Business
New power poles planned through the marsh
The electric company is getting ready to replace some transmission lines through the La Crosse River marsh.
Xcel Energy has briefed the city board of public works on its plans to remove overhead lines with a series of underground lines and smaller poles.
Mike Herro of Xcel says the first part of the project is supposed to be done this year, with nearly 30 poles to be erected. In 2022, Herro expects to put in underground circuits, allowing Xcel to remove 26 poles now found in the marsh near Lang Drive.
Herro says the project resulted from problems they had in the marsh during flooding two years ago,
“In high water, we had 4 or 5 poles…that were angled at about 45 degrees. They’re not supposed to be like that. They’re supposed to be straight up and down, so we had quite an effort to get out there to temporarily anchor them, bring them up,” said Herro.
Xcel says the project is partly designed to provide a better view of nature for people using the marsh.