Better Plan, Wisconsin

 Here is the most recent update of the noise log kept by the Wisconsn's Myer Family of Brownsville in Fond Du Lac County, where the turbines which surround their home have been on line since March.
(Download the entire diary by clicking here) We note the recording of a visit from Representative Phil Montgomery who sponsored an 11th hour bill for turbine siting reform which would have taken the power from local governments to regulate the siting of industrial turbines in their communities and given it to the Public Service Commission.
  The Public Service commission believes 40 story turbines can be sited 1000 feet from our homes and make 50 decibels of noise. They approved the wind farm the Myer family and hundreds of others are now forced to live with.
    The bill was tabled at the last minute but we expect there will be a push to pass it again next year. If you have any feelings about this, contact your legislators and let them know you don't want local control taken away, and that the PSC's 1000 foot set back is not something anyone should have to live with. You can find your Wisconsin state legislators by clicking here

        EcoEnergy, the wind developer who has targeted Magnolia township for a 67 turbine wind farm has threatened to override Magnolia township's recently passed wind ordinance and go to the PSC, thereby forcing a wind farm on a community that does not want turbines 1000 feet from homes. EcoEnergy doesn't care how our community feels about it. They aren't going to live here. (Download the Magnolia Wind Ordinance by clicking here)

We thank the Meyer family for sharing their experiences with us and we send our thoughts and sympathy for the them and for others who have to live with what has happened to the once peaceful life their rural community.

May 27 – 5:15 AM Just sound from #4.
                4:45 PM I can hear the turbines while we are in the yard loading our truck.
               10:30 PM Fairly calm. Can hear the hum of #4.
May 28 – 5:30 AM No breeze. #4 moving quietly. Much of the day the turbines were not turning even thought there was wind.
    10:30 PM Turning slow with quiet hum.
May 29 – 6:10 AM # 4 turning slow, however I can hear it in our dining room. Much of the day most of the 86 turbines were not turning.
     4:30 PM slow and quiet.
    12:00 midnight I just got home form a wind turbine planning meeting. The first sound I heard while still in my garage was the jet sound of turbine #4.
May 30 – 6:30 AM I can hear #’s 4 and 6 with the jet sound.
    2:50 PM I got out of my car and I can hear the jet sound of #4.
    4:25 Jet Sound.
    6:15 Annoying jet sound.
    10:35 PM Jet sound cutting through the night.
May 31 – I woke up with a headache.
    5:45 AM I can hear the jet sound of #’s 4 & 6.
    9:50 AM Turbines 4 & 6 are loud (jet sound) and annoying. I will try gardening again.
    5:10 PM I can hear #4 while sitting at our dining room table.
    6:40 PM Jet sound.
    10:25 PM Slow humming sound.

June 1 – I woke up at 2:00 AM and 4:15 AM last night kind of anxious.
    7:15 AM There is absolute silence. Not of of the 86 turbines are turning. WOW! What            peace☺
    3:00 PM Some turbines are turning.
    8:15 PM Most of the turbine blades are set as not to turn. No wind, calm.
June 2 – 5:30 AM Almost all of the turbines are not making electricity.                                   (translation-The turbines are not turning).
    4:30 PM Turbines that are turning seem to be going slow. Turbine #4 is giving off only
    a hum.
    8:00 PM The wind is from the east. Quiet.
    8:20 PM Wind from SW. Turbines moved to new direction and now the jet sound is heard.
    10:20PM Wind N and now quiet
June 3 – 6:00 AM Fairly quiet. Our 13 year old son complained of a headache at breakfast.
    I asked why. He replied, “The wind turbines”.
    3 PM Turbine #4 not running but can hear #3a in it’s place.
    10:30 PM  Fairly quiet
June 4 – 6AM foggy. Can’t see the turbines. Quiet.
    3:30 PM Still foggy and only a hum from #4.
    10:00 PM Quiet from #4.
June 5 – I woke up at 4:45 AM to loud thunder. I had been awake for 1 ½ hours when I woke my wife up. She said “The turbines keep me awake yet I can’t wake up in the thunder storms”.
    6:15 AM Slight wind and sound. 4 PM Turning slow and quiet.
    8:15 PM I checked the garden and annoying hum from turbine 4.
    10:35 PM The wind has picked up and I can hear # 4 and 73.
    10:55 PM I can hear # 73 at the computer. The computer is in the house. Turbine 73 is 2480’ away from the house.
June 6 – 3:40 AM Loud jet sound from our porch from both turbines 4 and 73.
    (Gone on vacation for 3 days)
June 9 – 5:00 PM We just returned from the airport. The first sound we heard getting out of the car was turbine #4. How annoying and aggravating.
           10:10 PM I hear turbine 4 and 6
June 10 – 6:10 AM fairly quiet.
    1:40 PM not turning.
    2:55 PM Wind sw. Loud jet sound.
    5:10 PM The jet sound continues.
    7:30 PM Still the jet sound.
    10:20 PM Jet sound is still loud.
June 11 – 6:10 AM I can hear turbines 4 and 6.
    5:10 PM Windy and I can hear #’s 4 and 6 like a jet flying over.
    11:10 PM. Still loud and I can hear turbines 4 and 6
June 12 – 5 to 7 AM. Turbines 4 and 6 are like a loud jet flying over.
    Soon we are leaving for the NASCAR races in Brooklyn MI. The cars are loud but much         better to hear than the constant sound of an industrial wind turbine.
June 16 – 1:20 PM We just returned home from 4 ½ days in MI. The very first sound I    heard when opening the truck door was the jet sound of turbines. Specifically turbines 4 and 6. Turbine # 6 is ¾ of a mile from our house. How depressing and sad this has to take place day after day.
    2:45 Still the jet sound
    5:30 PM Still the loud jet flying over sound.
    9:30 PM Still the annoying jet sound.
June 17 – WE woke at 5:15 AM. The first words my wife said was “I have a bad headache”. When I went out at 5:40 AM I knew why. Turbines 4 and 6 were loud with the jet flying over low sound. The wind was from the NW.
    2:10 PM Loud jet sound from #’s 4 and 6. Just a reminder turbine 6 is ¾ of a mile away.  
    9:00 PM I went to the garden and turbine 4 (1350’ from the garden) is terribly loud and aggravating.
    9:20 PM Neighbor GB called and talked for 30 minutes about his anger, frustration and is just beside himself over turbine # 6 1000’ to the east of him and turbine # 7 1000’ to the west of him.
June 18 – 5 AM I woke up this morning feeling great and upbeat. I walked out the door        at 6 AM and not one of the 86 turbines was turning. I feel that had something to do with how good I felt when I got up with out knowing the turbines were turning.
    4 PM Quietly turning away but audible.
    10:30 PM Low volume jet sound
June 19 – 5:10 AM Much louder sound than yesterday. Wind from straight sw. This really is intruding on our health, well being and quality of life.  How sad and what can we do about it?
    2:15 PM I can hear turbines 4 & 6.
     800 PM Most turbines stopped-no wind.
June 20 – 5:10 AM Not turning. We were gone for the day to a wedding. We got home at 11:20 PM. nw wind. Turbine 4 whoosh sound.
June 21 – 6:00 AM Wind from W. I hear turbines 4 & 6 ripping through the sky. It would not be a good time if we had a yard party. Of course you remember turbine # 6 is ¾ mile away. I would say this morning’s sound is like if you had your house built and were living in side and industrial park with a metal stamping plant on two sides of your home.
    11.10 PM I just got home from an all day wedding. The first thing we hear upon arriving home is turbines 4 & 6
June 22 – 6:10 AM Almost no wind. The turbines are turning slow with only a hum for sound.
    2:15 PM I am working in the back garden. I can hear turbine 4.
    10:20 PM Turbines turning slow & fairly quiet.
June 23 – 6:10 AM Foggy and no wind.
    9:10 AM Light nw wind but can hear turbine 4.
    12 noon. Turbine 4 with some noise with the whoosh. Today at noon we had legislative visitors:Rep. Phil Montgomery Rep. Kevin Petersen Kristin Ruesch and Waylon Hurlburt-Office of Rep. Montgomery Amber Hodgeson - Office of Sen. Jeff Plale -Kevin Brady - Office of Sen. Roger Breske
They were sincerely interested in the sounds we are experiencing and gave us some ideas on information we could provide and how to do it to help our situation. Also in attendance Larry and Curt other affected neighbors as well as Bob and Ron concerned leaders in safe setbacks.
6:20 PM Most turbines are stopped.
11:30 PM Wind from south not too strong yet I can hear a vibration sound as I work at the computer.
June 24 – 5:10 AM The first thing my wife said is “I have a headache”. I feel it is connected to the
sound and/or vibration I felt last night before going to bed. Wind from SW. Light wind but I hear easily the turbines.
1:50 PM Wind SW. Turbines fairly loud, low jet sound.
10:55 PM I can hear
Turbines 73 & 4. Stronger jet sound than earlier.
June 25 – 5:10 AM Turbine #4 turning, but slow and quiet. Wind from S and light.
    5:00PM. Turbines 4 & 73 moderate sound.
    6:10 PM Turbines 4 & 73 Jet sound.
    1:00 AM Turbines 4 & 73 loud jet Sound.
    I can hear #73 at the computer. Wind is from S-SW all day.
June 26 – 6:10 AM Quiet.
    5:10 PM Wind S-SW Fairly quiet.
    10:20 PM I can hear turbines 4, 6 & 73.
June 27 – 5:10 AM I can hear turbines 4 & 6. Remember turbine #6 is ¾ mile away from my house.
    2:30 PM Moderate sound
    10:40 PM wind from S and can hear turbines 4 & 73 like a loud jet flying over with a whoosh sound to it.
    12:30 AM Turbines 4 &73 sound like a Chinook helicopter ripping the night sky apart. This is a very loud jet sound. I can hear turbines 4 & 73 at my computer and turbine # 4 in our family room with the TV on☹ Keep in mind our home is well insulated with a full 4” studs with R 19 fiber glass in the walls, full 1” sheeting board and 1” Styrofoam. How would the sound be in other house with out all the trees surrounding the home like ours has?
June 28 – 6:20 AM Slight wind from the W. The sound is not very loud this morning.
     8:40 AM Wind W-SW with a loud ripping sound through the air.
    6:20 PM Wind SW moderate sound .Even as I stopped the car to pull today’s mail from the mail box at home. I could hear at least one turbine. That is with the car running and the radio on. Does this seem acceptable to the PSC and other regulating bodies? I beg to differ if it does. We have been to Madison all day watching the ultimate Frisbee tournament part of Badger Games. Yes, we heard noise. Jets flying over, the tracks of bulldozers doing UW construction and the Flight For Life helicopter coming and going from UW Hospital. Those sounds are nothing compared to being surrounded by industrial wind turbines tearing the sky apart generally 24 hours a day. As I got out of the car I could hear turbines 4, 6 & 73 making a loud jet sound fighting hard to see which one could be the loudest. I have written before this almost constant sound gives me two forms of anger. Anger that our lives have been intruded upon by these loud, inefficient industrial machines and the anger of tenseness and anxiousness.
    9:30 PM The sound is still a fairly loud jet sound.
    11:50 PM More quiet.
June 29 – 6:50 AM Very loud jet sound from turbines 4, 6 & 73.
    12:15 PM Still loud like a jet flying over. Very bad.
    6:45 PM Fairly quiet. 11:35 PM Loud jet sound. I hear turbines 4, 6 & 73. The energy company people say with the new technology you only hear sound from one side of the turbines blades or head. I don’t remember which side it is and I can not tell because I hear the turbines from the north, south and northwest all at the same time so it must be another misrepresentation as is the fabrication that turbines make no or very little noise.
June 30 – 5:20 AM This is a quiet morning.
    11:10 PM Slow and quiet.
July 1 – 6:10 AM Slow movement and quiet sound.
     1:50 PM Much louder.
     5:10 PM moderately loud jet sound.
    10:15 PM I can hear #4 loud #’s 73 & 74a loud enough to hear while walking the dog.
July 2 -6:15 AM Very loud jet sound from turbines 4 & 73.
    7:45 AM My wife called me at work to tell me that SV our neighbor on the road behind us (we share turbine #4) called us to say “Last night was a night from hell”. Translated that means the turbines were terribly loud.
    3:40 PM Turbine 4 sounds like a jet flying over.
    6:10 PM Our 13 year old son ate slow and very little. We asked him many times to eat. Finally with tears in his eyes he said “You don’t know what I am going through with the turbines”.
     9:20 PM N wind I can hear turbines 4 & 73 equally and loud. Turbine 73 is 2480’ away. Tonight I think I can hear turbine # 70 which is one mile away. I went for a walk tonight. I could hear wind turbines the whole 45 minutes of the walk which caused the walk to be not very relaxing.
July 3 – 6 AM Moderate sound from turbine 4.
    4:10 PM Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh☹
    11:35PM Fairly quiet. Went to Town of Magnolia Town Board Meeting where they adopted a wind ordinance☺
July 4 – 6:50 AM Not turning. What a nice beginning to the 4th of July.
     2:10 PM Quiet. The turbine heads have been stopped most of the day, but have changed directions a few times.
    11:20 PM Turning but slow with loud hum.
July 5 – 6:55 AM very little wind from SW. Turning slow and quiet.
     8:30 AM to 4:00 PM. Today was a fairly quiet day. There was very little wind. The turbines were quiet.
    11:10 PM NOW the turbines are VERY loud. I hear #’s 4 & 73 like a loud jet flying overhead. I can hear turbine 73 even with my garage in between me and the turbine while standing right next to the garage as a shield. I am at the computer (inside the house) and I can hear turbine 73. Remember turbine #73 is 2480’ or almost a half mile away.
July 6 – 7:30 AM Wind S very low. I can hear turbines 4, 6 & 73 about equally from the back of our property Turbine 73 therefore would be over ½ mile or about 2940’ from me and #6 is just under ¾ of a mile from the back of our property. I have a small hand held sound level indicator and got a reading of 40db and at the moment the sound is fairly quiet but annoying.
    7:50 AM I am reading a map at the dining room table and I can hear the turbines quite easily. The kitchen door is open. Again this is quite an intrusion on our normal life style and on our health.
     8:00AM I can hear #73 while at the computer with music playing at the sound level of 30 on the computer. Turbine # 73 is 2480’ away. Sound audible in a well constructed, well insulated home should not be permitted by our government leaders including town, county, state and the PSC. I used to live in a peaceful rural area. Now thanks to the leaders we trusted we live in an industrial park type setting except we never moved. We were intruded upon. I doubt that a city planner would allow an industrial park to move into a residential area. My oldest son (age 33) just commented that at 2:00 AM he was going to “Have me call my legislator friends. They (turbines) were the loudest I have heard them”.
    9:40 AM Turbine # 4 is fighting to see if it can rip the sky apart. It is very loud. Did you ever had to vomit but nothing came out but retching sound? You got the picture of what it is like at the moment.
     5:10 PM S wind. I filmed # 4 & 6. They were loud and I could hear # 73.
    6:55 PM Wind SW. The turbines are now turned a little SW from where they were 45 minutes ago. Now they are louder. The jet flying over loud sound with a pulse added. It is sickening. 11:30 PM. Turbine 73 is the loudest. Then #4. Then #6. Thumping and jet sound.
July 7 – 5:10 AM Wind S. Fairly quiet yet annoying.
    9:00 AM Wind S. Similar sound as earlier.
    5:20 PM Jet sound.
    9:50 PM It is raining. Wind S. Sound is audible.
    12:50 AM Wind S Turbines 4, 6, 73 and 74a are giving off the loud jet sound ripping the sky apart. I can hear 73 & 74a from the computer room. From our family room I can hear turbines 6 & 4.
July 8 – 6:15 AM The first words from my wife’s mouth were “I’m going to go back to sleep”;. “I didn’t sleep half the night and was up at 2:00 AM”. That is not a surprise considering when we went to bed we could hear the industrial wind turbines in all parts of our house.
    5:15 PM Wind SW Jet sound from turbine 4.
    11:15 PM wind NW. It is loud again tonight. Turbines 6 & 4 are a very loud jet sound with thumping sound from # 6. And.. how exciting (not really) that tonight I can hear an additional turbine #75a which is also ¾ of a mile from our house. If you have been paying attention you have figured our we have turbines almost in a 360 degree circumference of our house. It is getting worse. Not better☹
July 9 – 5:15 AM Our 13 year old son is up. He should be in bed sound asleep at this time. He said he has been up since 2:00 AM. He said he was woke up by the wind turbines. That is not a surprise considering how loud they were last night.
    5:40 AM. I can hear # 4 & 6.
    8:55 AM Wind NW. I can hear #4 whooshing and humming. The wind is not strong.
    4:00 PM. Our son and I are leaving chess camp in Shorewood. Robert got sick. It was very unusual. He was very anxious and worried about his pulse, heart, blood clots, blood not moving in his body, he was sweating and thirsty, kept checking his stomach by pulling up his shirt. Remember in the beginning of this diary I commented that especially my wife was concerned as soon as she heard about turbines coming to our area the health effects it may have on our son due to the trauma he experienced before social services entered his life? I believe today is a direct result of the wind turbines affecting his life due to headaches, lack of sleep and just plain stress and anxiety created by the constant sound. Part of this sound is rarely mentioned which is the low vibration sound we may not even feel.
9:05 PM. Most of the 86 turbines are moving slow or are stopped. There is almost no wind from the W. My wife and I discussed where the wind is operating the turbines or are they being back fed with electricity to make them appear they are producing?
 10:40 PM. There is not wind on the ground.

(Note from the BPRC Research Nerd: To read a recent article about some of the efficency troubles with wind power, click here)