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THE DANGERS FROM STRAY ELECTRICITY IN THE GROUND STRAY THE DANGERS FROM GROUND ELECTRICITY THE Poorly maintained power distribution systems that cannot cope with 21st century demands are believed to cause ground leakages of electrical current, with detrimental effects on animals and people. THENS, Wisconsin, USA — James Gumz fell silent as his eyes dropped to his calloused, clenched hands. Outside in the cold fall night, the day's final chore waited: the evening milking. The chore hadn't been the same since the winter four years ago, when 20 dead cattle were dragged from the barn. The surviving cows limped on crippled legs, with open sores on their body that would not heal. One day, Gumz ran from the barn screaming because he couldn't take it anymore. "When it first started, we blamed ourselves," Gumz said, lifting his face to display a grease-smeared cheek. "I went through depression and had to see a psychiatrist. I'd come home and just shake and cry. You just can't stand it." On the kitchen wall of the modern farmhouse is a wooden plaque with the words, "House protected by guardian angels". But there is no protection from what James and Grace Gumz say is an invisible but powerful force that has devastated their dairy herd. The Gumzes are not alone. Across Wisconsin and in other states, hundreds of dairy farmers struggle with "stray voltage"—electrical current flowing through the earth. Scientific research suggests that stray voltage has extreme physiological effects on cows and other animals when it reaches certain levels. In the Coulee region, the stray voltage issue boiled over last week [the week of 30 January 2000], when more than 30 farmers presented a list of 13 demands to the Riverland Energy Cooperative board of directors in Arcadia. Those demands included the resignation of David Oelkers, cooperative general manager, "unless he agrees to represent the interests of the cooperative and its members". QUESTIONS OVER HEALTH AND POWER QUALITY But the controversy over stray voltage is not confined to dairy farms. There are increas- ing concerns in industry, business and the scientific community that the more than 2.5 million miles [4.02 million km] of power lines that bring us heat, jobs, safety and light have a potential dark side. Some are concerned our increasing appetite for power and technology strains the ageing power lines. They worry that in a growing number of loca- tions in the Coulee region, electrical current is showing up in streams, on pipelines, in buildings, in barns and in homes. While La Crosse area electrical utilities say their systems are both adequate and safe, there is contention about how much electricity normally carried on power-line neutral wires is actually flowing into the earth. There also is concern about what effect that current has on animals and humans. Farmers say their cows are crippled and gaunt, with flesh burns and open sores that don't heal. Some cows go blind. Others abort their calves and some simply break down—lying down and never getting up. Those that don't die immediately are sold for slaughter through rendering plants. "I should be thrown into jail for treating the cows the way they look, but it's not my fault," Gumz said. Farmers also worry that stray voltage is harming them. "Common sense will tell you that if it happens to a 1,200-pound cow, what's it doing to a human being?" said Richard Asher of Independence. The effects on both animal and human health are wrapped in a coil of controversy, but power quality is not. Power quality "will get worse before we'll be able to mitigate it," by Chris Hardie © 2000 La Crosse Tribune Local News Editor, La Crosse Tribune 401 N. Third Street La Crosse, Wisconsin 54601, USA Telephone: +1 (608) 791 8218 Email: chardie@lacrossetripune.com Website: www. lacrossetribune.com Website: www.strayvoltage.org by Chris Hardie © 2000 La Crosse Tribune NEXUS 13 ELECTRICITY'S DIRTY LITTLE SECRET AUGUST - SEPTEMBER 2001 www.nexusmagazine.com