The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) has hired an outside contractor Osmose to examine the condition of power poles in Pacific Palisades and Brentwood.
The company will start Monday, August 28, and the inspection of the more than 4,000 poles in this area will take about two months.
To inspect a single pole takes anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes and is a visual inspection. Poles will be looked at to see if they are leaning, and communication books and transformers will be examined.
The inspectors use binoculars, cameras and other tools to ascertain if there is an issue.
It is not anticipated that there will be any street or traffic lane closures during the inspection.
LADWP’s Andrew Christopher, who spoke to the Pacific Palisades Community Council on August 24, said that the Osmose inspectors will have a badge, a hard-hat with a logo and will always wear a high-visibility vest.
If an inspector needs to look at a pole in a resident’s yard, they will knock on your door and ask permission to go in your yard. They will NEVER request permission to enter and walk through your home. If no one responds to the knock, they will leave a door hanger with that information on the knob.
Christopher said that inspections will start near Topanga and then work east towards the 405 Freeway.
A Castellammare resident, who recalled past fires near Paseo Miramar and Castellammare, possibly from power lines, was asked if DWP has any plans to bury the power lines.
He said, “No,” and explained that LADWP does not currently have large intentions of converting overhead wires to underground cable.
“LADWP has recently overhauled its inspection program in order to promote the safety and reliability of our power system,” Christopher said. “These inspections allow us to catch any potential issues on our equipment and make necessary repairs/upgrades before they become a problem.”
Andrew.christopher@ladwp.com or call (818) 771-4664.
It’s odd that they say they’re starting on August 28. They inspected all poles on Las Pulgas Road a month ago.