Community Corner

Cable on Whalehead Road Blamed for Outage

Gales Ferry Customers Lost Power Twice in Two Days

An overheated cable on Whalehead Road was the cause of a power outage Monday night from about 8 p.m. until midnight, affecting some 1,930 customers in Gales Ferry, Connecticut Light & Power spokesman Mitch Gross said Tuesday.

An outage on Sunday morning that lasted from about 10 a.m. until 1 p.m., affecting the same 1,930 customers, was tied to the same cause, Gross said.

He said demand due to the hot weather is a probable factor. “High demand adds to the stress on the system,” he said.

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Gross said the utility has identified the cable, but may not have pin-pointed the trouble spot because the cable is underground. He said utility workers will continue to monitor the situation.

A loose wire on Whalehead Road was the cause of an outage on May 24 that affected the same customers in Gales Ferry for about 90 minutes. Town Councilor Linda Davis, who lives in Gales Ferry, said there have been as many as five power outages in her neighborhood since late spring.

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Asked if it is common for a system to experience so much trouble over such a short period of time, Gross said simply, “no.”

“This should not be happening,” he said. “It’s an annoyance if it keeps happening on a regular basis. We certainly understand that.”

Gross said this entire week will be a challenge for the power company. He asked residents who lose power or experience any problems to call 800-286-2000 immediately.


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