Falmouth Officials Aware of Wind Turbine Dangers Prior To Install

In 2005 Massachusetts state agencies warned multiple cities and towns through boilerplate wind turbine feasibility studies about two distinct types of wind turbine noise. Based on studies done by Neil Kelly in Boone, North Carolina by NASA and the US Department of Energy in 1987 wind turbines generate two distinct types of noise.

Those types of noise are regulatory measured in decibels and human annoyance aka known today as low-frequency infra-sound.

Falmouth residents in the feasibility study for their first turbine Falmouth Wind I was only told that up to 99 homes could be affected by noise and named those streets in the study.

KEMA Incorporated in 2005 did a preliminary noise study and map for Falmouth that showed using a General Electric 103.5 decibel wind turbine regulatory noise levels would exceed 40 to 50 decibels of noise at homes on Black Smith Shop Road. General Electric refused to build a single wind turbine because of residential setbacks and ice throw.

The Town of Falmouth then went forward buying a louder Vestas wind turbine generating 110 decibels of noise. The town recklessly went forward failing due diligence and having no preliminary noise studies or legal notification to the public and has taken the health and property rights of up to 200 residential homeowners around the wind turbines.

Falmouth Wind I a 110-decibel wind turbine was commissioned in March of 2010 with no preliminary noise study showing that houses on Black Smith Shop Road and vicinity could reach up to an intolerable near 60 decibels of noise. Later a second wind turbine was added and likewise no noise study for Falmouth Wind II or both turbines operating together.

Neighbors complained of chronic sleep loss, headaches and other symptoms. A wind turbine health impact study report commissioned by former Governor Deval Patrick in 2012 confirmed wind turbines cause sleep disturbance. The conclusion was reached by an independent expert panel. Indeed today people worldwide describe the noise as torture from lack of sleep.

In May 2010, Heather Harper the wind turbine manager for and assistant town manager stated:"governmental noise standards, which tend to range from 40-50dB, are not always sufficient to avoid negative impacts on the nearest neighbors."

On June 15, 2010, Assistant Town Manager, Heather Harper sent a letter to neighbors in which the town had taken mitigation measures which included slowing or shutting down the Falmouth Wind I wind turbine 39 times over just a few months. Clearly, the town recognized the noise problems.

In September of 2010 Heather Harper on wind turbines : “We took on a huge risk and I think we were successful but we’re a large community and I think we can take on that risk,”

The Assistant Town Manager Heather Harper was implementing the goals and carrying out the policies of the Board of Selectmen.

On July 1, 2010, the Falmouth Town Manager was requested to sign off a release on the second wind turbine Falmouth Wind II that also generated 110 decibels of noise. The request was from Vestas wind company because they had warned the town about the noise previous to installing any wind turbines at all.

During this month of July 2010 discussions were held on what to do about the Vestas refusal to sell Wind 2 because of sound pressure concerns:

(1) It appears that no-one on the staff brought this to the attention of the Board of Selectmen (based on BOS meeting minutes);
(2) The signer was switched from the Town Manager to the Wastewater Superintendent.
Town officials were well aware of the torturous noise.The Wastewater Superintendent assumed responsibility and liability and signed a letter dated August 3, 2010 and sent it the same day.

That August 3, 2010, Vestas 110 decibel warning letter was kept secret until after the May 2013 vote in which all nine precincts voted against removing the wind turbines.

The email next shows Brian Hopkins from Vestas the manufacturer of the current wind turbines never got an answer about the wind turbines being within Massachusetts state sound regulations. In 2012 the MassDEP found the wind turbines break state noise guidelines.

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Fri 5/28/2010 1:48 PM
Brian Hopkins brhop@vestas.com
RE: Sound / Feasibility Studies
TO: Wiehe, Stephen, cc Duijvesteijn, Olle; Yanuskiewicz, Francis
“Steve, I don’t believe I saw a feasibility study for Falmouth other than Site Plans. Was a sound study updated with the additional turbine?
Does the information I provided in the octave band data support the conclusions that you are conservatively within MA state sound regulations?
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Former Select Board Member Mary Pat Flynn the common denominator in the wind turbine health and property takings in 2011 voted in favor of setback of 10 times the diameter of the turbine blades or near 3000 feet for Falmouth wind turbines.

Mary Pat Flynn shown here with wind turbine advocate former Governor Deval Patrick aka (sally.reynolds@state.ma.us)

The Town of Falmouth foolishly followed the Massachusetts wind turbine agenda placing residents health and property at risk.

The Falmouth Zoning Board and Massachusetts Superior Courts have shut down both wind turbines as they are a nuisance.