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Russ Lundberg, Huron County Building and Zoning director, said he and Kurt Damrow, Huron County commissioner and head of the subcommittee, met with Rob O'Neal of Epsilon Associates earlier this month. The company was hired by John Deere Wind to complete the wind turbine noise study. Representatives from John Deere also attended the meeting with Epsilon, Lundberg said.
The noise study is being done to comply with the county zoning ordinance, which requires wind farm developers to provide a post-construction certification that the project complies with the applicable codes and industry practices. The noise study is one portion of the certification report, and wind developers are required to hire a licensed, certified noise consultant to do the study. Lundberg said this is no different than a builder being required to submit detailed construction plans from a licensed engineer for a new factory.
During the one-hour meeting with Epsilon, O'Neal talked about Epsilon's experience in completing noise studies at 30 to 35 different wind farms across the U.S.
According to Lundberg, Epsilon will be using American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standards for noise sampling. The company will sample at 15 locations, but only eight will be done at one time. The sampling will take place over the course of two days, including at night.
Epsilon will have 11 sound meters, which are more sensitive than those used by the general public. Decibels and tonality will be sampled, and ambient noise will be gathered when turbines are off.
By determining the existing ambient noise level in a community, Lundberg said, a baseline noise level can be used to examine how an addition to the community, such as a wind turbine farm, affects the noise level. An ambient noise is created by everyday activity in a given area, such as traffic. Once the ambient noise is recorded, a noise reading will then be taken at various locations with turbines operating, and the noise generated by the turbines at specific sites can then be calculated.
The Huron County wind ordinance currently states "audible noise or the sound pressure level from the operation of the wind energy facility shall not exceed 50 dBa (decibels), or the ambient sound pressure level plus five dBa, whichever is greater, for more than 10 percent of any hour, measured at any residence, school, hospitals, church or public library existing on the date of approval of any wind energy facility site permit."
Lundberg said certain conditions could make a noise sample unusable, such as when wind is too strong or when it is raining.
He also said when the wind speed reaches above five meters per second, or 11 miles per hour, the noise generated from a wind turbine would be masked by the noise caused by the wind. Therefore, the noise samples in these situations wouldn't be useable.
Lundberg said Epsilon hopes to start its noise study in mid-September. Along with Michigan Wind I, noise sampling will be done at the Harvest Wind Farm between Pigeon and Elkton.
He said while the county recommended Epsilon to John Deere, the county did not hire Epsilon.
Some people attending the meeting shared concerns about the noise study being biased, since John Deere is paying for the study. Lundberg said once the compliance report is finished, the county will have a noise consultant look at the noise study portion of the report. If the report isn't as complete as it should be, or if the noise consultant finds a problem with the noise study, the county has the option of hiring a noise consultant to confirm the developer's data. The county also has the option of conducting its own noise study by hiring its own noise consultant.
If the county would do its own noise study, the cost would be reimbursed to the county by the wind facility's owner/operator.
Valerie McCallum, Lake Township clerk, asked why the county couldn't do its noise study at the same time Epsilon does its study.
"That would be interesting," she said.
"Why not allow the wind developer to submit the report to the county first?" Lundberg said, noting the county could then decide to do its own noise study, but only if necessary.
Commissioner Dave Peruski, who also sits on the subcommittee, said he didn't believe having two noise consultants doing simultaneous noise studies would be a good idea.
"I wouldn't want the two noise consultants comparing notes," he said.
He agreed that it would be best to have the county wait to see if a follow-up noise study is needed.
In other discussion at the subcommittee meeting, members reviewed a draft revision to the Huron County Wind Energy Ordinance regarding complaint resolution.
The draft states "a description of a complaint resolution process shall be provided by the applicant of a wind energy facility as part of the initial application for zoning approval. The process is intended to facilitate resolution of complaints concerning the construction or operation of the wind energy facility from nearby residents and/or property owners. The process may use an independent mediator or arbitrator and shall include a time limit for acting on a complaint. Guidelines for such a process shall be provided through a joint Planning Commission/Board of Commissioners Subcommittee. Said guidelines are not part of this ordinance, but are intended to serve as model language for the process."
The draft also states "a complaint resolution process approved through a wind energy facility permit shall not preclude the county from acting on a complaint. In such an instance, the model guidelines would be used as a format for review and action."
Lundberg said once the subcommittee has agreed to the draft, it would be submitted to the planning commission for review and comment. The planning commission would then schedule a public hearing on the proposed language. Following the public hearing, the planning commission would transmit the proposed language and a summary report/recommendation to the Huron County Board of Commissioners, which would take action to either adopt, reject or modify the language. Then, the effective date of the amendment would be published.
The subcommittee also discussed how it should proceed with its work. Lundberg said the subcommittee could wait until its work is finalized and then conduct a public hearing. On the other hand, the subcommittee could have a hearing on each of the items the subcommittee is working on - complaint resolution language, setbacks and noise levels. He said having separate hearings would take more time and require additional notices and costs.
Peruski, however, said he would rather have a hearing as soon as possible on the complaint resolution process, because that is one of the main reasons the subcommittee formed.
People concerned about wind farm development, including some Lake Township residents, hope a complaint resolution can be developed soon, as shared during last week's subcommittee meeting. In the meantime, complaints about noise from Michigan Wind I keep coming in, and the county received its first complaint from Sheridan Township. So far, about nine official complaints have come from Bingham Township.
Another topic the subcommittee has discussed is doing a study regarding how wind turbines affect people's health. While the University of Michigan has indicated it is not interested in participating in a health study because of the extensive amount of time, people and money it would take, Michigan State University remains interested. One of the first steps to be completed in the health study is to see what studies already have been published. There are some grant opportunities available for MSU to look into that would help fund a study.
The next subcommittee meeting is at 4 p.m. Thursday on the third floor of the Huron County Building.
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