Windfarm Research
WIN TV NEWS|Shane Woodrow|August 6, 2009
When Trisha Godfrey bought her dream home she never imagined this. Sixty-five turbines in her view, some just eight-hundred metres away. Since they've been operating she's had trouble sleeping and suffered constant headaches and nausea. "All I know is before the wind turbines went on I was okay and now I'm not."
When Trisha Godfrey bought her dream home she never imagined this. Sixty-five turbines in her view, some just eight-hundred metres away. Since they've been operating she's had trouble sleeping and suffered constant headaches and nausea. "All I know is before the wind turbines went on I was okay and now I'm not."
When Trisha Godfrey bought her dream home she never imagined this.
Sixty-five turbines in her view, some just eight-hundred metres away.
Since they've been operating she's had trouble sleeping and suffered constant headaches and nausea.
"All I know is before the wind turbines went on I was okay and now I'm not. And the more that's coming on I'm feeling sicker all the time," said Waubra resident Patricia Godfrey.
"You just want to walk away from the place. You don't feel comfortable. You just don't feel well," said Noel Dean.
Neighbour Noel Dean's been monitoring low frequency infrasound he thinks could be causing the problems.
He's detected noise below twenty hertz, inaudible to humans, but at volumes up to eighty decibels: …
... more [truncated due to possible copyright]When Trisha Godfrey bought her dream home she never imagined this.
Sixty-five turbines in her view, some just eight-hundred metres away.
Since they've been operating she's had trouble sleeping and suffered constant headaches and nausea.
"All I know is before the wind turbines went on I was okay and now I'm not. And the more that's coming on I'm feeling sicker all the time," said Waubra resident Patricia Godfrey.
"You just want to walk away from the place. You don't feel comfortable. You just don't feel well," said Noel Dean.
Neighbour Noel Dean's been monitoring low frequency infrasound he thinks could be causing the problems.
He's detected noise below twenty hertz, inaudible to humans, but at volumes up to eighty decibels: the equivalent of a freight train passing the house.
University of Ballarat researchers will test sites around Waubra.
They say the noise can make people sick.
"It has similar symptoms to that of electromagnetic fields. So people who are sensitive to electromagnetic fields can also exhibit the same problems with infrasound," said Graeme Hood.
Waubra residents say they're also concerned about the impact windfarms are having on other communites. At Lal Lal and Mount Mercer turbines are even more powerful and closer to homes.
Another windfarm's proposed for Evansford.
People there are also worried.
"It's not sustainable if people are going to get sick," said Evansford resident Bernie Janssen.
While others have already moved, Trisha Godfrey's staying in Waubra for now.
She says she has no choice.
"Somebody comes up our driveway, they're not going to want to buy our house. There's no way. And it just breaks my heart. It's not right," said Trish Godfrey.