Thornton farmers worried about possible transmission line

A transmission line proposed from Tracy to Modoc County may go right through Stokes Farms and destroy three of the Stokes' homes, family members say. Mark Medeiros, left, and his wife, Sharon Stokes, center, stand outside their home; Stokes' sister-in-law, Wendy Stokes, lives in a house on the other side of their vineyard. (Ross Farrow/News-Sentinel)

Thornton farmers worried about possible transmission line

By Ross Farrow
News-Sentinel Staff Writer

Wednesday, April 29, 2009 6:45 AM PDT

Comments (No comments posted.)

The Stokes family got a real surprise about two weeks ago.

An electrical transmission line proposed through the eastern edge of Thornton could destroy three homes and their 54 acres of winegrapes and cherries along Kile Road, according to Sharon Stokes, who lives on Kile Road and runs the family farm.

"If the line goes through one of the proposed routes, it would virtually eliminate my home, my brother's home and my parents' home," Stokes said.

And two of the homes were newly constructed last year.

"We had not heard anything about it," said Eleanor Ackerman, another Kile Road resident, whose property would not be directly affected. "I talked to neighbors — farmers mostly — and asked if they knew about this."

They didn't.

So Ackerman began spreading the word to some alarmed neighbors.

"We're talking millions of dollars," said Wendy Stokes, Sharon's sister-in-law. "We need to nip it in the bud while it's a proposal."

The route going through Thornton — one of four options being proposed — is part of a transmission line hundreds of miles long, from Tracy to Modoc County. The proposal is by the Transmission Agency of Northern California and the Western Area Power Administration.

(Marc Lutz/News-Sentinel)

The transmission line route is far from determined, said Janet Thompson, a consultant for the agency, also known as TANC.

"They can and will move," she added.

According to both agencies, electrical transmission expansion is necessary to provide continued electrical service to the growing population in the state. California's population is expected to increase by 29 percent from 2000 to 2020. Residents are also requesting increased use of clean, renewable energy such as wind, solar and geothermal resources, TANC officials said.

"We're fighting to farm on our land and live on our land. So people can have more electricity?" Wendy Stokes said.

The transmission line would use an existing substation in Tracy and develop a new one in the Dillard Road area near Highway 99, north of Galt. That line would connect with the Sacramento Municipal Utility District's electrical system.

The transmission line proposed through Thornton would cross Interstate 5 to the west. One proposal calls for the line to cross in the area of I-5 and Peltier Road, while another would be in an area closer to Ray Road. Yet another heads northeast across the Sacramento County line just east of New Hope and Orr roads, between Galt and Thornton.

Ackerman said that the proposal may also go through the Cosumnes River Preserve just north of Thornton. Additionally, a company called Westervelt Ecological Services has purchased land along New Hope Road for open space preservation. Westervelt officials are trying to determine whether one of the transmission line routes would go through the property the firm just bought.

"We haven't quite nailed down their alignment yet," said Matt Gause, a Westervelt senior ecologist. "I have one map that is so general that I can't figure it out yet."

Transmission Agency of Northern California at a glance

Established in 1984, the Transmission Agency of Northern California is a joint-powers agency consisting of 15 local governmental utilities, including the city of Lodi and the Sacramento Municipal Utility District.

TANC's mission is to assist its publicly-owned utility members provide cost-effective energy supplies to their customers through long-term ownership of high-voltage transmission lines within California and the Western United States.

TANC has monthly commission meetings. The next one will be at 10 a.m. May 20 at a site to be determined.

Source: Transmission Agency of Northern California

Lodi plans own electrical project

The city of Lodi is planning to construct a transmission line of its own to supply back-up power, but it's not connected to the one planned from Tracy to Modoc County.

The route would run along Lower Sacramento Road, Harney Lane and Tredway Road before cutting across Interstate 5 to the White Slough sewage treatment plant.

The city is in the process of hiring a consultant, said Lodi Electric Utility Director George Morrow. The environmental process will take nine to 11 months, he said.

Source: City of Lodi

How to submit comments

Submit written comments by May 31 to David Young, Western Area Power Administration, Sierra Nevada Region, 114 Parkshore Drive, Folsom, CA 95630. Comments may also be faxed to (916) 353-4772 or e-mailed to TTPEIS@wapa.gov.

At the Cosumnes River Preserve, Project Director Mike Conner said he doesn't have enough details, either. Three possible alignments would cross the preserve, as far west as the Franklin Boulevard area where the visitors center is. The easternmost alignment crosses the river just west of Highway 99.

Each alignment would affect the preserve differently, Conner said, because some go through forests and others go through vernal pools.

"TANC has been responsive," Conner said. "We are working to refine the route. I'm optimistic that we can find something that works."

Thornton residents fear that each property owner would be required to provide a 1,000-foot easement, but TANC spokeswoman Pat Clarke said that only a 200-foot easement would be needed. However, the agency's studies would be 1,000 feet wide.

The Stokes family, who farm scores of acres in northern San Joaquin and southern Sacramento counties, is concerned not only about their three houses, but that the headquarters for Stokes Farms, with a lot of farm equipment, would have to be moved. The farm has been in operation for four generations.

Ackerman and Stokes family members said they heard there were public meetings about the project, but they didn't hear about them until after they were held.

Twelve public informational meetings were held between Turlock and Alturas this year, the most recent ones being March 26 in Sacramento, April 9 in Tracy and April 15 in Stockton.

Clarke, the TANC spokeswoman, said notices were mailed to affected landowners throughout Northern California. However, some notices came back to TANC as undeliverable.

Notices were also sent to the county clerk's office and the Board of Supervisors in all affected counties, Clarke said.

Thompson said there won't be any other public meetings, but TANC is willing to meet with individuals and groups before the May 31 public comment deadline. The deadline was originally April 30, but the TANC Commission extended it last week.

Contact reporter Ross Farrow at rossf@lodinews.com.

Reader Feedback

Comments on this story are now closed.

Archives

Story Tools

Indexes