Employment Opportunity
Undergrounding Overhead Utilities in Pebble Beach
Dear Resident,
As a forested community, Pebble Beach experiences many power outages during rain and wind storms due to fallen trees. The outages are exacerbated since Pebble Beach is essentially at the end of the electric distribution system, and often experiences outages for a longer duration than surrounding areas.
Pebble Beach Community Services District (PBCSD) Board of Directors and residents have expressed interest in undergrounding overhead utilities in Pebble Beach due to their concern for reliability and safety.The Board directed PBCSD staff to conduct a study to determine the feasibility of converting overhead utilities to underground locations, and which was completed in October 2010. Staff considered a number of influences:
Does undergrounding provide a community-wide benefit that out-weighs the cost?
Will undergrounding increase system reliability and public safety?
Are undergrounding construction projects in Pebble Beach feasible?
Can PBCSD’s current budget accommodate funding undergrounding projects?
The study determined that undergrounding the main electric distribution lines that supply Del Monte Forest is feasible, provides a community-wide benefit, and increases reliability and safety in the forest. Of course, outages can continue to occur due to normal operation and maintenance failures; however, the outages and safety hazards that occur due to trees falling on overhead lines within the forest will be eliminated for those lines that are undergrounded.
It was also determined that PBCSD has available revenue to fund undergrounding in phased 'pay-as-you-go' projects. Therefore, PBCSD could allocate approximately $1,000,000 annually for the next five years to convert a portion of main overhead electric distribution lines to underground locations. Projects would be prioritized based on providing the largest benefit to the largest number of residents. It is not clear that undergrounding 100% of Pebble Beach is feasible due to cost and other impacts; therefore, PBCSD would begin by undergrounding main distribution lines since these are segments that are the most cost-effective and affect the most customers. As we gain experience and knowledge with these initial projects, we can assess the cost and feasibility of undergrounding residential areas.
At this time, PBCSD does not have the authority to fund any undergrounding projects; therefore, the PBCSD Board of Directors authorized an application to Local Agency Formation Commission of Monterey County (LAFCO) to grant such authority. PBCSD anticipates approval this year and, once approved, PBCSD Staff may begin design and construction of phased undergrounding projects in coordination with electric, phone, and cable providers with the start of construction anticipated in 2013.
Should you have any questions regarding undergrounding overhead utilities in Pebble Beach, please contact me at cbaca@pbcsd.org, or at (831) 373-1274. Additional information can also be found on our website www.pbcsd.org.
Sincerely,
Christina Baca
Associate Engineer
Click
here for viewing the the Undergrounding Overhead Utilities Study, or
click
here for viewing the PG&E's Electric System.