The hot topic at a public meeting held for the Otter Creek Wind Farm project on Tuesday was the impact on well water in the area.
“Talking with our local well driller Ken Wade, Ken’s explained to us that the Otter Creek Wind Farm is at the same vibration damage risk as we are in Chatham Township and has been demonstrated in Dover Township,” said Kevin Jakubec, organizer of Water Wells First.
“The concern we have for Water Wells First is anywhere in Ontario where wells are threatened, we need to push that threat back. This imminent threat just happens to be a wind farm. What is causing that vibration damage concern is from the pile type foundations and the possibility of the wind farm going into seismic coupling.”
Adam Rosso, director of project development in Ontario for Boralex, told the Sydenham Current that water quality was a consistent question at the Tuesday meeting held at The Clubhouse at Baldoon.
“Obviously the hot issue right now water quality and water wells. The concerns around our turbines impacting people’s drinking water,” Rosso said.
“The purpose of this meeting today is to essentially introduce the renewable energy process. We are very much in the infancy of our project. We do not have a lay out yet, we don’t necessarily know all of the attributes of our project to accurately comment on anything to do with ground water or anything like that but understanding the local community and understanding the concerns that we’re in.”
Rosso added: “The very first concern that you do when you walk in the door is, you have got a very large amount of members of the public that can write their name down and indicate where on the map their water well is so that we can take that consideration in the development of our project, which is the whole idea behind public consultation. We are taking that information and we are considering that as we proceed through the energy renewal process.”
Rosso said they have not had any complaints associated with ground water after installing 45 turbines in the Chatham area in 2007, 2008 and 2009.
“We installed a number of piles at those turbines and we didn’t receive any complaints on public drinking water,” he said.
“We just finished installing some of the largest foundations in Ontario in the Niagara region where we were required to monitor ground water within 500 metres of our turbines. Through both pre-construction and post construction with the turbines that have piles we have never received any complaints about turbidity or anything else associated with drinking water.”
Rosso said that information is site specific.
“It doesn’t necessarily mean it’s anecdotal evidence that in our experience we haven’t had any issues with it,” he said. “I doesn’t necessarily mean that I am not concerned and taking the concerns of water wells seriously. That is not what I am saying. I am just saying in projects that we have built with piles, water quality has never been a issue.”
Monte McNaughton, MPP in Lambton-Kent-Middlesex said he has brought the concerns about the Otter Creek Wind farm and its potential impact on well water to the Ministry of Environment.
“There is the very serious concern of the safety of drinking water and ground water,” McNaghton said.
“To me that’s a primary concern here and why I relayed the message to the Minister of Environment yesterday. The government is completely out of touch when they are telling people here that if they have problems with ground water they we will send you bottled water. It makes no sense.”
McNaughton said concerns about ground water safety is not a new issue.
“I wrote a letter to the government in 2012 about ground water safety,” he said.
“I had a number of people contact me in 2012 from Mitchell’s Bay about concerns, but there is a whole lot more in this area now. A lot of the people in the room tonight have been living with wind turbines in Dover for a number of years. They know the side effects of what these turbines have done and we don’t want another Walkerton on our hands. Safe drinking water is a right of people and some government in Toronto making these decisions out of Toronto, out of Queens Park isn’t right and I am going to continue to fight that.”
Rosso said the next steps in the project are to conduct field studies.
“To essentially understand the natural environment and the social impact of our project including build heritage and archaeological stuff and natural heritage with regards to wet lands and natural features that are out there in our project area,” he said.
“In October this year we hope to publish a set of our findings of what we actually find out over the next couple of months and we will have a subsequent open house in December of this year to essentially discuss what we found in the field and to demonstrate our project ideas.”
More details are available at: ottercreekwindfarm.ca
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Background
The project is to be located all within Chatham-Kent, just north of Wallaceburg.
The project would generally be bounded by Stewart Line and McCreary Line to the south, Whitebread Line and Kent Line west of Mandaumin Road to the north, Mandaumin Road to the east, and Payne Road to the west (see graphic.)
It was announced in March that the project had received provincial support.
Renewable Energy Systems Canada Inc. (RES) and its partner Boralex Inc. announced they have been selected by the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) and awarded a contract for the 50 MW Otter Creek Wind Farm Project.
The companies stated they have obtained the support of Walpole Island First Nation, who is slated to have a 10.5% ownership stake in the project.
RES will own 51%, while Boralex will own 38.5%.
The Municipality of Chatham-Kent has also put their support behind the project and has been granted an option to participate in the project up to 15% of the limited partnership interests following commercial operation.
