Safety around trees and powerlines

Safety around trees and powerlines

We are committed to the safety of the community, our people and our contractors. Trees, palm fronds and branches can be blown into powerlines during storms if they grow too close to them.

If this happens, they can conduct electricity and become safety hazards.

Many power outages are caused by trees and palm fronds touching powerlines.

Call us about trees near powerlines

Before you start any pruning, please call us. We can help you determine if there are any safety factors to consider. Your safety is our number one concern.

We are happy to answer all queries and concerns about trees and powerlines, however we ask that you call us if you see a tree or palm within three metres of a powerline. You can also log a query or fault online or on our app. You can find links to download our app at the bottom of our contact page.

If our contractor notifies you that a work crew will be in your area and you wish to discuss vegetation around the powerlines, please email us at customerservice@powerwater.com.au or phone us on 1800 245 092.

Contact us

Wildlife and power infrastructure

Our local wildlife can use power poles, substations, buildings and other structures for nesting and shelter. Sometimes they can have an impact on our electricity network and be injured or die as a result.

We do our best to protect animals from the potential impacts of our infrastructure, however they will still find their way to some precarious spots on our equipment.

Bats, or flying foxes, and other wildlife are a seasonal cause of power interruptions across Australia. They move around as their food sources change, so their impact is widespread across our network making it challenging to take targeted defensive action.

In the rural area, we have upgraded insulators on overhead powerlines and installed specially-designed mesh mats and animal covers along the Humpty Doo, Dundee and Bynoe feeders.

We also prune back trees near powerlines and have trialled monitoring systems to send alerts of developing faults and identify likely causes of power outages.

Our crews will do their best to safely rescue live animals where possible.

You can report wildlife caught on the electricity network by contacting us on 1800 245 090.

If you have been experiencing poor power supply reliability, you may be eligible for a credit on your electricity account.

We will automatically apply this through your retailer under the Guaranteed Service Levels (GSL) set out in the Electricity Industry Performance Code and Guidelines .

Overhead powerlines on the roadside

Our vegetation management contractors will clear the vegetation around powerlines in the road reserve and remove the debris from the site. This includes trees that may come from your property and intrude into the safe clearance distance of the powerline on the road reserve.

Sometimes debris from trees will fall into your yard. The tree trimming contractor will leave a card for you to contact us to arrange a suitable time to enter your yard and remove the debris.

We work closely with local councils and the Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Logistics to manage vegetation near overhead powerlines in the road reserve.

Do unsafe trees have to be totally removed?

Our vegetation program identifies vegetation near powerlines that pose a safety risk. Some trees and palms are not suitable for growing under or near powerlines. In some cases, the pruning method may not address the safety issue or may impact on the aesthetics and the plants may need to be removed.

If contractors identify unsafe vegetation on private property, the property owner will be contacted to discuss removing it permanently.

Occasionally, a tree or palm on the road reserve in front of your property may need to be removed. This is done in consultation with your local
council.

What can you do to help?

You can help by calling us first if you see a tree or palm close to or touching a powerline. Please do not try to prune it yourself, as this is dangerous.

If you are landscaping near or under powerlines, plan ahead. See below the right type of trees and shrubs to plant near powerlines and the required distance to plant in your front yard near overhead powerlines.

Who cuts the trees?

We contract skilled and specially trained arborists to identify and remove trees near powerlines. They are trained to work near powerlines and having training in aboriculture techniques.

Vegetation management contractors follow the work practices in the Australian Standard AS4373 ‘Pruning Trees Amenity trees’ .

Our primary responsibility is to cut trees to ensure the safety of the public and our staff.

Contractors may employ the services of an arborist to make sure trees and palms are trimmed appropriately and to get the best possible aesthetic result.

Electricity service line on your property

The property owner is responsible for keeping trees clear of the insulated service line, which is the line running from the power pole on the road to the house.

Before trimming trees near powerlines, call 1800 245 092 or a qualified arborist for advice.

If required, Power and Water will de-energise and temporarily remove the service line. Fees do apply.

Please note, if your service line is damaged in a storm or cyclone, you need a Certificate of Compliance from a licensed electrician before we can reconnect power to your home.

The minimum distance between your trees and your insulated electricity service lines is 0.5 meters

How do we notify our customers where our contractors are trimming trees?

Before any trimming in urban areas begins, we advertise our contractors’ planned locations on our Planned Works web page.

Advance notice may not be possible when an emergency occurs or urgent tree trimming work needs to be carried out.

Image of distance between tree and powerlines

What are the best trees to plant near powerlines?

The best trees or shrubs are those with a mature height of no more than three metres. Native species are most appropriate. Your local council or nursery should be able to give you a list of suitable species.

Ideally palms should be planted five metres away from powerlines. If you want to plant taller plants, find out what the mature height is and also plant it that five metres away from the powerline. That way, if the tree were to fall, it would stay clear of the powerline.

The diagram below shows the safe distances for planting in your front yard near overhead powerlines. Before you plant in powerline easements, contact us to check if there are special planting requirements.

Image of safe distance front yard planting near powerlines

Dial before you dig

Before planting a tree on your nature strip, register with the Before you Dig Australia (BYDA) service to make sure you won't dig into underground powerlines. For planting inside your property boundary, consult a qualified electrician. Log a query with Before you Dig .

Visit Before you Dig Australia

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