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SUNNY Temp: 81 °F Wind: W at 3 mph Friday, August 2, 2002 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Cyberchef E The People Golf Job Network Headbone Zone Wellness Connection Movie Times Newspaper in Education Oregon CarZone Outdoor Journal Personals Prime Times Real Estate Tempo A & E TV Times W3 Magazine CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Destinations Automotive Communities Employment Entertainment Publications Real Estate Recreation Shopping Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Jobs @ Mail Tribune Email Story to a Friend July 31, 2002 Lineman Marc Buti works to hook up a portable substation set up near Trail. Mail Tribune / Jim Craven Upper Rogue folks set aside water By MEG LANDERS Mail Tribune SHADY COVE — Kim Thompson hopes the power doesn’t go out, but she’s ready just in case. "We filled the kids’ swimming pool," said the Shady Cove resident, "just to be able to flush the toilet." Pacific Power announced Monday that if the Timbered Rock fire reaches Highway 62, the company would cut power to the lines in the Shady Cove, Prospect, Tiller and Trail areas. Shady Cove relies on 900 private and shared wells for its 2,315 residents, so no electricity means no water pumps and no water. "We had a phone tree going yesterday, telling people to fill their bathtubs," said Shady Cove Mayor Tom Anderson. "I know for a fact that scores of people did that." That was before the electric company hauled a portable substation up the hill from Medford. The massive temporary substation, which is transported on a wide-load trailer, is used all over Southern Oregon when the power company performs maintenance and repairs. "It’s something we’re doing to provide reliable service," said Monte Mendenhall, regional community manager for Pacific Power. "It’s extremely unusual to set up a mobile substation for emergencies," he said. "We just knew it needed to be done." The temporary substation was set up on Ragsdale Road near Highway 62 at a former substation site. A crew worked until midnight Monday and all day Tuesday to set up three new power poles and tap into the main transmission line. "The electricity that feeds Shady Cove comes from Prospect," said Marc Buti, a Pacific Power lineman. "We’re trying to feed it through from Medford." Mendenhall said the power would be switched to the substation only if the fire gets too close to the highway. The crew was tying into live wires so there would be no down time should the fire, which was 3.5 miles from the power lines on Highway 62, move south and require the main lines to be shut down. In addition to threats of fire to the wood utility poles and trees falling on the wires, smoke itself can cause damage to the lines by shorting them out, according to Marc Zurcher, Pacific Power district line foreman. "You can have smoke-induced lightning," he said. Zurcher said the substation would take care of power for all of Shady Cove and Trail and up to the dam at Lost Creek Lake. But the power would not extend to Prospect and parts of Tiller. Thompson, who works at the Prospect Cafe, said that if Prospect has to turn off its power lines, that would mean no running water and refrigeration for the restaurant. "The health department called yesterday and said if the power goes out to shut it down," she said Tuesday. Mendenhall said the power company is taking all precautions to remain flexible. "We’re just not sure what the fire’s going to do," he said. Reach reporter Meg Landers at 776-4481 or e-mail [email protected] . Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright 1997-2002 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy web master feedback A D V E R T I S E R S