Landscaping
Where buffer space exists on site to
provide vegetative concealment of a substation, landscaping,
especially as a supplement to natural vegetative screening, is a very
effective aesthetic treatment. On a site with little natural
screening, plantings can be used in concert with architectural
features to complement and soften the visual effect.
Shrubs, hedges, and other small
plantings are useful for low coverage, fill-in, and accent. These
should be employed informally and with variety. Low-ground cover and
grasses are effective on berms and in ditches. When planted on top of
berms, the impact of the landscaping plantings can be immediate for
screening purposes.
Coniferous trees give excellent
coverage and color, and can be used in clusters, in hedges, or spaced
apart. Size should be sufficient for the screening purpose but not so
large as to endanger overhead lines. Species selection should avoid
animal or bird attractant types that create a hazard to the function
and safety of equipment or personnel.
All plantings should be locally
available and compatible types, and should require minimum
maintenance. Their location near walls and fences should not
compromise either substation grounding or the security against
trespass by people or animals.
Topography
Topography or land form, whether shaped
by nature or by man, can be one of the most useful elements of the
site to solve aesthetic and functional site development problems. The
first and foremost consideration is to carefully examine the
immediate environment of the substation site to discover natural land
forms that can influence how the site itself is molded and
landscaped.
For example, some sites may have a
hillside backdrop that would absorb the skyline view or foreground
slopes that influence the primary observation zone. Environmental
topography design should consider the effect of screening, horizontal
setback, and the background screen on the primary observation zone.
Aesthetically, the land form within the
site should reflect or blend with the topography of its environment.
The use of land form should be carefully evaluated in combination
with plant materials. The careful and sensitive blending of these two
important elements can result in a meaningful site development. Trees
and shrubs can be less massive and numerous when combined with ground
forms of various shapes.
The shape of topography will vary with
each situation. The gentle soft forms might be entirely fitting for
the wide open countryside, whereas more tailored, sculptured forms
might be compatible with an urban setting.
Use of topography as a visual screen is
often overlooked. Functionally, earth forms can be permanent, visual
screens\ constructed from normal on-site excavating operations. When
combined with plantings of grass, bushes, or evergreens and a planned
setback of the substation, berms can effectively shield the
substation from nearby roads and residents.
Appreciable cost savings can be
realized by utilizing cut material spoil on the site for earth forms
rather than removing it from the site.
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