Two homes have been abandoned in "Turbine Town" (Clear Creek, Ontario)

Nov 8, 2009

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“I am angry, helpless, and disappointed our government would let something like this happen.  I am appalled at their ignorance and lack of compassion. It saddens me to watch my family and friends suffer from the same [health] effects of the turbines.

“I spend as much time as I can away from my home, away from my son who is also sleep deprived. We are exhausted and miserable. I often seek refuge with friends, often falling asleep minutes after I arrive.

“I feel like a gypsy.

“What was once a beautiful place to live has been destroyed.”

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—Tracy Whitworth, schoolteacher (11/5/09)

Clear Creek, Ontario.  Quiet, peaceful.  The sound of the lake; the overhead passing of migrating geese; tundra swans in the early spring.  Deer and wild turkeys.  Clear starry skies.  Silent except for the sounds of the crickets and bullfrogs.  The sight of a small country church across the way, the church I remember attending as a young girl with my grandmother.

Sounds nice, doesn’t it? That was my retreat of 11 years.  A place I called home, a place I loved, a place I miss. It was my heaven on earth.

My home now sits among huge, massive turbines. Eighteen turbines surround me, all within a 3 km radius of my home.  The closest is 400 metres from my back door.

People often ask me what my problem is with the turbines.  (“They’re not very noisy,” I am told.)

The noise is constant, some days louder than others. It is not noise I enjoy or choose to be around. It is noise I cannot escape.

What most don’t understand is that it is the low frequency waves you cannot hear that are so debilitating to one’s health. These frequencies also drive away the wildlife.  I no longer have deer, geese, swans passing by. These frequencies torment my dogs.  These frequencies keep me awake at night.

Welcome to “Turbine Town” Clear Creek, Ontario.

I live with the movement of shadow flicker created by the rotation of the turbines, coming through my dining room window as I drink my coffee in the morning. I have developed a sensitivity in which now I cannot even tolerate the movement of a small ceiling fan.

The skies where I live are no longer clear but dotted with blinking red lights marking the height of the turbines. When the turbines are down, a constant buzzing noise is emitted from the motionless structures. I have developed tinitus in my ears. I hear and feel the pulsating of the turbines and buzzing in my ears. I also feel the pulsating in my throat and chest.

Two homes have been abandoned where I live because of health reasons related to the effects of the turbines. One of these properties is host to 2 turbines. Many properties are for sale. In fact most of the properties where landowners reside on premises are for sale. Real estate sales in my area are significantly less than other areas in Ontario. Some real estate brokers will not touch a property adjacent to a turbine for fear of future law suit.

Nothing is selling in Turbine Town. Land value has decreased significantly because of the turbines.

There is a dividing of the community.  There are those who have signed leases, many of whom are regretting they were mislead or ill informed regarding the turbines. People are reluctant to speak about the turbine situation. These leases contain “gag orders.”  Many of these people suffer, yet are embarrassed and therefore deny the turbines are the cause of their illness.

I have:

  • nausea (often) & dizziness (often)
  • significant hearing loss
  • itchy eyes
  • high blood pressure (recently, an immediate and intense elevation to 180/118, causing severe headache and complete dysfunction)
  • heart palpitations
  • achy joints
  • short term memory loss
  • severe sleep deprivation on a regular basis

Results of a sleep study I had done showed 214 interruptions in a 6 hour period (note:  6-8 is considered normal; 214 is comparable to someone who has attention deficit disorder). I have very little if any regenerative sleep periods. I have been told that I have developed a sensitivity that does not leave my body when I leave the vicinity of the turbines.  The term used was “toxic”—my body is in a toxic state.

I have an ulcer in my nose that does not heal. I am awaiting an appointment in November with an ears, nose and throat specialist (otolaryngologist).

I often have blood in my urine (never was a problem in the past). I am having problems with my lymph nodes. I have been anaemic because of excessive blood loss. Blood work and other tests do not indicate changes which may cause this hemorrhaging. I have spent time in the emergency room at the hospital because of this.

I once thought my degenerating health was part of the natural aging process. I did not believe the turbines could be the cause of my health issues. I questioned myself as to whether or not it was all in my head. I now believe exposure to the turbines accelerate these processes as well as create other health problems.

I am angry, helpless, and disappointed our government would let something like this happen.  I am appalled at their ignorance and lack of compassion. It saddens me to watch my family and friends suffer from the same effects of the turbines.

It is also very saddening for me to see my dogs suffering. I cannot imagine the distress they must be enduring because of their sensitive hearing. I have not figured out what to do about it.

I spend as much time as I can away from my home, away from my son who is also sleep deprived. We are exhausted and miserable. I often seek refuge with friends, often falling asleep minutes after I arrive. They are very understanding.

I feel like a gypsy.

What was once a beautiful place to live has been destroyed.  And for what? I suggest you think about it long and hard before committing to these huge monstrosities known as industrial wind turbines.
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  1. Comment by Quixote on 11/05/2009 at 1:59 pm

    People have become “expendable” in the government’s rush to plant these monstrosities everywhere. A clear sign of the corruption unfolding right in front of our eyes!

  2. Comment by arthur on 11/06/2009 at 12:09 pm

    Industrial wind technology is a meretricious commodity, attractive in a superficial way but without real value—seemingly plausible, even significant but actually false and nugatory. Those who would profit from it either economically or ideologically are engaged in wholesale deception. For in contrast to their alluring but empty promises of closed coal plants and reduced carbon emissions is this reality: Wind energy is impotent while its environmental footprint is massive and malignant. . . . There is little that is cognitively more dissonant than supporting the concept of minimizing the human footprint on the earth while cheerleading for the rude intrusiveness of physically massive/energy feckless wind projects. The slap and tickle of wind propaganda flatters the gullible, exploits the well intentioned, and nurtures the craven. It is made possible because there’s no penalty for lying in the energy marketplace. The country has evidently arrived at a point in its legal culture where no negative consequences seem to exist for making false or misleading claims to sell wind energy—the stuff dreams are made of. But industrial wind is a bunco scheme of enormous consequence. And people who value intellectual honesty should not quietly be fleeced by such mendacity, even from their government.

    Jon Boone “Wind Ball”

  3. Comment by deb palewicz on 11/20/2009 at 12:04 am

    I feel for you. We are going to have windturbines placed 1700 ft from our house, and we are trying to fight this. My daughter has heart problems, and I am so affraid for her health. The Broad Mountain Development says there are no health risks. I don’t believe them for one second.

    Editor’s reply: Keep up the good fight, Deb. We are a growing chorus of protestors against this outrage. This folly. Our voices are being heard. Keep up the good fight indeed.

  4. Comment by Jane Eggebeen on 12/06/2009 at 1:03 pm

    I would like the contact information for anyone listed here. I, and 250 other home owners are in the midst of fighting the install of two large wind turbine within our backyards up to one mile away. The city of Grand Rapids owns property on Lake Michigan shore and are wanting to put these up to gain green energy goals and because the federal government is giving them the money to put them up here in Grand Haven Township. A zoning ordinance is needed first. We are getting bashed with “studies” that show NO negative impact upon living near them. I need real live people, not studies. Would anyone be willing to write a letter to the Grand Rapids (MI) Press, Public Pulse letter to editor regarding your personal experience. This can be done on line, and must be 200 words or less. Please send a letter.

  5. Comment by Anonymous on 09/19/2011 at 8:38 pm

    I have hunted land around the Clear Creek area for years. In the past the ducks and geese frequented the area and are now seldom seen in any numbers. The Wild Turkey has been negatively impacted. Wind Turbine #65 ruined my best turkey hunting spot. Haven’t seen one there since it was built.

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