The Bonneville Power Administration is investigating and offering a reward for information in connection with an incident that occurred just east of Pleasant Valley Road in Flathead County, Montana. Last week, BPA officials discovered fiber optic lines damaged by firearms on a BPA structure near Bitteroot Lake. The fiber optic lines provide critical communications vital to transmission of electricity.

"We rely on these lines to ensure reliable and safe delivery of electricity to customers," said Mike McCracken, BPA district manager. "Repairs to the damaged fiber will be expensive. Unfortunately, we have no choice but to pass these costs on to ratepayers."

McCracken added that shooting a firearm at or near power lines is very dangerous. He urged hunters and others using firearms around high-voltage power lines to use caution when shooting.

BPA estimates that repairing the damaged fiber alone will cost $30,000 to $40,000. When making repairs, BPA must take lines with damaged equipment out of service. Any time a line is taken out of service, it limits the amount of electricity that can be carried on the BPA system, which in turn has a negative economic impact on those entities that rely on the system. In addition, the lines that were damaged also are vital to telephone and Internet service to parts of Flathead Valley. During scheduled repair of the fiber, these services will not be available.

"We're hoping that this information will help jog the memory of someone who may know about this or may have seen someone shooting at power lines in the area," said Kevin West, BPA physical security specialist. "Sometimes even small details can help law enforcement officials make significant progress in their investigation."

Information leading to the arrest and conviction of someone who purposefully shot the fiber optic cable could lead to a reward. Under its Crime Witness program, BPA provides rewards up to $25,000. Anyone who has information about this incident should call BPA's Crime Witness hotline at (800) 437-2744. Information may also be provided to the Flathead County Sheriff's Office, which is investigating the incident.