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A report and a change order to the Sega Engineering contract about the proposed transmission lines in southern Columbia are going to the City Council on Monday, April 18. There are two different options being studied, Option A and Option B. Copies of the information being presented can be found on the city’s web site. Here is the link to the council agenda.
Links to April 18 transmission line documents going to the City Council
Analysis of the various routes for Option A
Millcreek to Perche route (Option A)
Millcreek to McBaine route (Option A)
Mill Creek to Grindstone route (Option A)
Option B and is outlined in Diagram I
Change order to the contract with the Sega Engineering
Time line for the transmission line route selection project
Option A update
The initial route study from the fall of 2010 is now being called Option A. This option had various routes for each section of the project. All of the public comment that was received at the open house, through letters, e-mails and phone calls about the various routes was tabulated by Columbia Water & Light staff. There is a memo about Option A going to the Council on April 18, 2011.
Sega Engineering took the public feedback along with other evaluation criteria and conducted the analysis of the various routes for Option A. There were many decision factors that were considered and two evaluations were run.
One evaluation used public input and costs as decision factors and the other evaluation removed cost as a decision factor. In both evaluations the same routes were identified. The Millcreek to Perche route runs along Nifong/Vawter and Scott Boulevard the Millcreek to McBaine route runs along Providence/ Route K. The Mill Creek to Grindstone route runs along Grindstone/Nifong.
Option B update
Columbia Water & Light has had several meetings with the City Council on the transmission line project. The Council requested the utility look into using more 69 kilovolt lines instead of 161 kilovolt lines and possibly running a 161 kilovolt line from the Perche Creek substation to the McBaine substation on the far south east side of Columbia. This portion of the route selection study will be called Option B and is outlined in Diagram I. The City Council will be voting on a change order to the contract with the Sega Engineering to have them work on possible routes for Option B. Suggested routes for Option B should be completed in the summer of 2011 and will be presented to the public at an open house.
Time line of project
A time line for this project has been completed. It is expected that the various routes for Option B should be completed in the summer of 2011. These routes will be presented to Council and the public in the summer/fall of 2011. The final selection of the route could happen at the end of 2011 or in early 2012 unless additional route selection work comes up during meetings with the Council and the public.
Download the power point presentation
Download the work session presentation
Watch the video of the work session
Questions and answers from the work session
Download a .pdf with an overview of the top 5 the public concerns with the Perche, McBaine and Grindstone routes that were initially proposed. (Note: these are also included in the 2-21-11 power point presentation listed above)
Electricity is generated at a power station or power plant from fossil fuels or renewable resources. Approximately 90% of Columbia's energy comes from sources outside the city. Once the power is generated, it has to be moved to where it is going to be used. Large amounts of power are transferred with electric transmission lines. An interconnected network of transmission lines are commonly referred to as the power grid.
Transmission lines feed into substations where transformers step down the power to lower voltages. From there, power is delivered to individual electric customers by distribution lines. New distribution lines in Columbia must be placed underground according to city ordinances. In the older sections of town, distribution lines are mounted on wooden poles.
Electrical power delivery systems are built with an interconnected network of transmission and distribution lines. That way if there is a problem with one section of an electric line, operators can switch the flow and provide electricity to customers with another line. An interconnected electric grid helps the reliability of the system and can greatly reduce the length of an outage
To handle electric load growth in southern Columbia and for reliability purposes. There is a growing need for more electricity on the southern side of Columbia. Substations in the area are approaching their maximum capacity both electrically and physically. This makes them vulnerable to being overloaded which could cause power outages and damage to other equipment in the system.
Transmission systems need to be built so one outage will not cause overloading of another transmission line. If there are two outages, the system must be built so there are not cascading outages. A new substation and transmission lines in Columbia will reduce the loading on the existing substations, ensure greater electric reliability and will improve regional stability for the power grid.
Columbia Water & Light needs to serve more electric load on the south side of town and strengthen the reliability of the current 69 kV infrastructure. The current goal is to take care of both issues by constructing a new substation and by adding an additional 161 kV source at the City's Perche Creek substation.
For the purposes of this upgrade, a new substation, tentatively named Mill Creek Substation, will be constructed in the south-side of town off Peach Court near Peachtree Drive. From here, three new overhead transmission line routes will be erected. One line route will run between Mill Creek Substation and the Grindstone Substation located at the intersection of Grindstone Parkway and Ponderosa St. Another line route will run between Mill Creek Substation and Perche Creek Substation located off Germantown Drive near Scott Boulevard. The final line route will run between Mill Creek Substation and McBaine, Missouri.
Each section has three proposed routes. The different routes on the maps are color coded for referencing purposes. NOTE: These routes were amended slightly from the original to avoid close proximity to schools.
Maps:
Perche Creek to Millcreek substation route (published spring 2011)
Grindstone to Millcreek substation route (published spring 2011)
McBaine to Millcreek substation route (published spring 2011)
Sega, Inc. was hired by the city to evaluate different transmission line routes to start the public discussion. The consultants divided the project into three different sections and proposed three to four different routes for each section. The initial routes were chosen using these criteria:
The contract with Sega Engineering could be amended for them to do additional route studies for Option B as suggested by the City Council. Option B line study results could be ready in the summer of 2011. They would then be presented to the public and the City Council before any decision is made on the final route.
An open house was held in late October 2010 so the public could submit written comments about Option A and questions about the project. Columbia Water & Light has tabulated all the feedback and submitted it to Sega Engineering for the route selection decision matrix for Option A. Option B route alternatives should be available in the summer of 2011. There will be another series of meetings with the public and the City Council when this work is completed. The City Council will have the final decision on the route paths after holding a public hearing. Click here for a time line of the project.
A single arm transmission line could be used when there is only one transmission line
A double arm transmission line could be used when there are multiple electric lines
It is possible to bury electric transmission lines but it costs more than burying distribution lines. Placing transmission lines underground costs approximately five times more than placing the lines overhead. Due to the high voltage of these lines, different underground conduits are required than what is used for distribution lines. Placing lines underground also involves more disruption to the right-of-way during installation and repair, which is generally near private property.
This transmission project is in the fist stage so exact costs have not been established. An early estimate to build around 15 miles of overhead transmission lines is in the $7.5 million to $11.5 million range. Burying the lines underground could cost $37.5 million to $56 million. Electric system improvements are funded out of revenues generated from electric sales. The electric and water utility are run as a separate business within city government.
Electric and Magnetic Fields (EMF) are generated by the flow of electrons. Electric fields are established between points of different voltages. Magnetic fields are generated by electrons flowing in a conductor. EMF are generated by electric lines as well as many common household items.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, “Much of the research about power lines and potential health effects is inconclusive. Despite more than two decades of research to determine whether elevated EMF exposure, principally to magnetic fields, is related to an increased risk of childhood leukemia, there is still no definitive answer. The general scientific consensus is that, thus far, the evidence available is weak and is not sufficient to establish a definitive cause-effect relationship.”
Please see these web sites for more information about EMF and any possible health issues:
Environmental Protection Agency - (1 page overview with links)
Electric Power Research Institute – general overview and list of resources on EMF (5 pages)
Electric Power Research Institute - answers to frequently asked questions about EMF (2 pages)
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences & National Institute of Health – detailed overview of EMF studies (65 pages)
Western Area Power Association – provides a basic overview of EMF and levels of EMF found in power lines (16 pages)
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