Falmouth Wind 1 Twice As Loud As Residents Told

Where is the outrage ?

The Town of Falmouth avoided the wind turbine bylaw 240-166 which would have required additional noise tests & abutter notifications

Had the town followed the wind turbine bylaw 240-166 the town would not be in a 12 million dollar mess today .

The question remains why did the town consider bylaw 240-166 and then avoid the bylaw. My opinion is the town had always been aware of the noise warning from Vestas Wind Company the turbine was twice as loud as the manufactured ratings and everyone involved in the project was aware of it prior to the installation

Here is the key to understanding the noise of the Falmouth Wind 1 turbine in decibels. Decibels is the unit of noise measurement. At 10 decibels you hear leaves and slight air movement. At 100 decibels it sounds like a lawn mower 16 times as loud as that of the leaves. At 110 decibels it sounds like a hard rock band 32 times higher than the leaves.

The Town of Falmouth prior to the installation of the Falmouth Wind 1 turbine told the public through various studied the turbine put out 103.5 decibels

A letter recently released through a Freedom of Information Act Request shows the town had always known the turbine puts out 110 decibels
A wind turbine with a decibel rating of 110 decibels is almost double the sound of a turbine with a rating of 103.5 decibels

You the residents and home owners of Falmouth were told the Falmouth Wind 1 turbine would equal the sound of a gas lawn mower at 103.5 decibels . The town had known since day one that the turbine actually equaled a the sound of a loud rock band at 110 decibels.

Here is proof the town always knew :

Vestas raises concerns about turbine noise (Letter)

Bruce Mabbott - August 3, 2010

Impact on People Noise Massachusetts

After noise complaints started coming in following the erection of WIND 1, the first Falmouth turbine at the wastewater treatment facility, Vestas required confirmation that the Town of Falmouth “understands they are fully responsible for the site selection of the turbine and bear all responsibilities to address any mitigation needs of the neighbors.” WIND 2 would not be released to the town for erection until the letter was signed. The letter explaining the situation is provided below and can be accessed by selecting the link(s) on this page.

August 3, 2010
Mr. Gerald Potamis
WasteWater Superintendent
Town of Falmouth Public Works
59 Town Hall Square
Falmouth, MA 02540

RE: Falmouth WWTF Wind Energy Facility II “Wind II”, Falmouth, MA
Contract No. #3297

Dear Mr. Potamis,

Due to the sound concerns regarding the first wind turbine installed at the wastewater treatment facility, the manufacturer of the turbines, Vestas, is keen for the Town of Falmouth to understand the possible noise and other risks associated with the installation of the second wind turbine.

The Town has previously been provided with the Octave Band Data / Sound performance for the V82 turbine. This shows that the turbine normally operates at 103.2dB but the manufacturer has also stated that it may produce up to 110dB under certain circumstances. These measurements are based on IEC standards for sound measurement which is calculated at a height of 10m above of the base of the turbine.

We understand that a sound study is being performed to determine what, if any, Impacts the second turbine will have to the nearest residences. Please be advised that should noise concerns arise with this turbine, the only option to mitigate normal operating sound from the V82 is to shut down the machine at certain wind speeds and directions. Naturally this would detrimentally affect power production.

The manufacturer also needs confirmation that the Town of Falmouth understands they are fully responsible for the site selection of the turbine and bear all responsibilities to address any mitigation needs of the neighbors.

Finally, the manufacturer has raised the possibility of ice throw concerns. Since Route 28 is relatively close to the turbine, precautions should be taken in weather that may cause icing.

To date on this project we have been unable to move forward with signing the contract with Vestas. The inability to release the turbine for shipment to the project site has caused significant [SIC] delays in our project schedule. In order to move forward the manufacturer requires your understanding and acknowledgement of these risks. We kindly request for this acknowledgement to be sent to us by August 4, 2010, as we have scheduled a coordination meeting with Vestas to discuss the project schedule and steps forward for completion of the project.

Please sign in the space provided below to indicate your understanding and acknowledgement of this letter. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call me.


Sincerely,

(Bruce Mabbott’s signature)
_______________________
Bruce Mabbott Gerald Potamis
Project Manager Town of Falmouth


CC: Sumul Shah, Lumus Construction, Inc.
(Town of Falmouth’s Wind-1 and Wind-2 Construction contractor)

Stephen Wiehe, Weston & Sampson
(Town of Falmouth’s contract engineers)

Brian Hopkins, Vestas
(Wind-1, Wind-2’s turbine manufacturer, and also Webb/NOTUS turbine)

http://www.windaction.org/posts/41357-vestas-raises-concerns-about-turbi...