Who are those folks?  What are they doing? 

Herbicide Treatments to Begin Soon

Fort Loudoun Electric Cooperative (FLEC) is utilizing a contractor, Alcan Management, to perform herbicide treatments of approximately 632 miles of existing power line easements and rights of way as in years past. Contract crews will be working in easements around the City of Madisonville area and into the Town of Tellico Plains (extending out of these municipalities on lines feeding north along Hwy 411, out of Madisonville along Hiwassee, Oak Grove, Cold Stream Farm, and Niles Ferry Roads to the outlying rural communities, east/west along parts of Fairview and Belltown Roads into the Ball Play Community and Tellico Plains, under lines feeding from Tellico Plains into the Coker Creek and Steer Creek portion of the Reliance Community).  Also, we will have contract crews working in easements in Greenback (from Vonore into the Trigonia community and along Hwy. 411 North toward Greenback; west under the lines along and adjacent to Morganton and Meadow Road out of Greenback).  Further, there will be a portion of the lines feeding around Friendsville in the Disco Loop area subject to selective treatments.   

ALCAN personnel will be leaving tags or landowners may be spoken with about this planned essential maintenance work in the areas aforementioned; this notice is provided to officially inform the general public and the FLEC membership.  The herbicide treatments will be done to easements via a backpack application method and with minimal chemical usage.  The crews will be traveling together in vehicles marked with signage “Contractor for FLEC” while conducting the work.  This type of vegetation management is dependent on the weather.  So, as the weather permits, this work will be done over the next few weeks. 

The Cooperative is required to maintain the vegetation around its infrastructure in accordance with state and national guidelines and herbicides help us to keep the easements clear of woody vegetation prone to grow underneath and around the power lines.  The work involves these contractors walking out the easements, treating woody vegetation as they go; they wear a backpack and bright clothing that makes them easy to identify as official workers.  They have information on their persons that identify them as a contractor of the Cooperative too.  At no time should any of these contract employees ask to come into your home.  As always, please notify FLEC of any concerns you may have in regard to persons acting on your Cooperative’s behalf.  The Cooperative holds the trust you have of our efforts to a high standard and do not wish to ever violate the high ethical standards we have maintained for the past 85 years.  FLEC is an equal opportunity provider and employer and always strives to be proactive in management actions that promote safe, reliable electric services at reasonable costs to those we serve!

In closing, we thank you for allowing us to provide you safe, reliable and affordable electric service.  Any questions can be addressed by calling FLEC’s offices at 1-877-353-2674, Monday through Friday, between the hours of 7:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.; please dial ext. 161 and leave a message for our Vegetation Management team.