Conservation and Environment
Safety Tips
Power Outage
At Cass County Electric, providing you with low-cost, reliable power is our absolute top priority. We invest heavily in new power management technologies and professional employees who pride themselves on keeping your lights on.
Despite our best efforts, however, power outages are sometimes unavoidable. Power disruptions can occur on any day for many different reasons. Storms, small animals, system failures and even equipment problems from other power suppliers can cause power outages. While we hope your experiences with outages are few and far between, being prepared is always the best approach.
Here are some general tips to prepare for outages:
Make sure you have a battery operated AM-FM weather radio to provide local information.
Make sure you have working flashlights.
Have extra batteries for flashlights and portable radios.
Have a non-cordless phone in your home- phone lines operate independent of power lines.
Store extra water and non-perishable food.
Some people choose to purchase back up generators for outage situations. If you purchase a generator, make sure you have a qualified electrician hook it up for you. DO NOT hook the generator directly into your home's main circuit breaker.
If you lose power in your home:
Check to see if your neighbors have power - it may only be a tripped circuit in your home.
If you neighbors don't have power, wait 15 minutes for the power to come back on before making a phone call to CCEC.
If after 15 minutes you still do not have power, call us and we'll fix the problem.
Listen to your portable radio for information. CCEC will be in constant contact with local radio stations in the event of an outage.
Avoid opening the refrigerator or freezer whenever possible during an outage. Food should stay fresh for at least 24 hours if the door is seldom opened.
Disconnect televisions, computers and all sensitive electric equipment to prevent damage when power is restored.
For extended outages or outages in severe weather situations, remember to check on the elderly and housebound people in your area.
Planting Trees
To avoid power disruptions, blinking lights, maintenance costs and service calls, never plant trees near overhead power lines. Mature trees can be no less than 10 feet from the path under and near power lines. Call North Dakota One Call at 811 to have underground wires located. Tree roots can cause damage to underground wires. Locating personnel need room to work safely on underground devices. Keep shrubs and structures 12 feet away from the front side and three feet from other sides of the devices.
The 'colors' on your lawn
Once you call 811, your yard will be marked.
Here's what the colors mean:
American Public Works Association - Uniform Color Code
Red
Electric power lines, cables, conduit and lighting cables
Yellow
Gas, oil, steam, petroleum or gaseous materials
Orange
Communication, alarm or signal lines, cables or conduit
Blue
Water, irrigation and slurry lines
Green
Sewers and drain lines
Pink
Temporary survey markings
White
Proposed survey
How close to the lines can you dig?
According to North Dakota state law, digging with power operated excavating or earth-moving equipment is prohibited within two feet from each side of a utility marking. These areas are "hand dig zones" where digging must be performed very carefully with hand tools only.