Powerline Peril Worries Albion Park Resident
Illawarra Mercury
Tuesday November 5, 2002
ADRIAN Gorwood's new Albion Park home helped him to break the rental rut 17 months ago.
But now he is wondering if the switch to a mortgage was a good idea because an 11,000 volt powerline in his backyard is a potential threat to the safety of his three kids.
Last week a fencer, contracted by developer Stockland, accidentally struck the powerline with his bobcat.
Mr Gorwood says the powerline encroaches illegally on his property.
About 300 Integral Energy customers at Albion Park were without power and telephone services for up to 12 hours after the accident.
A spokesperson for Integral Energy said yesterday it had repaired the line and it was now safe, with no electrical wires exposed to the public.
Integral Energy is looking at moving the line from Mr Gorwood's property today.
Mr Gorwood hopes a soft orange mesh fence restricting access to the trench where the powerline is located is enough to ensure the safety of his young daughters, Amber-Rose, 8, Ebony, 6 and Emerald, 4.
``This is all they gave me to protect my kids, it's just too dangerous," Mr Gorwood said. ``My daughters are constantly in the backyard, now they're not only exposed to the road, but they could easily fall in the trench on top of an 11,000 volt powerline."
At the time of the bobcat accident, Stockland was replacing a fence which had been damaged during high winds in September.
``I've had no correspondence with anyone except the fencer since the accident," Mr Gorwood said.
``He has been around making sure we are okay and has told us they are going to move the line, but we've heard nothing from Stockland, Telstra or Integral Energy."
Stockland spokesperson Nick Duncan said the company was yet to receive a complaint from Mr Gorwood.
``We haven't been contacted about the trench at any time by Mr Gorwood and we would certainly encourage that he contact us directly rather than referring the matter to the local media," Mr Duncan said.
An Integral Energy spokesperson said safety was Integral Energy's top priority.
``We have taken the necessary steps to ensure the worksite is safe," he said.
``The hole had been backfilled with sand to cover the powerlines and as an added protection, a strong PVC sheeting has been placed under the sand as an additional barrier.
``No electrical cables are exposed to the public."
The spokesperson said Integral Energy crews were inspecting the site regularly to ensure it remained safe until Telstra completed its work. ``These inspections will continue until the powerlines can be relocated," he said.
The spokesperson said the owner of the property was not at home yesterday when Integral was on site.
He invited Mr Gorwood to phone 131003 at any time, 24-hours a day, seven days a week, if he had any further concerns.
© 2002 Illawarra Mercury