High Tension power lines

[Samandothers]

As folks say check out the easement information to see what you are allowed to do. Haying and grazing is probably alright. Building on easement is probably not going to be allowed. One reason for the land price per acre to be lower is possibly you are buying the land under the lines but are very limited to what you can do. The land under the lines is worth less than the land not limited by the easement so over all average per acre would be lower. Just has you are getting a better price because of the lines if you ever decided to sell you would get less than someone selling same away from lines.
If you determine the voltage of the line may help you to know if there will be much buzzing from the lines. The higher voltage lines may have some buzzing. Towers near my house moan and groan some in wind as they support long spans. If wooden poles they may be less noisy. I lived near a 100KV line growing up also and other than the third eye I am normal.
EMF is all around us everyday in house wiring, electric blankets etc. Electric field would drop off pretty quick as you get away from the lines. The lower the voltage he lower the electric field. The magnetic field is affected by the current in the lines and it too would drop off pretty quick. My opinion is if you build away from the line I don't think you'd have an issue.

 

[dmccarty]

A coworker of mine lives down the road from the parcel. He says he has never been on THAT power line but in his youth he liked to 4x4 down the power lines.

Controlling access to the power line would be a main concern as well as is the land mine or really the PC.

Is that land in the Durham city limits? I think not but at some point it will be. Check out the taxes in the city.

Some of the not so nice areas of Durham are just down the road. There are new developments moving out towards the property but who knows what will happen as Durham city grows out to the lake.

When we looked for raw land we did not seriously consider Durham county. Either the land was too expensive or it was an area we did not want to live.

Later,
Dan

 

[beppington]

That looks to be ~20 acres with ~190' road frontage. Looks like you have to drive in 300' to get to the back of that front neighbor's yard.

The dimensions look to me like you could center your driveway between the front neighbor & the edge of the power line ROW, or maybe skew it a little more toward the ROW, & then it wouldn't seem like that neighbor is in your front yard out by the road. And you could build a house anywhere from 200' to 1/4 mile behind that front neighbor. Either tucked into the woods or out on the edge of the cleared ROW.

That said, I'd probably pass on it since I prefer not to have to look at power lines (especially that many) & their towers.

 

[Pilot]

Seems to me I remember something about power lines inside my house! Sure enough, my computer is plugged into one, right there in the wall! How soon am I going to get cancer and die, die, die?

About 20-30 years ago we'd hear stuff in the news about powerlines and cancer. Study after study failed to prove a link so the lawyers weren't able to build a case and the concern was no longer newsworthy, which is why we don't hear about it any more. Now it's cell phones, which is a phony concern because the portion of the magnetic spectrum used by cell phones is similar to the portion used in your microwave, which puts out a lot more power and nobody ever worries about microwaves.

The combination of lawyers hoping to make a killing and reporters looking for a story puts a lot of scare stuff in the news that is totally baseless and needlessly gets the folks all worried. The breast implant case was a famous one. As it turns out, shortly after the trial in which Dow Corning was bankrupted, ruining a perfectly good company and throwing hundreds of people out of work, definitive studies were published refuting any link between implants and any of the diseases attributed to implants. But the company was already out of business and implants still have a bad rep.

Then there was the supposed autism and vaccine link. The link was suggested by one doctor who looked at fewer than 20 kids, the lawyers jumped in and convinced thousands, maybe millions of parents that vaccines were the cause of autism. Parents are still skipping vaccines for their kids and hundreds of kids have died from preventable diseases, in spite of numerous studies of hundreds of thousands of kids showing no link. The Brits pulled that doctor's license.

Next time you see a scare story, first consider whether lawyers could make fortune out of it before you get concerned.

 

[SPYDERLK]

Seems to me I remember something about power lines inside my house! Sure enough, my computer is plugged into one, right there in the wall! How soon am I going to get cancer and die, die, die?

About 20-30 years ago we'd hear stuff in the news about powerlines and cancer. Study after study failed to prove a link so the lawyers weren't able to build a case and the concern was no longer newsworthy, which is why we don't hear about it any more. Now it's cell phones, which is a phony concern because the portion of the magnetic spectrum used by cell phones is similar to the portion used in your microwave, which puts out a lot more power and nobody ever worries about microwaves.

MAJOR difference. One is a Faraday cage; the other is a transmitting antenna on the side of your head. Opposites.
larry

 

[clemsonfor]

Looking at a piece of property that can be had for a steal (2-2500/acre) which is cheap around me (land usually starts at around 10k/acre)...problem is 1) unknown perk status (would be tested before closing and if no perk-no deal) 2) high tension power lines and easment run through proprty and take up about 1/4 of the land. I know folks on the other ends of the property with the same easment hay under the power lines or use it as a pasture, just not sure if it is a good idea or not. any thoughts or experience with this type of situation. If we build the house would be as far away from the lines as possible.


Thanks for any input.

Weesy

Us hunters love tracts with big power lines through them. Even if you dont plow/plant them the power company cuts them for you! Also there is free money to get to plant these areas!

 

[clemsonfor]

From experience being at friends houses that were "close" to transmission lines.

they make a TON of noise. buzz is the worst, poping, cracking etc.

There was a dateline show a number of years go about a new subdivision built under some. they could actually go outside in the back yard, hold a 4' T8 florescent bulb in the air and watch it flicker.

Health issues aside.

The power cuts generally bring all sorts to play on them, ATV's, dirt bikes, horses, 4wd trucks etc. None of which i would want running through my property even if it was on the power company easement.

Around here folks just put fences up perpendicular to the wires in the ROW. You gate them and give the powercompany a lock on the gate so that they can open it. That keeps most trucks and horses and stuff off, but yes a 4 wheeler or dirt bike will still ride down it if they want, you cant keep them out of anywhere!

 

[weesa20]

A coworker of mine lives down the road from the parcel. He says he has never been on THAT power line but in his youth he liked to 4x4 down the power lines.

Controlling access to the power line would be a main concern as well as is the land mine or really the PC.

Is that land in the Durham city limits? I think not but at some point it will be. Check out the taxes in the city.

Some of the not so nice areas of Durham are just down the road. There are new developments moving out towards the property but who knows what will happen as Durham city grows out to the lake.

When we looked for raw land we did not seriously consider Durham county. Either the land was too expensive or it was an area we did not want to live.

Later,
Dan

I live right around the corner from this property in one of the developments so I already know about the Durham City Taxes...this is in the County but I agree that eventually it will be in the City limits...I have also learned that much of the land in this area is difficult to get a perk site on which may require an engineered septic system...my problem is that I work at one of the big hospitals in Durham and so I don't want to drive too far but want the country lifestyle...seems that land in this area is seriously expensive or has other problems...think I'll keep looking

 

[zmjc]

Seems to me I remember something about power lines inside my house! Sure enough, my computer is plugged into one, right there in the wall! How soon am I going to get cancer and die, die, die?

About 20-30 years ago we'd hear stuff in the news about powerlines and cancer. Study after study failed to prove a link so the lawyers weren't able to build a case and the concern was no longer newsworthy, which is why we don't hear about it any more. Now it's cell phones, which is a phony concern because the portion of the magnetic spectrum used by cell phones is similar to the portion used in your microwave, which puts out a lot more power and nobody ever worries about microwaves.

Speaking as a tractor-driving guy with a PhD in electrical engineering: I worry about microwaves; I don't have one in my house.

I would not want to live within sight of high-voltage lines.

I would not want to live within miles of wind turbines (because of the low-frequency noise, not the electromagnetic fields.)

I don't like having a radio transmitter (cell phone) right next to my head.

Electricity is a very powerful force. It is best to be cautious with it.

That being said, I'm fairly certain other things will get you first. Like distracted driving related to cell phones, smoking, tractor-rollover, heart diseases, etc...

 

[dmccarty]

...my problem is that I work at one of the big hospitals in Durham and so I don't want to drive too far but want the country lifestyle...seems that land in this area is seriously expensive or has other problems...think I'll keep looking

Glad you mentioned perking. I forgot to mention it. I know a couple of people at work who live on that road. There houses were built years ago so perk is not a problem for them. However, they did try to open a storage place and the county would not let them to runoff issues with the lake. Depending on the location of the property there could be more strict runoff regulations as well.

When we were looking at land in the mid/late 90's we looked mostly in Granville, Chatham, Orange, and Caswell counties. Franklin might be in range now with 540 but I do not know for sure.

Cheap rural land, located close to RTP, is not really out there. What land remains has some issue or the other. There is rural land available but it ain't cheap.

With the growth in this area what is now rural will likely not be rural in 10-20 years. I have only lived here 20 years but the changes in those decades has been huge.

I live 45 minutes from work. When I lived in Cary the drive could take 20-90 minutes depending on the time of day and accidents. I only have a short distance to drive that is somewhat stressful. Most of the drive is not stressful at all. The drive to and from Cary was VERY stressful. Messy traffic and rude people. If there was a bottle neck on 54 or or I40 everyone was impacted. The drive now is almost relaxing.

When looking at land pay attention to the route you would have to take. The distance might be long but it might not be as bad as you would think.

Later,
Dan