November 16, 2023
New York

Broome County’s new wind farm generating noise complaints

Bob Joseph | Published: November 15, 2023 | wnbf.com

Some people who live near the turbines of a recently-constructed wind farm east of Binghamton are already fed up with the noise generated by the facility.

The Bluestone Wind Project in eastern Broome County was commissioned in September. It consists of 26 turbines in the towns of Windsor and Sanford. Each 240-foot-long turbine is mounted to a 350-foot-tall post.

Four of the turbines are in Windsor with most of the units of the 122-megawatt project in Sanford. The units are scattered across about 6,000 rural acres.

Two wind turbines as seen from Route 17 in the town of Sanford. (Photo: Bob Joseph/WNBF News)

The town of Sanford board has heard complaints from a few residents who aren’t happy with the noise they are hearing from the turbine sites. Three people brought up the noise issue at the board’s Tuesday night meeting.

Patrice VanSlyke told WNBF News on Wednesday that the turbine blades have been idle for the past couple of days. She said she doesn’t know why they appear to have been shut off.

VanSlyke said she’s lived in Sanford for about 50 years. She said when the turbines are operating, she hears a constant “humming” noise. The turbine blades also can create a “whooshing” sound when they are spinning rapidly.

VanSlyke said she’s “very surprised by all the noise.” She said there have been times when she has been unable to sleep because of it. She submitted a complaint to Bluestone but she said the company advised her that the noise is being kept within acceptable limits.

Toronto-based Northland Power owns the wind farm. A company representative did not immediately respond to phone and email requests for comment.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2023/11/16/broome-countys-new-wind-farm-generating-noise-complaints/