by Holly Allen
A helicopter landed without warning the morning of Sept. 14 in the field next to Heinen P-H-E in Valley Falls. Rumors flew, but the answer lay with Evergy, who was utilizing Source Utility Services out of Texas to install bird diverters along the new power transmission lines.
The old lines, replaced by Evergy over the spring and summer, were initially installed in 1945 and ran from an old power station in Tecumseh through to Atchison. The new line represents a significant upgrade to pole and power.
Bird flight diverters, essentially aluminum or galvanized steel coils coated with yellow PVC, are required along the upper overhead lines which cannot be seen by migratory birds, and are designed to make the lines visible, providing economical means of reducing the hazard to both the lines and the birds.
The pilot and two contractors were aboard the helicopter. The worker installing the diverters was tethered to the helicopter and perched on its step. He shot the ground crew a thumbs up and crossed himself before take-off — his job is to install the diverters along the topmost power lines along the path of the migratory birds while standing on the step of the helicopter.
A representative of Evergy at the location informed that, while utilizing the helicopter is not a cheap method to meet the regulation, it is the only way to safely reach the line at this point in the build. Also, Source Utility Services were already near, as they are currently working another job for Evergy near Wichita.
Wildlife near power equipment is the most common cause of outages at public power utilities, according to the American Public Power Association.
The new line will feed off updated stations, including the newly-installed Dragon Substation near the intersection of K-4 Hwy. and Bluemound Road.
The former Valley Falls City Substation on Maple Street, just east of Rush Field, was in the process of being removed that same day by Capital Electric Line Builders, Parkville, Mo.
