August 19, 2020
South Dakota

Hughes County Commission amends ordinance covering wind farm site requirements

Jody Heemstra | DRGNEws | Aug 18, 2020 | drgnews.com

The Hughes County Commission has amended the county ordinance establishing requirements for where wind turbines may be located.

The final ordinance, which passed unanimously, establishes a distance requirement of ½ mile or 4.9 times the height of the tower from any occupied structure and limits turbine noise to no louder than 45 decibels.

Jerry Webb, who lives south of Harrold, cautioned commissioners to be careful about what precedent they want to set.

Hughes County resident Michael Bollweg spoke against reducing the setback limit for wind towers.

After over an hour of testimony, commissioners Roger Inman and chairman Randy Vance said aligning Hughes County’s ordinance with what Hyde County has established for wind tower setbacks provides consistency and a compromise.

The majority of the testimony focused on property rights and safety concerns.


URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2020/08/19/hughes-county-commission-amends-ordinance-covering-wind-farm-site-requirements/