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SALT LAKE CITY — In August 2021, a tree struck a Pacific Gas & Electric power line in Northern California, sending sparks into the drought-plagued forest. Within weeks, the Dixie Fire burned 963,000 acres, destroyed 1,329 buildings and left burn scars over swaths of the state that continue to flood.
PG&E later agreed to pay $55 million in penalties for its role in the Dixie fire, the second largest in California history, and several other blazes in the state.
It's a fate that Mountain West utilities giant Rocky Mountain Power is trying to avoid.
Crews took to Big Cottonwood, Little Cottonwood, American Fork and Millcreek canyons this summer to bury power lines in an effort to prevent a similar fire in the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest, a cornerstone to Utah's billion-dollar recreation and tourism industry.
"We're making sure that our system is not the cause of a catastrophic wildfire, particularly in these areas that are close to the urban-wildland interface, and also close to areas where our customers live, work and play," said Rocky Mountain Power spokeswoman Tiffany Erickson. "The canyons are key places."
Weather permitting, Rocky Mountain will be replacing segments of its overhead power lines with an underground conduit into the fall, while upgrading the existing overhead systems to be more resilient to weather and environmental factors.
Power lines are especially susceptible to damage from trees during dry and windy conditions — which can cause power lines to hit each other, triggering a spark that can ignite the fuel underneath.
Or, it can rupture equipment, which would also cause a spark. Animals have also been guilty of damaging equipment, igniting surrounding fuels or prompting power outages.
An underground conduit eliminates these risks. Called system hardening, Rocky Mountain's projects also include covering conductors with a protective coating, which also prevents sparking should the equipment be damaged in a wind event, and cutting back trees from power lines that are still above ground.
"With not only record temperatures, but hazardous and extreme weather conditions along with extreme drought, we want to make sure that we are situationally aware, that we know what's going on around and adjacent to our system and that we are responding to any hazards," said Erickson.
The projects in Big Cottonwood and Millcreek canyons started in May, while the Little Cottonwood project just began on Monday.
It's no small endeavor — anyone frequenting the canyons to the east of Salt Lake City this summer has probably noticed the road crews directing traffic into one lane, prompting traffic jams and 15-plus minute waits.
