Edison
hurrying to finish Mount Wilson project before owls
nest
SIERRA MADRE (AP) -- Spotted owls are speeding
up Southern California Edison’s $10 million upgrade of five miles of power
lines and towers through the Angeles National Forest to the top of Mount
Wilson.
Helicopters
will help workers drape power lines through the habitat of the California
spotted owl, which the U.S. Forest Service considers a sensitive species.
But
helicopters are prohibited during the owl’s February-to-August mating season.
Edison
engineer Scott Lacy says the project will begin next week and it will take
about a month to complete.
The
new, thicker lines and stronger steel towers will serve radio and television
antennas atop Wilson’s nearly 6,000-foot peak.