Ice snaps power lines, causes outages at Dakota Valley Electric Coop

EDGELEY, N.D. (KVRR) – Dakota Valley Electric Cooperative says some customers, mostly west of Highway 281, are reporting outages and power line blinks due to ice buildup on power lines.

The cooperative says the ice is as thick as a quart-size jar and the weight is putting a tremendous strain on power lines.

In some cases, lines are on the ground or hanging low enough to be touched.  People are advised to stay away from downed lines because they could still be energized.

The outages have mostly been impacting customers in the Forbes, Ellendale, Monango, Merricourt, Edgeley, Kulm, Fredonia, Gackle, Streeter, Jud and Alfred areas.