Published: June 10, 2009 08:18 pm      

County readies guidelines for wind turbines

Setbacks, height and noise level of turbines all would be regulated in ordinance

Cass County cleared another hurdle this week in its quest for a wind farm project.

The Cass County Planning Commission issued a positive recommendation for terms of an ordinance that outlines regulations for erecting wind turbines.

Assistant Planning Director Arin Shaver explained that the ordinance is concerned with landowners and neighbors who might participate in, or be affected by, a wind farm development.

“Our ordinance is set up to protect neighbors and landowners if a wind energy development happens,” Shaver said. “If people want to see it happen, the farmers have to be for it and their neighbors have to be for it, too.”

Areas north of Galveston south of Ind. 218 and south of Ind. 16 near Royal Center are recognized to have sufficient wind for a potential wind farm in Cass County.

The guidelines for projects in these areas, and across the county if technology improves, are based on existing ordinances in other locations, including Benton County, which is home to the largest wind farm in Indiana.

The ordinance outlines requirements for general wind energy developments as well as specific requirements for large, micro and small wind systems.

General requirements for all turbine projects include aerodynamic brakes on turbines to prevent blades moving faster than their design allows. The turbines would have to be white or gray and have an anti-climbing device. Utility companies would have to be informed before turbines were installed.

The turbines’ lighting would be required to meet Federal Aviation Administration standards, and operators would be required to address interference with television and satellite signals to the best of their ability and also to take responsibility for repairs to damaged roads, waterways, drainage ditches and field tiles after a development.

Regulations in the ordinance for a large wind system, in which turbines produce over 100 kilowatts of energy, include a blade clearance of 30 feet from the ground. Turbine setbacks would be 350 feet, or 1.1 times the height of the turbine, from any property, roadway, railroad or overhead transmission or power lines. The turbines would also have to be at least 1,000 feet from a neighboring dwelling, and the noise emitted 200 feet from the turbine could not exceed 75 decibels, equivalent to the sound of a vacuum cleaner.

Small and Micro wind systems, which are designed to power an individual property, should have a 15-foot blade clearance and could not exceed 80 feet in height for a 1/2-acre to one-acre property, or 140 feet for a property of an acre or more.

About 20 county residents attended the Cass County Planning Commission meeting to hear details of the wind ordinance proposal.

While most appeared to agree with terms of the plan, some did issue their concerns about the color of the lighting on a turbine, asking that it be white during the day and red at night.

Some also questioned the guidelines used for developing the county’s ordinance.

Someone suggested looking at European ordinances related to wind turbines, but Shaver said Europe’s ordinances were based on older turbine technology. To guarantee consistency for developers considering a development here, she said, it would be best to model Cass County’s on the local equivalent.

Shaver added that if the ordinance were approved by county commissioners it would still be open to change.

“It is a living document which can always be changed to meet new concerns,” she said.

Commissioners will consider adopting the ordinance at a meeting July 6.

• Kevin Smith is a staff writer at the Pharos-Tribune. He can be reached at (574) 732-5148 or kevin.smith@pharostribune.com



Want to know more?

Property owners interested in finding out more about the ordinance are encouraged to contact the Cass County Planning Department at (574) 753-7775.