Stray voltage closes Tioga Point campground

Cable repair may finish by 2025 

By Mike Lynch

The state has closed one of its campgrounds on Raquette Lake for the next three seasons for safety reasons, after people reported feeling a tingling sensation and stray voltage was detected.   

National Grid spokesman Jared Paventi said people felt the electrical currents last year in the dock area at Tioga Point campground and day use area, but crews couldn’t investigate until this spring after ice-out. He didn’t know exactly when the reports occurred but said no injuries have been reported. 

After looking into the matter recently, the power company determined stray voltage is coming from an underwater cable. The company plans to install a replacement next week, Paventi said. The work is scheduled to start Monday and finish Wednesday. 

Paventi said this will address the stray voltage in the short term, but National Grid is working on a long-term project to address the issue. 

He would not elaborate on the details of the more complex solution, other than to say it is in the planning stage and will require extensive permitting. He said the work is expected to take until 2025 but they are trying to expedite the project to finish earlier. 

“We are working closely with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and Department of Public Service, as well as the town of Long Lake on the matter,” Paventi said. 

Tioga Point state campground is a boat-access site on the eastern side of Raquette Lake. It contains 15 lean-tos and 10 tent sites, but doesn’t have potable water. 

The DEC said it closed Tioga Point out of “an abundance of caution to protect public safety due to safety issues related to the cables.”

Paventi said the town of Long Lake, where Raquette Lake is located, has alerted residents to next week’s work and are strongly discouraging boaters from going on the lake during that time to prevent wakes and waves as the team completes the repairs. 

National Grid customers on the lake north of Woods Point will experience a power outage of four to six hours at the end of this project. National Grid plans to communicate the timing of the outage directly with customers when it is scheduled.