considering safety and hazard tree concerns for the newly installed line. Every effort will be made to retain large trees and brush that provide shading to the river and temperature refugia for aquatic species.