Right of Way Maintenance

There are many ways that Holmes-Wayne Electric Cooperative provides you with safe, reliable electric service. One of the most common, and crucial ways is referred to as right-of-way clearing, or vegetation management.

A right-of-way (ROW) refers to a strip of land underneath or around power lines that your electric cooperative has the right and responsibility to maintain and clear. Trees must grow at a distance far  enough from wires where they will not cause harm to people or disruption to electrical service. Specifications vary, but a general guideline in maintaining a safe ROW is 15 ft clearance on either side of the primary lines.

Clearing ROW is critical to keeping our members' lights on. ROW clearing also keeps your family safe by ensuring tree branches do no become energized because of close contact with a downed power line. Be mindful when around trees close to power lines, and make sure your kids know that climbing trees near lines is extremely dangerous.

ROW clearing is critical to ensuring that we provide members with affordable electricity. Staying ahead of the game keeps us from having to restore power outages caused by fallen trees. HWEC trimming and Environmental Protection Agency approved vegetation management is on completed on a four year rotation. These programs are completed by a third-party contractor.

Remember to contact Holmes-Wayne Electric if you decide to trim or remove trees near any power service or line. And never trim a tree in the ROW zone on your own.