Better Plan: The Trouble With Industrial Wind Farms in Wisconsin

GOT NOISE?? What happens when wind farm noise is unbearable for residents but the owners of the wind farm aren't sure there is a problem at all? And what does any of this have to do with coronary heart disease?

Portage Township Officials Looking into Turbine Noise Claims

January 17, 2008 The Tribune-Democrat

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The Portage Township supervisors are jumping into the fray over what some residents say is excessive noise from turbines at the Allegheny Ridge Wind Farm.Supervisors will hire a private sound engineer to determine the amount of noise made by the spinning turbines.The move comes at the urging of residents who say the windmills sometimes operate at sound levels exceeding ordinance limits.

Two months ago, officials in Juniata Township, Blair County, ordered an independent sound study.
"We're agreeing to work with them on this," Supervisor Elwood Selapack said of a plan to hire Paul Heishman, a sound engineer from Mechanicsburg, to conduct noise studies.A dollar limit on the study was not set by Portage Township officials, but the cost is not expected to exceed a few thousand dollars, based on a proposed fee for the Juniata work.

Built by Gamesa Energy USA and sold last year to Babcock & Brown, the wind farm is at the Cambria-Blair county line, and the turbines affect residents in both countiesHeishman is expected to do the studies after Feb. 1, when steps being taken by Gamesa to eliminate the noise problems are completed, officials said Wednesday.

Local residents Bruce Brunett of Portage Township and Jill Stull of Juniata Township are convinced the noise - which they compare to the roar of a jet - is not the rotors, but a design flaw.The townships have ordinances setting allowable noise limits from the turbines at 45 decibels, a level Heishman said is similar to bird calls on a summer day.

Juniata Supervisor Dave Kane said he heard the noise from the turbines and is concerned. "They definitely have a problem. The windmills were making noise last week. They sounded like jet motors," Kane said.

Babcock & Brown spokesman Matt Dallas said the company is hopeful that work to repair the turbine rotors will quiet the machines.The company still is not convinced noise levels exceed maximum allowable levels.Recent testing by a sound engineer showed the levels within the ordinance levels, Dallas said, adding the testing was done "under every condition."

Of particular concern for Portage Township officials is the yet-to-be-completed second phase of the project, where many of the turbines overlook Martindale, a town of 150 homes about a half-mile from the site."The topography and configuration of the Martindale area is exactly what it is in Juniata Township. They're down in the valley, and they're going to get the noise," Brunett said.

Meanwhile, Babcock & Brown said it wants to be a good neighbor "We're willing to do what it takes to make sure we are within those (ordinance) guidelines," Dallas said.

Update on Saturday, May 3, 2008 at 09:45PM by

The BPRC Research Nerd

UPDATE! The NOISE goes on! May 3, 2008

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HOLLIDAYSBURG — The Juniata Township couple seeking relief from noisy wind turbines has taken their complaint to Blair County Court.

Todd and Jill Stull, in a lawsuit filed at the courthouse, accuse Gamesa Energy USA LLC and the Allegheny Ridge Wind Farm LLC of destroying their quality of life and damaging their health. They’re seeking an injunction ordering the noise to be reduced.

Ever since the wind turbines were built on acreage spanning Blair and Cambria counties, the Stulls say they have endured excessive noise and vibrations, causing loss of sleep, emotional distress, inconvenience and loss of property value.

“Defendants’ wind turbines have destroyed the peaceful environment formerly enjoyed by plaintiffs and their neighbors,” the lawsuit states.

Representatives for Gamesa Energy and Babcock & Brown, which owns the Allegheny Ridge Wind Farm, said Thursday that they had not yet received the lawsuit and declined comment.

In April, Juniata Township supervisors commissioned a study to determine if the turbines exceed the noise level allowed by township ordinance. Solicitor Michael Routch said the information is needed if the township is to force action to reduce noise at the request of residents.

Pittsburgh attorney Bradley S. Tupi said the Stulls’ lawsuit is based on nuisance laws applicable when a property owner uses his property in a way that interferes with how others use theirs. These laws historically surface in noise disputes between airports and neighbors, with rulings often reflecting who was there first, Tupi said.

The Stulls have lived on their 100-acre property since 1992.

The 30-turbine wind farm, which spans five townships and borders the Stulls’ property, went into operation in 2007.

The lawsuit also accuses Gamesa and the wind farm of securing permits and approvals to build on the basis that the turbines would cause no noise. Based on that premise, Tupi said the Stulls raised no objections or appeals to the proposed project, but now find themselves exposed to noise, vibrations and flicker during a setting sun.

“There is no question that the noise from these turbines are having a terrible effect on the Stulls,” Tupi said.