BPA gets specific with new power line map

The Bonneville Power Administration has produced a detailed interactive map showing where each tower is likely to be located on BPA’s proposed 500-kilovolt transmission line through Clark and Cowlitz counties.

The interactive map is available at www.bpa.gov/go/i5.

The site includes an interactive spreadsheet with hyperlinks depicting sketches of each tower along all of the alternative segments. Property owners without Internet access can get the maps by calling 800-230-6593.

The line, connecting BPA substations between Castle Rock and Troutdale, Ore., would be the first major transmission upgrade in the Portland-Vancouver region in four decades. It’s generated a backlash from thousands of area residents concerned about the impact on health and property values of new lines carried across towers as large as 15-story buildings.

BPA Administrator Steve Wright caught an earful earlier this month during a public hearing where he defended his decision to rule out a route through Oregon.

“We are following up on our commitment to keep the public informed and involved,” said Larry Bekkedahl, BPA’s vice president for transmission. “We hope these new map details will give people a better idea about how the line would be designed.”

BPA officials said the detailed map is preliminary, and they are looking for feedback from property owners. Proposed locations could change as Bonneville learns more about the areas where the agency has proposed running the lines within 150-foot-wide easements.