Port Washington Council OKs 10 dB increase at power plant with annual reviews after residents raise noise, health and property concerns

The Port Washington Common Council voted March 17 to amend the conditional-use grant for the Port Washington generating station and increase allowable sound limits by 10 decibels, approving the change with a requirement for regular plan commission reviews through 2031.

The amendment, brought by WE Energies, was presented as a technical change tied to a planned replacement of end-of-life turbine components intended to restore summer generation capacity and improve efficiency. "We're not looking at any change in the maximum output of the plant," said Jerry Meisner, director of power generation projects for WE Energies. He said the company’s noise studies found rising ambient sound in the vicinity — from traffic, birds and other sources — and that the internal upgrades themselves are not expected to make the plant perceptibly louder.

Residents urged the council to deny the increase or require mitigation. Tim Zulkowski, a property owner at 136 South Wisconsin Street representing nine adjacent properties, said the change would be felt by neighbors and urged the utility to pay for noise abatement or buy affected properties. "A 10 dB increase...is roughly twice as loud to the human ear," Zulkowski said, and warned of impacts to property values and the right to quiet enjoyment. Resident Tracy Finch told the council that chronic low-frequency industrial noise from large data centers and related infrastructure can disrupt sleep and raise long-term health risks, particularly for children.

Council members pressed WE Energies for the underlying noise data and a practical monitoring plan. The company said it has made noise-collection studies for regulators and will share results submitted to the Public Service Commission, and that the PSC will likely require post-project noise measurements. "We can commit to sharing any data that we collect," Jennifer Bogner, director of local affairs for WE Energies, told the council.

Given neighborhood concern and the multi-year timeline for equipment upgrades, the council added monitoring and review conditions to the approval. The final motion requires the plan commission to review the conditional-use grant 12 months after council approval and then annually through 2031; the motion also kept all other existing terms and conditions of the 2008 grant in place.

Council members discussed enforcement options if the plant were later found out of compliance, up to revocation of the conditional-use permit. Staff said typical PSC requirements include at least one set of post-project readings; council members asked for more frequent reporting and clearer, city-accessible data so neighbors and the council can evaluate any change in sound levels.

The council's action followed a public hearing that included multiple speakers who requested additional mitigation measures — such as noise-insulating doors and windows, retaining-wall repairs for nearby Saw Creek properties, and that WE Energies or the data-center developer be required to fund independent studies or remediation. WE Energies representatives said the company's planned turbine replacements require PSC approval and that the PSC commonly requires post-construction acoustical testing; they said water flows used by the plant are not changing as part of the work.

The amended conditional-use grant passed after debate. The council’s condition that the plan commission review the amendment yearly through 2031 is intended to provide recurring oversight while the multi-year turbine upgrades are carried out and to give the city a formal mechanism to require additional mitigation if monitoring shows plant-related sound above allowable levels.