Citizens respond to wind company's statements

CLAYTON — Environmentally Concerned Citizens Organization took issue with some of the statements a wind development company made last week about the town wind committee's recommendations.

The committee talked about its recommendations at a workshop with Town Council and Planning Board members May 27. Iberdrola representatives responded to the recommendations in a letter dated May 20 and at the meeting, saying the committee's recommendations would virtually eliminate the proposed Horse Creek Wind Farm.

In a letter to Town Council members dated May 29, ECCO's attorney, Gary A. Abraham, argued against a letter from Iberdrola to the town dated May 20.

"Specifically, ECCO seeks by these comments to avoid town board action that might rubber stamp the most vacuous statements paraded before you by Iberdrola as findings of fact," Mr. Abraham wrote.

In its recommendations to the Town Council, the town's wind committee said both audible and low-frequency noise should be measured before a wind project is built and industrial wind projects should be sited so they will not produce more than five decibels of audible and low-frequency noise above the preconstruction measurements.

Iberdrola business developer Jenny L. Burke wrote in the May 20 letter, "There are no known issues with low-frequency sound and wind turbines."

Mr. Abraham responded, "In fact, wind turbine noise includes a significant low-frequency component, sounds below 500 Hz, including inaudible infrasound."

He cited a manufacturer's report of 95 decibels of noise at 10 hertz from a 2.5-megawatt Nordex N80 turbine. He said very few studies have been published on the effects of low-frequency sound of wind turbines on humans, but low-frequency sound in general is linked to abnormal growth of collagen and elastin in the blood vessels and organs of humans and animals.

"Wind turbine noise can be expected to expose residents to low-frequency noise much more often because such noise is generated 24 hours per day for days at a time," he wrote.

In Iberdrola's letter, Ms. Burke wrote, "The use of relative sound standard as the proposed 5dBA above ambient, as a measure emitted sound is not an attainable standard because it will change with varying wind speeds."

Mr. Abraham countered that both the state Department of Environmental Conservation guidelines and recommendations to the town from Cavanaugh Tocci Associates, Sudbury, Mass., call for preconstruction sound studies and use of a relative sound standard.

Iberdrola also complained about property lines being the location of sound measurement as opposed to the exterior of residences. Mr. Abraham argued that applying noise limits to property lines allows nonparticipants fuller use of their properties.

The two organizations both resist the setbacks the committee presented. Iberdrola argued they are too great, arbitrary and unprecedented in New York. ECCO said the noise limits alone will create comparable setbacks. Mr. Abraham also wrote that special protection should be give to waterfront areas and the village of Clayton and hamlet of Depauville.