Wildfire Mitigation and PSPS Town Halls
Please join Liberty Utilities at our upcoming virtual Town Halls. Learn more about what Liberty is doing to limit wildfire risks and our PSPS plan.
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Due to the dense vegetation and dry brush that characterize much of our landscape, the Lake Tahoe Basin and surrounding forested areas have been designated either “Tier 2” (Elevated) or “Tier 3” (Extreme) fire risk areas by the state’s High Fire Threat District Map.
Liberty is taking aggressive steps to mitigate the risk of wildfires in the communities we serve. Outlined below are the key components of our Wildfire Mitigation Plan that we are executing to keep you and your family safe.
Please join Liberty Utilities at our upcoming virtual Town Halls. Learn more about what Liberty is doing to limit wildfire risks and our PSPS plan.
Learn More
There are three main pillars or actions Liberty Utilities is taking to reduce the possibility of an electrical infrastructure ignited wildfire. The first pillar is vegetation management, which aims to eliminate combustible fuel under and around power lines. The second pillar is infrastructure hardening, or upgrading and/or replacing infrastructure that could potentially cause a spark or ignition. Third, and used as a last resort, is the Public Safety Power Shutoff, which is implemented when weather conditions become an extreme fire risk and shutting power off to some or all of the electrical grid is deemed a necessary precaution to prevent a fire start.
Liberty crews are deployed year-round throughout the region to inspect trees and vegetation in the vicinity of power lines. In order to comply with state law and safety best practices, any tree or vegetation that has grown too close to power lines will be trimmed or removed to mitigate any wildfire risk.
Liberty Arborists can inspect a vegetation powerline related issue for customers who believe there may be a hazard to the electrical infrastructure. Submit a vegetation inspection at the button below.
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Infrastructure hardening is an ongoing system infrastructure improvement and replacement process aimed at lowering the potential of fires sparked by electric infrastructure. Over the next several years, Liberty will conduct the following improvements to support this process:
A Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) is a safety procedure utilized by electric utilities to proactively turn off power when and where conditions present an increased wildfire risk. The practice of de-energization, which is becoming more and more frequent, is supported by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) as a safety best practice.
View Liberty Utilities' Wildfire Mitigation Plans from previous years.