Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Environment Noise topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Commission discusses renewing wind-farm moratorium and pursuing a sound study after ice-related noise complaints
Summary
With neighbors reporting severe turbine noise during recent icing, the commission discussed extending a moratorium on new leases, scheduling a review in April and pursuing a technical acoustic study and operator commitments on how to measure and mitigate noise.
Neosho County commissioners discussed plans to revisit the county’s moratorium on wind-farm leasing and to pursue a sound study after residents reported unusually loud turbine noise during recent freezing and thaw cycles.
Commissioners said the moratorium remains a tool while the county evaluates long-term policy; they agreed to schedule discussion on the moratorium’s renewal at the first April meeting so the community has time to weigh in. The panel also discussed pursuing a technical measurement protocol with the wind-farm operator and seeking clarity on how noise would be measured and how the operator would be asked to respond.
A county representative said the wind farm and county previously agreed to a maximum sound level in the operations agreement but that the parties have not agreed on how to initiate a shutdown when residents measure excessive noise. Staff and commissioners said they will contact the local operations manager and industry contacts (including a person named Stan mentioned by commissioners) to explore technician availability and to draft terms for an actionable noise-monitoring process.
Commissioners cited a specific ice event in which accumulated ice on turbine blades caused intermittent loud noise when blades spun and then shed ice. Residents and commissioners described a continuous, disruptive period that lasted from night into the following afternoon while ice melted; commissioners said responsiveness from operator hotlines appeared limited during the episode.
No formal motion to engage an external acoustic consultant was adopted at the meeting, but commissioners said they would pursue follow-up meetings with the operator and consider contracting a third-party sound study if necessary. The commission directed staff to contact the local wind-farm operations representative and to identify consultants who perform turbine-sound surveys and to report back with options and cost estimates.
