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All in a Day’s Work

Earlier this spring, several power poles were replaced by SDCEA crews working in the Cotopaxi and Texas Creek area. Poles used in this particular project were 40-feet high, weighed about 900 pounds each and were set in six-foot deep holes dug by the crew for this purpose.

Work took place in rocky, steep canyon terrain with little room to rig and raise the new poles. Linemen must safely install poles around obstacles and energized lines. The power supply was rerouted so residents in the area did not lose power during the several-day project.

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Chad Lockhart and Cory Wagner place hardware on a new pole.
Chad Lockhart prepares to rig a hand line — a pulley line which allows ground crews to send up supplies.
Working foreman Chad Lockhart installs a compression connector.
Journeyman lineman Cory Wagner works on a pole.
SDCEA crew members use a hand line pulley system to raise wire up to linemen working on a pole.
Journeyman lineman Josh Saar drags a 900-pound replacement pole (partially
visible) up steep, narrow, rocky terrain with a small backhoe.
Cory Wagner drives a lag screw into a pole.