|
You will need Adobe Acrobat to read some of the links on this site
|
The Impacts
Visual- Four huge wind turbines with their swirling blades will have a huge visual impact. The blades are as big as the wings on a Boeing 747 airliner. The structures dwarf anything in the area. The Pilgrim Monument in Provincetown is 252 feet tall. These turbines are half again as tall. This installation will change the look of Eastham dramatically. The wind turbines will be obstructions to air navigation and will need to have bright flashing strobe lights on top of them.
See wind turbines similar to those proposed for Eastham
Noise - The neighborhoods near the site are quiet residential locations. From most of these homes you can hear the faint sound of the ocean waves, especially at night. Will it be possible to sleep with the windows open once the turbines are installed? Contrary to the claims of many wind power proponents, wind turbines do make noise and large industrial wind turbines make lots of noise. The low frequency sounds generated can be especially annoying. Installation of the turbines could more than double the ambient sound levels at many residences. One of the turbines would be located within 660 feet of a home. Under the bylaws proposed by the town, the neighborhoods near the wind turbines will not be adequately protected from noise . The study of acoustic sound is a complicated science. Noises have objective and subjective characteristics. Many people ask for examples of sounds in dB or dBA. How loud is an aircraft? A train? A person singing? A dog barking? A power tool? The answers to this question vary considerably. It depends strongly upon how far away you are, whether you are indoors or not, whether there is reverberation, how strong the particular source is and what its frequency spectrum is. To give values, without being very specific about the conditions, can be misleading. A normal conversation heard during a day's normal activities might be perfectly acceptable sound, but when you are trying to sleep on a quiet night it becomes annoying noise. For more technical information Click here.
Shadow Flicker - Large wind turbines can cause a highly annoying effect caused when rotating wind turbine blades cast moving shadows on residents living nearby. Residents living 1/4 to 1/2 mile from wind turbines report being bothered by shadow flicker. It can be disorienting and highly annoying to individuals. There are documented reports of people suffering nausea and migraines from it. Wildlife has been known to the flee the area when subjected to shadow flicker. The shadows caused by the morning sun will likely be troublesome to residents to the west of the site. Sunrises and sunsets, when this problem is most severe, become times of the day to avoid being near windows or outdoors, rather than treasured.
Safety - Properly sited wind turbines require significant separation from residential and recreational areas. These distances are called "Setbacks". Large wind turbines have a spotty safety record. The blades and towers can and do fail, sometimes quite spectacularly. Lightning and equipment failures can cause fires. The Eastham Fire Department is not equipped to fight such a fire. They admit that they would probably have to let the fire burn itself out. This situation puts nearby residents and properties at substantial risk. The rotors can also shed ice that can fall at great distances from the tower. The adverse health effects of industrial wind turbine installations are just now being recognized.
Environmental - The site is designated as a Water Resource Protection Area. The area is critical to the continued viability of the drinking water wells in the area. That's why it was designated as protected. It is also the habitat of numerous species of birds and animals. Construction of the wind turbines will require use of heavy construction equipment such as power shovels, backhoes, bull dozers, trucks and cranes. Heavy duty roads to interconnect the turbine locations and to bring equipment to those locations will be required. This activity will be tremendously disruptive to any animals and flora in the area. The operation of the turbines and associated electrical equipment will require significant amounts oils and other materials which are hazardous to the environment. One careless spill could cause irreparable damage to the site and to the underlying aquifer.
Economic - The Eastham Energy Committee claims that this project will be economically beneficial to the residents and homeowners. They are claiming that the town will derive $170,000 a year from the project. We dispute these claims. Furthermore, there is no guarantee that the town will use the revenue to reduce the property taxes in town. To the contrary, it may be seen as a way for the town to increase spending without having to increase taxes! The assessed value of the homes within 1/2 mile of the site is about $118,000,000. Construction of this project could cause the value of the homes within 1/4 mile of a turbine to drop by 30%. Homes between 1/4 and 1/2 mile from a turbine could lose 10% of their value. If this happens, the homeowners in the neighborhood of the project will take a whopping $18,000,000 hit to their pocketbooks. This drop in property values will also reduce the town's annual tax revenue by more than $86,000. So the $170,000 in expected annual revenue could really only be a net amount of $84,000. The present value of $90,000 a year at 10% interest over the 15 year life of the project is only $640,000. Should the property owners in North Eastham be forced to give up $18,000,000 in property value so the town can receive $640,000 worth of revenue over 15 years? Clearly, this project isn't the bargain that the promoters claim it is!