Crews work to restore power after tower falls north of Terrace
BC Hydro crews continue work at remote location, accessible only by helicopter
Updated: 4:30 p.m., Friday, February 14
BC Hydro crews continued to work in challenging winter conditions Friday to restore power to 1,600 customers in Stewart, Meziadin and the Nass Valley.
Earlier this week, crews found a 55-foot transmission tower toppled over in a remote location near Lava Lake, off the Nass highway, approximately 70 kilometres north of Terrace.
Monday, February 17 Update: Crews install new 70-foot wooden tower at Lava Lake
The problem was discovered after a transmission line went out of service on Tuesday evening. The cause is unknown.
Adverse weather initially hampered efforts to identify the problem. Fixing the problem is also proving to be challenging due to the weather and because the tower is in mountainous terrain in a remote area that is only accessible by helicopter.
Wooden tower will replace the toppled tower
BC Hydro crews will replace the toppled tower with a new, 70-foot wooden structure, and they'll need to blast holes into the rocky mountainside to put the structure in place.
All supplies and personnel must be flown into the area using helicopters. Specialized transmission crews from the Lower Mainland arrived in the north on Thursday evening. In total nine workers are at the work site.
Restoration is being hampered by snow and wind. Visibility has been poor and the helicopters have been grounded for much of the last 24 hours.