Easements Keep the Co-op Running
OPALCO does not comment on active legal matters, but some misinformation in a recent King 5 article needs to be addressed. The pole site in question was on the property mentioned, with the previous owner’s permission, prior to the current owners’ purchase of the land. The pole was upgraded in 2023 and is 103 feet – approximately 20 feet higher than the one that was there when the property was purchased.
As a member-owned cooperative, OPALCO relies on easements to deliver critical infrastructure across the islands. Read on to learn about how easements work and why OPALCO relies on them.
Why does OPALCO need easements?
In order to provide electrical and internet service throughout San Juan County, OPALCO needs to have critical infrastructure in place to deliver these services to every person residing in or visiting the San Juan Islands.
Electricity and internet are essential to modern life from lifesaving medical care to high-quality education services to remote work – these services are used day in and day out. This infrastructure is installed overhead and underground throughout all parts of the islands.
Easements make it so we can install and maintain this infrastructure. This is a standard practice for electric co-ops and historically does NOT involve compensation. If easements required compensation, those costs would fall on every member in San Juan County through higher electricity rates.
OPALCO operates on a cost-of-service basis. OPALCO is a non-profit with the goal to give members the best value for their money. Members agree to grant OPALCO easements when they join the cooperative. If you have a meter to your home, it is because there are easements in place to bring you electricity through your own property and your neighbors’ properties.
What does it mean if OPALCO has an easement on my property?
Every easement is a little bit different but often it allows OPALCO the right to use a specific part of your property for a specific purpose, usually to access and maintain our equipment. We do not own that piece of your property, but OPALCO will have the right to use as the easement allows. It also gives access to our wholly owned subsidiary Rock Island Communications.
Why is Rock Island involved?
Rock Island is OPALCO’s wholly owned subsidiary. This robust communication system solves multiple critical needs in our remote service territory including improving public safety and allowing OPALCO to have more control over the reliability of the electrical system.
Before 2015, internet and cellular service across San Juan County were unreliable and no major phone company wanted to invest in expanding service. Many areas had little to no service at all. In 2013, a major outage took down phone lines, internet, and even 911 connectivity across the county.
The OPALCO Board at the time decided to get involved and invest in Rock Island Communications. Since then, OPALCO and Rock Island have built a broadband network that reaches across the difficult terrain of the San Juan Islands which supports emergency services, health care, education, and the local economy.
OPALCO is proud to be a cooperative and serve our island community. Here are some fact sheets with more detailed information about these subjects:
- https://www.opalco.com/quick-fact/quick-fact-rock-island-communications/
- https://www.opalco.com/quick-fact/quick-fact-privileges-and-obligations-of-electric-utility-distribution-cooperative-members/
If you would like more information about this topic or any topic, email communications@opalco.com.
