Yes, construction of the 120-foot right-of-way will involve
removal of trees and vegetation. In rural areas, trees will be placed in
piles along the edge of the right-of-way. Adjacent to homes, trees will be
removed. If a property owner is interested in the logs for firewood, we will
be happy to stack that wood to the side. If a property owner lives on one
side of the wooded right-of-way and we are removing all the buffer between
their home and the new line, we will work with that property owner to install
low growing vegetation outside of our right-of-way to provide a visual screen
between that home and the proposed line.
Yes. Our easement agreement allows us ingress and egress
over private roads of property owners crossed by the right-of-way. The Company,
at its expense, will repair any private roads damaged by Dominion or its contractors
during construction of the line or its future maintenance. In addition, we
will reimburse property owners for crop damage, and repair or replace fences
or gates if for some reason we should damage them.
Construction will last approximately one year. Construction
is scheduled to begin September 2009, and the transmission
lines are scheduled to be placed in service by September 2010.
What will be the environmental impacts
to the area?
Because trees will be cleared in some areas, there will
be some loss of habitat for some species, but other species that require
open or meadow areas will benefit. Dominion will have the right-of-way surveyed
for possible threatened or endangered animals, insects, or plants, and work
with the appropriate State agencies to protect any species that may be found.
Wetlands will be flagged in the field before construction begins. Any areas
within 100 feet of streams will be cleared by hand rather than mechanized
means. Temporary culverts and matting will be used if it is necessary for
construction vehicles to go across streams and wetlands areas. A Phase I
archaeological study will be prepared and any areas of archaeological importance
will be flagged and protected before construction begins. Dominion submits
annual Erosion and Sedimentation Control Specifications for the construction
and maintenance of transmission lines to the Department of Conservation
and Recreation for review and approval. This project will be included in
the 2009 submittal when construction is expected to begin. These specifications
are given to our contractors and require E&S control measures be in
place before construction begins. Once construction is complete, the right-of-way
will be rehabilitated.
Will this new line affect the value
of my property?
This is a difficult issue to address. Proximity of power
lines to homes may be an issue for some people but is not for others. While
some homebuyers may not want to purchase a home in the vicinity of transmission
lines, others find the added buffer to other homes a benefit. This is also
evidenced by the homes that have been built next to the existing right-of-way
after the existing line was constructed and by many similar circumstances
across our transmission system.
Do I need to worry about Electric
and Magnetic Fields?
Dominion Virginia Power is sensitive to public concern
about the possible health effects of exposure to electromagnetic fields. We
continually monitor EMF research and speak to our customers and employees
regularly, sharing the latest information with them. The Virginia Department
of Health in its final report on EMF research said,
"Based on the review and analysis of the exhaustive
literature review and other research projects completed under the EMF-RAPID
program, the Virginia Department of Health is of the opinion that there is
no conclusive and convincing evidence that exposure to extremely low frequency
EMF emanated from nearby high voltage transmission lines is causally associated
with an increased incidence of cancer or other detrimental health effects
in humans. Even if it is assumed that there is an increased risk of cancer
as implied in some epidemiologic studies, the empirical relative risk appears
to be fairly small in magnitude and the observed association appears to be
tenuous. The studies published in the literature lack clear demonstration
of a cause and effect relationship as well as a definitive dose-response gradient."
The company has formed an EMF Committee that tracks research
and public discussion and makes recommendations to management. The Committee's
latest EMF
update is available for review. Additional information is available in
following links:
