By Mike Gervais
Register Staff

5-20-2008

Residents and visitors alike (especially those from Southern California) see the clear skies in Bishop as a rare asset, and so does the Bishop Public Works Department.
With that in mind, the department has teamed with Southern California Edison to eliminate some of the city’s light pollution and darken the skies for both aestethic and financial benefits.
“Some outside lights in Bishop not only illuminate the ground under them, but shine into the eyes and into the sky as a glare,” said Bishop Public Works Director Dave Grah. “I’ve noticed this and others have noticed this.”

The glare that interrupts views of the night sky above Bishop can come from any outside light that is not installed or used properly, and the city is hoping to begin the process of darkening the night by targeting local street lights to help reduce light pollution.

The Bishop Public Works Department and Southern California Edison are working to reduce light pollution within the city, starting with this stretch of road behind Vons and Kmart. Photo by Mike Gervais

“Some have found the street lights on Spruce Street and Wye Road in the area of Bishop Kmart and Vons shopping center to produce a lot of glare. It’s always seemed pretty bright to me,” Grah said.
So that’s the area the city wants to look at first. “The city and SCE are trying to find the best way to reduce the glare from the street lights in this area,” Grah said.
“Several ways to reduce the glare are being considered, including turning some of the street lights in the area off, reducing the wattage of the bulbs used in the street lights, changing the design of the street lights to block glare, or some combination of these things,” Grah said.
Currently, the city is proposing to reduce the glare from lights by turning off some unnecessary street lights and reducing the wattage of the remaining lights. These two options, Grah said, have a large potential to cut energy consumption and electric bills for the city.
“I think these tests would be at no cost to the city, as I understand it,” Grah said.
“We still want to provide some safe lighting, and keep the road safe,” Grah said. “We’re going to try some things” that might prove advantageous for all.
According to Grah, the Public Works Department is planning to begin testing these measures to reduce glare and darken the night skies in the next few months. “Once the testing runs its course over a period of months, the best way to reduce glare, save energy and save money will be put in place permanently,” Grah said.
“Hopefully within the next month to so we’ll be able to see what the changes will look like on Spruce Street from Yaney to Wye Road,” Grah said.
Another option the city is looking into is to change the light heads on street lights completely. This, Grah said, could include newer heads that direct the street lights down more effectively.
“To change the light heads there would be a cost, and SCE is working on those estimates for us right now,” Grah said.
Once the city tests the area of Spruce Street and finds what the most effective way to reduce light glare is, it may take the show on the road and begin implementing those same measures in other parts of Bishop.
“Certainly other places in the city don’t have nearly as many lights,” but there are some areas that could benefit from less glare, said Grah.