The potential effects of a wind energy farm proposed for eastern Columbia County were outlined in a final environmental impact statement, released this week by the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin.

The document - composed of more than 100 pages, plus a second volume of maps, diagrams and photo simulations of how the wind turbines might change the vista in the farmland of the towns of Randolph and Scott - addresses issues such as noise, the turbines' effects on birds and bats, potential effects on agriculture and health and safety issues.

Timothy Le Monds, PSC spokesman, said the full report is available for perusal at the PSC's Web site, www.psc.wi.gov. To get the report, click on Electronic Regulatory Filing System, and enter the docket number, 6630-CE-302.

Wisconsin Electric Power Company, doing business as We Energies, has applied to the PSC for permission to build a wind power generation facility, which would be the first of its kind in Columbia County, consisting of 90 wind turbines, capable of generating up to 207 megawatts of power.

The project, called Glacier Hills Wind Park, would be located within 17,350 acres.

According to the EIS, 82 percent of the land in the project areas is agricultural, 10 percent is woodland, 4 percent is wetland or waterway and 4 percent is developed (with buildings and roads).

The commission requested the EIS - and delayed a public hearing on the project, originally scheduled for July, now scheduled for Nov. 4 - after several people living near the proposed wind farm raised concerns about issues such as:

• Noise created by the turbines, and the potential health effects of the noise.

• The impact of the turbines on flying species, including birds and bats.

• The effect of "shadow flicker" - a strobe-like flashing of light reflecting off the turbines' blades.

• The aesthetic effects of the towers, which could be 400 or more feet tall.

According to the study, there are about 47 homes located between 1,000 and 1,500 feet of the proposed turbine locations, and another 54 residences would be within 1,500 and 2,500 feet of the turbines.

"Noise levels associated with wind turbines are difficult to assess because of the scattered nature of the turbines," the study said. "In addition, impacts largely depend on the distance to and the number of nearby turbines, the sensitivity of individuals, wind speed and direction."

In general, the report said, studies of the effects of wind turbine noise on people show that, while the effects are varied, some people do, indeed, experience sleep disruption as a result of the sound, and that can lead to other health problems.

However, the EIS said, studies show "scant evidence" that wind turbine noise can have direct effects on the vestibular and autonomic nervous system.

"In summary, it is important to recognize that turbine noise can be problematic for some people," the EIS said. "Although specific sound levels or distances from turbine cannot be directly correlated with this disturbances or annoyance problems, project design and siting should take potential impacts of turbine noise into account.

Another potential health concern, related to shadow flicker, also was addressed in the EIS.

The study said that, for people living in homes 600 or more feet from the turbine (the proposed setback for landowners that have agreed to easements for one or more turbines on their land), there would be no more than 100 hours of shadow flicker per year. The number of hours of shadow flicker would be lower the farther away people live from the turbines, and from some directions - mainly the south, southeast and southwest - there might be no shadow flicker.

Shadow flicker also would vary with the seasons, the time of day and the wind speed.

During discussions of the project, and during visits to another We Energies wind farm in Fond du Lac County, several area residents reported dizziness and headaches related to shadow flicker.

The EIS said that, in rare cases, epileptic seizures can be triggered by flashing or flickering light.

The report recommended that We Energies work with neighbors of the wind farm to minimize shadow flicker, through methods such as visual barriers, and positioning the turbines so that the effect on nearby residences is minimized.

And, the report said, there is no denying that wind turbines affect bats and birds.

"The potential for avian mortality and displacement from feeding and nesting habitat is a major environmental concern," the study said.

Furthermore, turbines threaten bats even more than bird, according to the EIS.

Other issues addressed include:

• The ability of medical helicopters to land in the area of the turbines could be limited, as could the ability to apply chemicals to farmlands from the air.

• Incidents in which blades break loose from turbines, or of turbines falling down, are rare, though they have been reported in the United States and Europe, usually due to lightning strikes, improper assembly or improper manufacture.

• Ice can form on turbine blades with the right combination of temperature and moisture conditions, including fog. But if ice is thrown from a blade, it's usually in amounts of less than 50 grams and within about 262 feet of the turbine base.

ljerde@

capitalnewspapers.com

745-3587

Public hearing Nov. 4

A public hearing on the proposed We Energies wind farm in the Columbia County towns of Scott and Randolph will be held at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. Nov. 4 at the Randolph Town Hall, 109 S. Madison St., Friesland.

Anyone wishing to speak for or against the proposed Glacier Hills Energy Park may come to the hearing at either time. Testimony will be taken under oath before an administrative law judge. As with a court hearing, objections can be raised to testimony that could lead to the testimony not being admitted.

A verbatim transcript of the testimony will be included with the evidence that the three-member Public Service Commission of Wisconsin will consider when it decides, sometime in January, whether it will approve, deny or modify the 90-turbine project.

Witnesses at the public hearing may testify on the final environmental impact statement concerning the project, or on any topic related to the project.

A separate hearing for technical testimony will begin at 9 a.m. Nov. 2 at the PSC office, 610 N. Whitney Way, Madison.

Written comments on the project will be accepted through Oct. 28, either via an online form at the PSC's Web site, www.psc.wi.gov (select "public comments," then select Glacier Hills Wind Park, docket 6630-CE-302) or by writing to Docket 6630-CE-302, Public Service Commission of Wisconsin, Box 7854, Madison, WI 53707-7854.