Motorists Advised to be Aware, Take Precautions

Port Arthur, Texas – More than 2,200 Entergy Texas, Inc. customers in the Mid-County area and another 1,200 Port Arthur customers can expect to see Entergy contractors at work over the next two months clearing vegetation away from power lines that serve their neighborhoods.

In Mid-County, workers will be trimming a power line nearly 22 miles long that provides electricity from the Crowder Substation in the 1100 Block of Herring Street in Nederland. Work will take place in an area roughly bounded by 12th and 36th streets, Hardy Avenue and FM 365.

In Port Arthur, work will get under way on a 14-mile power line that provides electricity from the Kolbs Substation on 39th Street. The area targeted for trimming includes Woodrow to Doctors Drive, and Ninth Avenue past Highway 73 and Gates.

Don Pumphrey, customer service manager for Entergy Texas, explained the work is part of a vegetation management program that places each power line on a regular maintenance schedule as a preventive measure to help ensure reliability.

“In areas like Southeast Texas where trees and other vegetation grow very quickly, managing that growth takes on a very important role in keeping the lights on for customers,” Pumphrey said.

CSM said, “Last year, Entergy Texas workers trimmed more than 2,180 line miles of trees and removed more than 10,000 hazard trees throughout Southeast Texas.” A hazard tree is any tree with a structural defect such as being dead or dying, decayed or leaning. Any of these circumstances could cause the tree to fall into overhead power lines.

Additionally, customers who may be driving in the areas of work are advised to be aware of workers and use caution.

“Trimming vegetation from power lines almost always means placing workers near roadways,” Pumphrey said. “So in addition to telling our customers we’re doing this work, we also want to advise them to drive carefully where this is under way.”

Entergy Texas, Inc. provides electricity to more than 400,000 customers in 27 counties. It is a subsidiary of Entergy Corporation. Entergy is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, and it is the second-largest nuclear generator in the United States. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.7 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.

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