OT/ Spraying powerline ROW

In our county they have been spraying under the powerlines. It's acutally a contractor working for the elec. company. They stopped here a week ago and asked if it would be alright to spray a cedar under the line along our drive. My wife told them no we don't want any spray and that we would take care of the tree. Today I noticed that the grass is dead along the road up away from the buildings. I first thought it was because it was so dry, but it goes out into the field about 30 ft and then it's not dead. I studied on it till I noticed that under the power line that runs along the road, is our road fence. I have been working to establish a hedge row. I know it's different than a lot of people but I don't like to see bare dirt. I had 1 small tree that my saw took a dump and I hadn't finished. But,,,, along the entire front of our property, 2500 ft, approx. I had trimmed the cedars and other stuff the make a hedgerow. They didn't just spare the tree I missed they did a couple hundred ft, where the line is above the fence. And again, they let thier spray fly out over 30ft into the pasture. Right now I am angry and it makes me sick to think how long it will take for it to regrow. I called the elec. company, they left a message for the r,o,w foreman. He'll return my call. I don't know what to tell him. Any one else dealt with this?

My electric company does that kind of work themselves, and don't sub-contract it out. They only work on trees. I think if push came to shuv, they have the right to keep trees out of the power lines, or anything that will potentially obstruct them. Is what I don't like about it, is they will cut trees down or limbs off and just leave them lay. Even right in your yard. They cut some limbs off my maple tree 2 months ago in my front yard. I left them lay just to see if they'd be back to pick them up. Nope, they're still there. And some of them big limbs too. I just think it is distastefull for them to be that way to a customer. I don't think they would like it very much if I stopped my pick-up out in front of their house and throwed those limbs in their front yard. I think it is disrespectfull, and it dang sure wouldn't fly in the city. But I guess I'll just pick them up, and be glad I still have power when that next ice storm hits. I don't know what they are spraying to kill the grass, but I don't think they should have the right to spray and kill grass. Even I would have to question them on that and think I would.

kickinbull,

My situation is different from yours, but I am equally as mad as you are. My local power company does a very good job of trimming limbs that are near their power lines. They do a very good job of chipping the limbs and hauling the chips away.

However, I have a high-voltage, tall-tower power line that is owned by the TVA that runs across my farm. About two years ago they decided that they needed to widen the right of way under the line. The literally cut down hundreds of trees (most small, many very large) along both sides of their right of way.

They then came in with a huge shredder to grind up the trees. It made a terrible mess! The shreds are three or four inches in diameter and some of them are four or five feet long. They did not remove any of the shreds from my farm. They just left them lying on the ground.

I fussed and fussed and fussed at the right of way guy, but he basically told me to shut up - he wasn't going to do anything more.

It will take 10 or more years for the shredded trees to deteriorate. In the meantime, my cows are restricted as to where they can walk, and I can't even begin to do any brush hogging over the residue.

I guess you can't fight city hall or the TVA.

Tom in TN

Here in the Northeast they mostly use a brontosaurus and don't damage a blade of grass. They will however, make use of their right of way to put a new highline about 100 feet from the family house where I grew up.

I am about as particular as they come. Unfortunately for everyone like you and me, there is nothing we can do about it. I would like to know what they spray with. It'd be great to spot spray multi flora rose with in my pasture. It'd be a good guess that they have to tell you what they are spraying on your property. When I asked, they claimed not to know.

While the power company has the right to control brush within their easement, they fall under the same rules as all other commercial applicators. I take complaints on this quite often, Call the State Pesticide Bureau or Department of Agriculture and file a complaint of an off target/property spray with property damage. Here in Iowa the inspectors come out and can level some pretty hefty fines for illegal off target applications, which is exactly what you have in your pasture. ( Exact same thing as the neighbor hanging his boom over the fence and killing five rows of beans) If you have neighbors with the same type of damage get them on board and file the complaint together, the more damage outside the easement the higher the fines

In Kentucky it is Duke Energy. I HATE Duke Energy. They trim trees outside of the right of way just in case they might grow. They cut trees and leave stumps that I have to dig out. It is always a contractor that does the work. I have written 3 letters to Jim Rogers the president of Duke Energy, not a peep back. One time I got ahold of a local supervisor and told him to stay awake for the next few nights because I was going to cut the trees in his front yard. Ellis

Tom in TN, file a tax appeal with your county if the shredded trees were left off the right of way. Use the logic that if the TVA can use your property for a dump it has to be worth less. If they have an easement but you pay taxes on the land file a tax complaint/appeal with the logic that them shredding trees and leaving them reduces the land's value because heck you can't graze cattle on it or even use it for a wood lot. Their easement had a defined width, if they went outside that width ask for more tax relief because they were able to seize additional width without due process. If enough folks do that the county will eventually want dollars from the TVA, if one county gets it more will want it. If it snowballs someone at the TVA may actually do something.

You see "No Spaying" signs along road sides, often the signs need to be pre-approved or they will just be ignored. Check if the power company has an easement under the power line. Depending on the wording, you may be limited in what you can build or plant within an easement, and the power company may have the right to maintain their powerline.

The answer to most of these complaint is simple. KNOW what your easements are. If you are home when they work take pictures of their vehicles with license plates. If they step/spray one foot across that easement call and have they arrested for tresspassing. Take them to small claims court for any damages.

You will most likely get results.

(quoted from post at 17:50:37 08/07/14) The answer to most of these complaint is simple. KNOW what your easements are. If you are home when they work take pictures of their vehicles with license plates. If they step/spray one foot across that easement call and have they arrested for tresspassing. Take them to small claims court for any damages.

You will most likely get results.

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JWalker is right. Easements can give the holder more authority over your property than you expect. Due to impending power line construction I researched the easement that our utility has on the property where I grew up. I found that my uncle had sold the easement to the power company for peanuts in the early 1940s before my father bought the property from him.

Something new

out here the power company has the right to maintain access to their lines a fence running across under their lines must have agate in it wide enough to admit their largest vehicle, [ 10 foot] trees ect will be removed, they come on my place about once a year and trim ajacent branches that reach under their lines, and chip the branches, now they do it in 1 day, once they did it overnite it was odd but their branch pile somehow grew in size during the nite , but ive never heard of them getting in a tizzy over grass all their trucks are 4 wheel drive here even the large ones, grass wouldnt be a issue

We get a call from a neighbor that sells organic veggies. They have discovered that they also have had spraying off target on their property.Same crew. They crew asked for permission to spray, they said no, and took the crew and showed them the property line and repeated, no spray. They also have on file at elec. coop for no spray. A week goes by and they notice that stuff is dying, not only under the powerline but into their fields also. They are very very upset(putting it mildly)We have made appointments with elec. row supervisor and state enviromental inspectors.