Battle River Power Coop’s annual pole testing program has begun. The poles in our system are inspected in a seven-year rotation and decayed or damaged poles are flagged for replacement. Technicians do visual and sound inspections, checking for damage by insects, rodents and weather. Poles that have been in the system for 25 years or longer undergo additional testing for structural soundness. While the useful life of a power pole varies, many poles in our system remain sound for 60 or more years.

Genics Inc. has contracted with Battle River Power Coop to carry out the test and treat program beginning in May and continuing through the summer. This year the inspection areas are Ervick (west of Camrose) and Strawhill (surrounding Sedgewick and Hardisty). Residents in these areas can expect to see dark green Genics trucks on rural roads and Genics employees working around power poles. There is a Genics logo on the truck doors and the technicians will wear photo name tags bearing both the Battle River Power Coop and Genics logos.

The pole test and treat program is a preventative maintenance program and one of the ways that your cooperative provides members with a safe and reliable distribution system.

The pole test program does not require that the power be turned off.