Brandon Twp. – Granger Road resident Susan Nassar saw a possible problem.
A utility maintenance truck was stuck up to its axles in the swamp on Kent Road and feared diesel fuel was leaking and the wetlands were being destroyed.
‘I smell diesel fuel and now I have it in my pond,? said Nassar.
However, Len singer, Spokesman for DTE Energy said there is no evidence of fuel spillage, and the tire ruts from extracting the truck will be filled in when the area work is complete.
‘After looking at it, there is no evidence of leakage and I don’t see that it’s an issue,? said Singer.
‘If it turns out there was leakage we would correct it. When we’re done in the area we will bring the ruts back to the original state,? he said.
Kent Power, and their utility trucks were contracted in February by DTE to replace power lines and utility poles in the Brandon Township area.
DTE Energy is an energy services company which provides power to Detroit Edison and MichCon Gas.
The $1.5 million improvement will bring service reliability to the area by replacing more than 150 utility poles, transmission lines, and transformers along Granger, between Kent and Coats roads. The poles will be higher than the existing poles to stay over the tree tops until they grow taller than the poles.
During the summer, DTE will replace another 150 poles in a second phase of installments between Coats and Sashabaw roads, in Oxford Township.
Singer said the area has outgrown the faulty power lines, which were installed in the 1940s and 1950s. The upgrades will eliminate brown outs during peek summer usage times.
On Thursday, April 24, Kent Power was working in the area of Granger and Kent roads. One of the utility trucks sunk into the muddy soil on the DTE owned easement.
‘There is a window of time to do the work,? said Singer.. ‘It’s the nature of the area we’re working in.?
Singer said replacing the poles should not have an environmental impact because rut impressions will be leveled out, and in the case of the Kent Road wetlands, crews found no evidence of diesel leakage.
The Kent Power supervisor, who was on the scene at Kent Road said he inspected the truck after it was removed from the mud and there was no evidence of the truck hitting anything to cause damage for fuel spillage.
‘There was nothing leaking on that truck,? said Trever Heimke, Supervisor from Kent Power.
Singer said the fumes Nassar was smelling was probably the preservative on the new poles. The industry standard preservative is painted on the bottom eight feet of the poles to prevent rotting. Singer said the agent does not leach into the soil but bakes into the surface of the pole.
Note: The Citizen was unable to recontact Granger Road resident Susan Nassar to recheck for diesel fuel spillage in her pond.