DOOR COUNTY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – The new cable to Washington Island was laid on the Lake Michigan Bed Friday.
The first section of the cable was laid on Friday after plans had been pushed back.
Plans to install an electrical cable from Northern Door County to Washington Island were on hold after windy weather on the water Thursday.
The $3.4 million dollar project calls for a new cable to run from the mainland, underwater to Plum Island.
The wire will cross Plum Island underground, and then will continue underwater, eventually hooking up with Washington Island to the north.
Under the first phase of the plan, a 200-foot barge will stop at Plum Island to secure one of the cables near the Lighthouse. It will return to the mainland, unwinding 1.6 miles of electrical cable along the way.
The line will settle more than 100 feet to the bottom of Death’s Door Passage.
“We did a test run, we set up divers, and got everything ready to go. And then the waves picked up and it was too rough to put it across,” said Don Sarter, Roen Salvage Company.
The new cable will replace the current system, which failed this past summer.
For days, the Washington Island Electric Cooperative used generators to provide electricity.
The old wire was repaired, but fearing more problems, co-op manager Robert Cornell tells FOX 11 they’re moving quickly to replace the 37-year old cable before the weather gets worse.
“We take it as it comes. We’ve been taking it as it comes since the cable failed in June, so we’ll live with what happens.”
The state declared the situation a disaster area in July, but as of yet, no money has arrived. Cornell says its customers are preparing for higher rates.
“Probably $20 a month. It’s $31 a month as a base charge, so it will rise to $51 a month.”.
Customers, like Joel Gunnlaugsson, tells FOX 11 the completed project will be worth the delay.
“This is epic. This is monumental. And it’s going to hopefully carry the island well beyond my lifetime.”
