Pole inspection underway

Verendrye to inspect all 44,000-plus power poles

The map above shows the area we are working in this year

This summer Verendrye Electric Cooperative started a four-year schedule to inspect all of its 44,000-plus power poles, looking for ones that need replacement or repair. Identifying poles with rot or damage is one way to harden the system to improve safety and reliability. 

A contractor started the inspections this summer in the eastern portion of Verendrye’s service area. The contractor will be driving white pickups or side-by-side vehicles marked with the Verendrye Electric logo. 

“We 're going to test approximately a quarter of the polls on the system for the next 4 years, and then all those polls that fail inspection will be replaced by our lineworkers,” said General Manager Brad Doll.

Pole inspectors are looking for moisture, fungus, rot, animal or insect damage, damage from vehicles or farm equipment and fire damage. Inspectors will also check for leaning poles and damaged, worn or loose hardware on guy wires or other components.

If the pole is less than 10 years old it will be visually inspected and tapped with a hammer to identify hollow areas. 

Older poles are inspected more thoroughly by digging around each one to be inspected. They can also be bored to determine if there is rot. If there are signs of decay, they will be treated to extend their life. If the damage is determined to be too extensive, the pole will be replaced. Poles can potentially last for 50-plus years.

Dennis Huffman, Verendrye’s Engineering Manager, said safety is a priority. 

“The main reason we do these inspections is for the safety of the public and our employees,” he said. “We want to make sure the poles are sturdy for safety and reliability and especially if our linemen are going to climb on them.”

The inspections are done on a 10-year rotation, meaning that once all of the poles are inspected in that 4-year timeframe the process will repeat in six more years. During non-inspection years, lineworkers do periodic line inspections looking for problems along the lines including damaged poles. Verendrye Electric encourages members to call us if you see a damaged pole.