PSEG eyeing options to fix chronic outages in Eatons Neck

Residents of Eatons Neck, a narrowly accessed North Shore peninsula a few miles from the Northport power station, have grown so accustomed to outages and power surges that appliance suppliers caution them “not to buy anything exotic” for fear of “toasting the electronics,” according to resident John Ballow.

But a Feb. 4 cold snap and high-wind storm that took out power for 15 hours, despite repeated utility promises of a quick restoration, was a last straw. Hundreds of customers woke up with frozen pipes, some of which burst, said Ballow, who kept a generator running the entire time. The extended outage was a wake-up call.

“We led a massive dial-in campaign,” he said, with complaints to the state’s Department of Public Service about the recent outage and chronic power problems, followed up with a detailed letter to the Public Service Commission secretary. A petition about the problems has garnered more than 700 signatures.

The action sparked the attention of public officials, and led PSEG Long Island, which manages the grid under contract to LIPA, to take notice.

Since then, community leaders have met with a top PSEG official to detail their complaints and request quick interim solutions and a longer-term plan to address the chronic power problems. Already, around a dozen problem trees and stumps have been cut down and removed, and plans are being examined to resolve the decades-old problem by bringing in a new power line from Huntington under the bay, while burying lines in a “hazard” area.

PSEG, Ballow said, is “working through it and being cooperative” and has “engineered all options without regard to budget.”

PSEG noted the storm that hit Eatons Neck and Asharoken in February had winds exceeding 60 miles per hour, and took down a pair of large trees "located out of our trim zone, falling on the power lines along Asharoken Avenue."

PSEG said it started repairs of the downed wires "immediately as the wind allowed." Ultimately, the utility said it cleared the trees, "fixed the wires, and re-energized the circuit for Eatons Neck."

The longer-term issues are also being addressed. PSEG said it "has been in extensive contact with the residents of Eatons Neck, Asharoken, and with Mr. Ballow to address their concerns."

"Since February, we have developed a plan to improve the reliability of the area," the company said in a statement, adding that it is "currently finalizing circuit improvement design solutions which are under review."

PSEG said it has notified residents of "several financing options for them to bury their lines, including federal funding, regional funding, and funding the burying of the lines personally" and is "working … to improve the circuit reliability in the area to make the grid more resilient to extreme weather.”

As a possible resolution looms, the next question remains: Who’ll pay if it turns out the requested upgrade isn’t covered under LIPA rules? Residents in at least one other LIPA zone, Southampton, who requested a buried line, had to pay for it, leading to a “visual benefit charge” that some there continue to pay.

Ballow said if it means an end to the “whack-a-mole” power problems on Eatons Neck, residents are likely to go along. He noted the area saw 20 outages last year, according to data from one resident’s security system. Meanwhile, he’s seeking help from public officials, exploring grants and other potential subsidies to help defray or cover the costs, while eyeing resolutions for an even bigger problem on Eatons Neck: how to upgrade a dilapidated sea wall that fronts Long Island Sound.

By Mark Harrington

mark.harrington@newsday.comMHarringtonNews

Mark Harrington, a Newsday reporter since 1999, covers energy, wineries, Indian affairs and fisheries.