Charlie Porter has farmed north of King City for years, but it's the new farm next door he says is robbing his family. Talking about the Wind Capital facility nearby, Porter explains, "These windmills have stole our peace and quiet." The massive wind energy farm was built around his ranch a few years ago, changing the look and "sound" of things.
Charlie Porter has farmed north of King City for years, but it's the new farm next door he says is robbing his family. Talking about the Wind Capital facility nearby, Porter explains, "These windmills have stole our peace and quiet." The massive wind energy farm was built around his ranch a few years ago, changing the look and "sound" of things.
Charlie Porter has farmed north of King City for years, but it's the new farm next door he says is robbing his family.
Talking about the Wind Capital facility nearby, Porter explains, "These windmills have stole our peace and quiet."
The massive wind energy farm was built around his ranch a few years ago, changing the look and "sound" of things.
"Fourteen of (the turbines) are within a mile of my front door. It's just always that thump, thump, thump."
He says the noise plagues his family day and night.
"Its when they wake you up and you try and go back to sleep but you can't because you cant get that sound out of your head," Porter says. "It just grinds at you over and over a period of time."
The turbine's owner, Wind Capital …
... more [truncated due to possible copyright]Charlie Porter has farmed north of King City for years, but it's the new farm next door he says is robbing his family.
Talking about the Wind Capital facility nearby, Porter explains, "These windmills have stole our peace and quiet."
The massive wind energy farm was built around his ranch a few years ago, changing the look and "sound" of things.
"Fourteen of (the turbines) are within a mile of my front door. It's just always that thump, thump, thump."
He says the noise plagues his family day and night.
"Its when they wake you up and you try and go back to sleep but you can't because you cant get that sound out of your head," Porter says. "It just grinds at you over and over a period of time."
The turbine's owner, Wind Capital Group, says complaints like Charlie's are rare.
"Landowners in our projects have been very very supportive," explains spokeswoman Adhar Johnson, who claims the noise is next to non-existent.
She says, "Actually the way the technology is, they are very very very quiet. If you go to any of our other projects you can barely hear them."
Wind Capital Group claims its turbines don't make any more noise than a home refrigerator, but KQ2 returned three different times over the span of a week, we heard a much different story.
The sound was the roar of the turbines filled the air, making Charlie's property sound more like an airport than a horse farm.
Porter says, "Common sense tells you anything that the size (of the turbines) has got to make more noise than a refrigerator."
Charlie says it's the denial of this problem that makes the issue all the worse. He says he knows the damage won't be reversed, but he's advocating for more regulations.
He explains, "Whether wind turbines are good or they are not is not my beef. Its the setbacks from people's house."
He's even become a voice of sorts for what he calls wind corporations "blowing over" the little man.
While the so-called "winds" of progress will continue to create scenes and sounds like Charlie is experiencing,
he just hopes for others, life on the farm wont be ruined by wind farms.
"I do know what its like to live under them. I am an expert at living under them and something has to be done."