Clear Skies Over Orangeville

Friday, March 14, 2008

Make an informed decision

Hi Everyone,
Be aware and make an informed decision. Take a look at what some of the people on Tug Hill are experiencing. If you are still not convinced that wind turbines are not a good thing, check out what Meyersdale, Pennsylvania has to say about broken promises of tax relief and property values plummeting. Here are the links: http://www.wind-watch.org/video-tughill.php
and http://www.wind-watch.org/video-meyersdale.php

Be Informed

Dear Neighbor,

Are you aware of the decisions being made by the Orangeville Town board on your behalf? Decisions that will change your lives for forever? The board is being wooed by a wind company that wants to put up wind turbines all over Sheldon and Orangeville. They approach farmers, pressuring them by telling them that their neighbors have all signed contracts with them, and promising them tax relief and large sums of money for leasing their property to the wind companies. One of the farmers in our neighboring town of Eagle leased his farm land to one of the wind companies. They clear cut his woods (no more hunting for him) removed all his topsoil by the truck loads, and put up wind turbines. They still are not turning and he has not seen a penny! Even if you don't sign your land over to the wind companies, they will still be knocking on your door, offering you money in exchange for your rights. If you care about your quality of life and you do not want Orangeville to turn into an Industrial Wind Park (they want to put up 1200 wind turbines) there is something you can do about protecting it. First, make an informed decision. Do some research. Visit websites like www.wind-watch.org/. Try attending your town board meetings. They are the 2^nd Thursday of every month at the Orangeville town garage on rt.20A at 7:30 p.m. After you learn the facts, if you are interested in filling out an unbiased survey (yes or no answers with space to make a comment), please call 786-2733 or 786-3568. Someone will make sure that you get one.

Some Facts About Water

The plain and simple truth about the Earth's water and how it is broken down is as follows: Oceans 97.25%, Ice Caps and Glaciers 2.05%, Groundwater 0.68%, Lakes 0.01%, Atmosphere 0.001%, and rivers 0.0001%. So groundwater is only 0.68%of the Earth's water. Water is the elixir to life the human body is comprised of 65% water and the typical American uses 50 to 80 gallons of water per day (C.W. Fetter Applied Hydrogeology 3rd Edition).

What does this mean to you? Well, you need water to survive and we in ths rural community rely solely on groundwater supply. We do not have a public water supply in place and the Town of Orangeville will not provide one.

Now consider the facts that one can only drill a well in certain locations on their property and that is limited because in a rural setting you most likely have a leach field which prohibits well location too. Now, think of aTurbine that wieghs ~300,000lbs on your aquifer compressing your aquifer. Oh not to mention the foundation poured in your zone of saturation or infilitration. You now most likely or possibly have limited or stopped the flow of water to your well. I have been told by famers that the water here is abundant. Well this summer those same farmers were trucking in water. Many of the shallow wells are in a perched aquifer with a clay lens beneath it.

Also, turbine transformers contain no less than 491 gallons of hydraulic oil. And, the cooling which takes place in the gear box creates toxic gases (Clean Energy??). The Watertown Daily Times December 29, 2007 reports: "An oil spill caused by an Independence Day Transformer explosion at the Maple Ridge Wind Farm has apparently contaminated residential wells." The july fourth explosion at the Maple Ridge Farms substations up hill from the hamlet Rector Rd. led to 491 gallons of oil leaking from the damaged transformer said DEC spokesmand Steven W. Litwhiler. Remember groundwater is only 0.68% of the Earth's water.

Try to tend to your dairy farm or even your family on a oil contaminated well. The bedrock in that are is shale and the oil is slow moving, time will tell how many other home owners have contaminated wells. With that being said, that individual now does not have Clean Water! And the cost to clean the aquifer is roughly in the hundreds to thousands of dollars. Will your turbine lease or agreement pay for that? Sounds like Love Canal. So clearly looking at this Wind Energy it is not CLEAN!!

Heather Geoghegan Geologist/hydrogeologist

Clear Skies Over Orangeville

Friday, March 14, 2008

Make an informed decision

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Some Facts About Water