Mystery of the Elk Grove power outage is solved

Elk Grove Laguna Forums

Last week there were two power outages on the west side of Elk Grove. For some it lasted only a few moments and for others it lasted longer. At the time SMUD didn’t have an explanation for the outage. They may now have found the culprit. The eucalyptus trees on the Valley Hi Country Club property along Elk Grove Blvd. According to a letter sent out to club members, SMUD informed the club that they believe debris from the trees is what shorted out the power lines.

SMUD met with club officials earlier this week to discuss a solution. SMUD has proposed removing the trees, 33 in all. Trimming them was not a long term solution because of the threat of flying debris still contacting the power lines in the future. SMUD will pay for the removal of the trees and the replanting of new trees. The mature trees act not only as a deterrent to errant golf balls entering Elk Grove Blvd, and also providing some screening between the golf course and Elk Grove Blvd. The project is expected to start soon and take 1-2 weeks to complete.