News : ECI REC Maintains nearly 2,300 miles of Powerlines

As part of a 10 year rotation, tree trimmers are in northern Benton County clearing power lines

When you think of electricity, you might think of power lines and the poles that hold them in the air. But if you venture out into the countryside, you might run across Maurer Tree Service out of Fairbank. The company has been busy trimming branches around power lines in the area.

North of Vinton, the company is busy clearing the area around East-Central Iowa Rural Electric Cooperative's power lines. This will help to prevent any damage to the lines that could be caused during severe weather or keep dead limbs from falling on the lines.

The cooperative which is locally owned by its members, has 2,296 miles of power lines in the complete system. 1,768 of those miles include the overhead lines. REC is on a 10-year rotation and aims to clear approximately 200 miles of trees each year.

If you see the trucks trimming some of your trees, don't worry, they are just working to keep the lights on!