Hot Springs Village Electric Companies Perform Cleanup

Hot Springs Village’s 26,000-acre footprint, containing over 16,000 residents, businesses, and other properties, is served by two electric companies: First Electric and Entergy. As part of normal maintenance, to keep vegetation from overtaking the electrical lines, the utilities spray herbicides on the right-of-way under the lines.

According to Entergy: vegetation management is conducted for safety, reliability, storm restoration, and tree health. ” Appropriate vegetation clearance on the power lines allows for much safer access by personnel during any restoration effort. By maintaining this clearance, we can restore customer power much more safely and efficiently. Tree trimming also helps prevent fire hazards if drought conditions are present.”

Hot Springs Village Public Services Director Ken Unger said in the past, he requested the utility companies do the spraying in the fall so that as leaves change, the work would be more aesthetically pleasing and not as obvious. Unfortunately, the companies performed the spraying in early summer, resulting in an unattractive visual. “They left all these dead trees in the right-of-way, and it looked horrible.”

Unger stated, “Usually, over time, the vegetation will fall to the ground on its own, or they [utility companies] will come through and grind it up. We rightfully got some complaints and reached out to the companies to ask them to grind up the dead materials.”

Months ago, Entergy told us they would perform the cleanup, but they were sidetracked by the need to respond to disasters in other areas. They admitted they had not managed the program well.

Hot Springs Village Public Services Director Ken Unger said that cleanup work has been done on DeSoto. “There is some vegetation left in the utility line right-of-way, but at least it is alive.”

Unger said the POA lacks the equipment to handle all aspects of the job, and because of this, some of the work could be risky to POA staff. Unger stated that If dead vegetation were not cut down by the end of the season, the POA would cut down “reachable trees” after the bi-annual fall mowing. Ultimately, the responsibility should fall on the shoulders of the utility companies.

By Cheryl Dowden