Power lines to stay near Cave Creek school

High-voltage power lines that cross the parking lot of a middle school in the Cave Creek Unified School District will stay put for now.

The district’s governing board voted 4-1 this week against moving the lines, a move that would have cost $1.4 million.

An Arizona Public Service 69,000-volt line and a 230,000-volt line run by the federal Western Power Administration come as close as 21 feet to buildings at Sonoran Trails Middle School’s new campus.

While scientists disagree over health risks, moving the lines was considered.

Some studies have linked exposure to strong electromagnetic fields, like those given off by power lines, to diseases including childhood leukemia.

The district has conducted two studies measuring electromagnetic field, or EMF, levels at the school.

The second study, which was released to the public Tuesday, said average levels at the edge of a building 21 feet away from the lines were 5.5 milligauss, or mG, with levels dissipating farther from the line. Those levels are projected to rise in the future.

The district’s report said scientific evidence linking EMF exposure to health risks is weak, but it also recommended keeping average levels below 4 mG in studentpopulated areas.

Board president Javier Ledesma said he voted against moving the lines because the money to do so could be better used for other school improvements, like building new classrooms.

“The data was nonconclusive as to whether there would be health issues with the readings we were getting,” he said. Also, EMF exposure comes from any electronic device, not just power lines, he said.

Lisa Doche, the only board member to vote to move the lines, also cited the inconclusive studies as the reason for her vote.

“It was my desire to err to the side of prudence, and I did not want to put any child at risk,” she said.

In addition, the district has closed open enrollment at Desert Arroyo, the district’s only other middle school, because it’s filled to capacity, Doche said.

That means parents who want to leave Sonoran Trails because of the power lines couldn’t stay in the district, she said.

Rees Candee, the district parent who originally brought up the issue, said he would try to make a more convincing argument to the governing board.

“I think the evidence is overwhelming that there is something there with all these studies that point to correlations (to diseases),” Candee said.

He also said he is trying to get the Arizona Legislature to consider state legislation regarding power lines near schools.