Helicopter to Patrol Power Lines Next Week

DMEA to conduct Aerial Line Inspections on October 3

Delta-Montrose Electric Association (DMEA) will conduct aerial line inspections across its service territory next week on Wednesday, October 3. DMEA, along with Mountain Blade Runner of Montrose, will conduct the patrol by helicopter.

Work will start at 8:00 a.m. in Montrose, and the flight pattern will proceed to Olathe, Delta, Surface Creek, and Cedaredge, then up through the North Fork Valley, and return to Montrose. The inspections are expected to conclude by mid-afternoon. Members may see and hear the inspection process, as the flights are typically low flying to allow for visual inspection.

Aerial line patrol is conducted annually as part of DMEA’s system reliability program, which helps ensure the co-op delivers safe and reliable power to the homes and businesses in Montrose and Delta counties. Riding along with the pilot will be DMEA linemen who look for potential problems with lines and equipment on DMEA’s system before they cause power outages. Crew members will visually inspect DMEA’s pole structures, wires, and other equipment, looking for damage, wear and tear, and overgrown vegetation.

In total, DMEA will inspect more than 160 miles of power lines across all portions of the service territory, coming away with an overall status of its distribution grid and a better maintenance plan.