BERLIN, Connecticut — Eversource announced Thursday that they are planning on undertaking a tree trimming program in the wake of last year's tropical storm and microburst that struck in Branford.
The utility company said they plan on doing work on as much as 4,100 miles of roadways. Eversource said, "The energy company will be investing approximately $72 million in tree trimming and hazardous tree removal to enhance reliability for customers throughout Connecticut."
The company encouraged customers to maintain trees on their own property that can interfere with electric lines or equipment. “As we saw last summer during some severe storms, trees are the number one cause of power outages and trimming trees away from electric lines and removing dead or hazard trees is critical – especially as fierce weather seems to impact our region more frequently,” said Eversource Vegetation Management Manager Alan Carey.
Among the 126 communities where tree trimming will be performed this year, some of the most extensive work is scheduled to be done in Wilton along more than 131 miles of roads. Trees will also be trimmed along approximately 114 miles of roadways in East Haddam, 100 miles in Stonington, 96 miles in Tolland and almost 93 in Southington. Other communities where tree work will be completed include Bristol, Canterbury, Glastonbury, Newington, Ridgefield and Stamford. Eversource notifies customers in advance if work is necessary on their property.
In the past year, Eversource has come under scrutiny for it's response to the August 2020 tropical storm, and the time it took to restore power. Customers also complained about rising bills.
