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Residents urge larger setbacks and more study during Des Moines County wind-ordinance work session
Summary
At a public hearing and follow-up work session, residents, conservation-board members and farmers urged supervisors to increase proposed wind-turbine setbacks — citing safety, ice/debris, livestock and well impacts — and asked the board to require installation data from developer AES before approving final permits.
Dozens of residents and conservation-board members urged the Des Moines County Supervisors on Dec. 16 to tighten proposed setbacks in a draft wind-turbine ordinance and to require more developer data before final approval.
Terry Davis, a member of the Des Moines County Conservation Board, told supervisors the current draft is "insufficient to protect wildlife" and that the board’s earlier recommended setbacks were rejected; he said the ordinance's protections are largely "after the fact."
Public commenters described a range of concerns. Rose Fisher summarized comparative county activity and said Des Moines County currently ranks near the bottom among counties for setback distance: "We oppose an ordinance with a setback that will allow debris and ice throw onto our properties and force us to endure the noise and shadow flicker from a neighbor's massive turbine," she said. Another resident, Joshua, described buying land to build a home and asked how he and his young family will be protected if turbines could be sited 715 feet from his property: "This is about local families being protected and not sacrificed," he said.
Several speakers questioned reliance on industry standards and on the developer AES for safety data. Don Ralls referenced the Nordex safety manual and said safety distances used in other counties were drawn from manufacturer materials; others said AES has not supplied installation or safety data yet and that the current draft ordinance lets AES provide technical materials only after final approval.
Speakers also raised construction concerns, including pile-driving effects on wells and disturbance to livestock, and asked for consideration of agriculture-specific setbacks. Randy Hollingsworth and others said the draft appears to favor the developer: "It's like AES is writing our ordinance for the people of Des Moines County," one speaker said.
Supervisors acknowledged that they have added language to the ordinance and that work on updates began in 2023. The board paused the public hearing to take a short break and scheduled a work session to continue discussing setbacks and possible ordinance changes.
Next steps: the board recessed for a break and will hold a work session to review the ordinance and the public’s concerns; no final ordinance vote occurred at the meeting.
