Osmose Utility Services, a contractor for Jo-Carroll Energy, will begin conducting the cooperative's annual utility pole inspections this week. Osmose will have two or three crews working in the co-op's northern service area.

The contractor will be inspecting in the following areas:

• Canyon Substation – the Apple Canyon Lake area

• Menominee Substation – Menominee surrounding areas

• Territory Substation – The Galena Territory and surrounding areas

• Guilford Substation – The Galena Territory surrounding areas

• Pleasant Hill Substation – between Hanover and Whitton rural areas

• Whitton Substation – rural areas southwest of Hanover

• Pioneer Substation – southeast of East Dubuque in the Badger Road rural areas

• Pilot Knob Substation – south of Galena in rural areas to the Blanding area

Utility pole inspections are part of the cooperative’s routine maintenance. JCE has approximately 10% of its utility poles inspected annually. The process checks the strength of the poles and identifies those that should be replaced. Poles will be treated with a preservative to extend the life of the pole or tagged for replacement.

To perform the inspection, Osmose crews will dig up the ground around the pole to look for rot and insect damage. When needed, a treatment will be applied to the pole to extend its life. Osmose also inspects for mechanical damage, loose hardware, rotten or damaged cross arms and other maintenance items.

Pole maintenance can save the cooperative money by reducing unplanned replacement costs and providing additional years of durable service life to poles.