Crudine Ridge Wind Farm

Will we agree in principle to the proposed wind farm, our main concern that if the proposal is approved and construction commences, is that the workforce required to travel to the site, will use Aarons Pass Road as one of the most suitable access routes from the surrounding localities'
This would involve a significtate increase in local traffic over an unsealed road, resulting in the icrease of road dust pollution covering residential properties, thereby pollluting household drinking water, dust ingress into houses, gardens and animals.
This dust pollution would affect residences from the Bocable Road intersection to the western boundary of 831 Aarrons Pass Road.
In addition to the dust pollution, the increase in local traffic would lead to a deteriation in the condition of the road surface, requiring increased road maintenance, thereby causing disruptions to local residents movements.

Hi the attached letter below, is one I sent to the senate inquiry, after they opened the Wind Farm in Waterloo South Australia , and because of becoming a Wind Turbine refugee and have first hand knowledge of what will happen if this go ahead ,in respect to Health to you community, loss of value in property , loss of wild life, and there not nice to look at, and they will never produce the power the developer will tell you, there Not Green and very expensive way to make power , a environmental disaster if you go ahead with this.
I object to it very strongly ! and I used to be all for them, until they came to town and we had to live with them.
kind regards
Andreas Marciniak


Letter to the Senate Enquiry


To Whom It May Concern: Mr. A J Marciniak
Lot 103 Main Rd
Waterloo S A 5413
Ph.08 88484334

I came to the town of Waterloo for the peace, quite and the beauty of the rolling hills about 6 years ago. I was a Fruit grower and exporter of Stone Fruit and Table Grapes in the Riverland for many years however the stress of doing that led me to give that up and move here to Waterloo. I have Heart and High Blood pressure problems, and after moving here I also got Diabetes about 3 years ago, I just got most of my health issues under control when they opened the 37 Waterloo Turbines, 2.5-3 Km away, which are directly in front of my House, (pictures included).
From the time they turned them on, my, my daughter and others in town's health has gotten a lot worse, some more then others. My brother got so bad that he moved from his house that just he spent over $100.000 + to renovate, to the next town and stays in a caravan, he comes here only for a short time and goes again because the turbines make him so ill that he can't bare to be here anymore.
My daughter Ann-Marie (age 17) came to stay with me and within a few days started to feel ill so I got her to keep a record, ( also copy included ) and took her to the Doctor in Clare, where I had an appointment, I showed this Doctor the records I kept on my self and Ann-Marie and told him that I think it has to do with the Wind Turbines, he got quite upset with me and said no he dose NOT believe that wind Turbines can do this, even though I showed him the difference between being at home and when we were away, he told me for my high Blood pressure I should take one more Tablet at night , he even gave me a script for a much stronger Tablet and also said if by being away from your House makes you feel better, then I should move! It's not as easy as he must have thought to just pack up and go after making a place your home. I asked him about Ann-Marie and he just asked did you have a double appointment? (I didn't) I just wanted to know from him by looking at her records if I should make one for her, so he did look and asked her if she was on the pill? Because we recorded that her heart rate and blood pressure had been abnormally high for someone her age, She told him no And his only response was "then you need to make an appointment soon", so as you can see by her and my records when we are in Waterloo compared to any where else, there is a big difference and I'm thinking to send Ann-Marie to my other daughters house in Adelaide , and if I could move away from here please believe me I would, I just can't afford to I have put all my money into this place, but who will buy my house even if I put it on the market? I can't sell it knowing that by leaving here you can get very sick or even Die, we do spent a lot of time away from here now but that does not help me or my animals, I think that the wind farm company Roaring 40's should buy out the people and relocate them and use my house for research or any of the other homes.
To my knowledge 4 families have moved or have purchased another home in nearby towns and only come here to work or to run there farms.
I'd also like to tell you about a friend of my brother's who came a few weeks ago for a visit, at the time I was speaking to a reporter from the Advertiser, Penelope Debelle about the wind Turbines when they arrived at my house , I asked them in for a Coffee, the man is 82 years old, and in the short amount of time he was here he had a bad reaction to the turbines, within half- hour he said his head was aching and he felt like he was in an airplane at high altitude, and my brother had to take him home. When my brother got back he told me that his friend said to him quote "I didn't believe you when you told me about the Turbines but I do now, if you gave me $1000 a week I would NOT live in waterloo" end quote. If you would like to talk to him, His name is Stefan Krajcik PO Box 25 Hoyleton SA 5453.
The wind Turbine Syndrome is real, as you can see from the records the turbines are having an ill effect on us, for myself, pain in the chest, like some one is squeezing my heart, nausea, really bad headaches and the ringing in the ears and the pressure behind your eyes is unbearable to the point that you cant see properly and you feel like you're sea sick, I get woken up from sleep in a panic, some times 3-4 times a night and when you get out of bed you just want to climb back in, I also found that animals have some wired things happening to them, my chickens have stopped laying for months now and my brothers dogs will sit and look at a bare wall for hours at a time and when he still lived and slept here his dogs used to sleep with their heads under the lounge cushion, or his Jack Russell will sleep under 2-3 pillows and they didn't spend much time out side, my brother moved with his dogs to Manoora 6km away and he tells me that its not far enough from the turbines so we went to see how far we need to go before we feel better, first we went to Marrabel, the last turbine on the ridge is about 10km from where we were and we could still feel the turbines, so we went 15km + in the small town Hamilton and we had lunch there, by the time we had finished lunch we both felt better, on the way back to Waterloo we got just into Marrabel and the headache and pressure and ringing of my ears started again, I my self have suffered from Tinnitus for many years on a scale of 1 -10 my Tinnitus was 2-3 maybe on a bad day after being on the Tractor all day a 4, but most would go away or by playing a Radio or some background noise it was fine, now its about 8 out of 10 and even after a week in Adelaide it didn't get much better, and I found that some noise or some people talking make it worse, so I got my Doctor, Lisa Koo from Clare to refer me to a Ear specialist Dr. S Krishnan, referral copy is with my records.

I would like to get something else straight, in the senate last week one of the wind farm managers CO stated that Dr. Sarah Laurie was the cause that so many people have these health problems and that she went around and told the people about the wind turbines syndrome, this is not true I did my own research on the web and found hundreds of people with the same or similar problems that we have here in this town and this problem is world wide, the person who rubbish this Lady for trying to help, should be ashamed of themselves, I got in contact with her, not the other way around, I went to her for help and I found her to be one of the nicest human beings that I have ever met.

With that I will close my letter; I hope that it will help the senate to come to see that we do need to do a lot of research into Wind Turbines and the health effect on people and animals, and the effect on home values and how people should be compensated.

Kind regards,
Mr.Andreas Marciniak

My family and I are "wind factory refugees" as our home is no longer fit for living in due to the industrial facility 900m from us.
Any spare money after after morrtgage and bills is spent on accommadation away from our home.
Wind companies do not have to supply real time noise and wind speed data and thus cannot prove they are compliant with their noise permits. They are fighting tooth and nail to stop the excessive noise bill passing even thou its supported by DLP,Independant and Liberal Senators.
They also do not measure low level infrasound levels which start off depriving residents of quality sleep and thus causes many health problems.
Worst of all they work less than 20% of the time and draw power from the grid the rest. Also the massive subidies they receive divert tax payers money from schools,hospitals,roads etc. Future generations will judge us harshly for decades.
The wind industry denies that there are peer revued studies concerning infrasound and the doctor who is their spokesman does not have a background as a GP
If they do go ahead they need to be a minimum of 10 kms from any resident and as they get larger this distance may not be enough.


regards XXXX (please withhold my name)

I object to the Major Project Application 11_0033 - Crudine Ridge Wind Farm.

I am concerned that the residents of Crudine Ridge and Pyramul have not been adequately consulted on the project and have had extreme difficulties with communication with Wind Prospect because of many reasons including their age, their lack of electronic devices and very little or no internet and mobile phone coverage. Some residents are not phyiscally capable to be involved with such a complex subject matter contained in the Environmental Assessment, they report they are intimidated by the prospect yet they have to try and defend their rights with some having very little or no formal training to do so. This is a great embrassment and injustice to residents who lead quiet and simply lives that have been relatively undisturbed for generations.

I believe the Crudine Ridge Wind Farm will have a detrimental affect on the landscape and the visual impact of a very special area. 160 metre tall industrial wind turbine structures on ridgelines of majestic environmental areas is a destruction of our fragile eco systems.
Wind Prospect have not given any written gaurantees that residents will not suffer any health impacts from wind turbines.
The culumative impact from surrounding proposed wind farms , reported to be up to 1000 wind turbines in the Mudgee and Wellington council areas have not been adequately addressed by WP.
I am concerned by the noise issues assosciated with wind farms and the impact low frequency and infrasound will have on residents. The inappropriate siting of sound and noise data collection devices in gardens and under trees giving inaccurate measurments of sound, at residences.
I am concerned that there are no bushfire protocols in place to fight a turbine fire and that access tracks that are to be developed around the wind farm may become fire traps with access into very rugged terrain and no alternative route away from fires. I am concerned at the inability for aerial fire fighting services not be available in and around the wind farm and the agricultural aerial services not willing to fly in the vicinity of a wind farm.
The road infrastructure in the Pyramul/Crudine Ridge area is total unsuitable for Restricted Access Vehicles and would require upgrading to be able to provide safe travelling for residents who use these roads.
I object to the fact that the EA was only available at my time of writting in electronic form or to be viewed at a location that is restrictive to local residents. The request for additional hard copies from project manager was meet with resistance. Many residents were unable to travel to 'town' and therefore were disadvantaged from the process of the exhibition stage of the EA. Costs were sited as the reason for not reproducing extra hard copies that were requested.

The process of consultation for all landowners has not been on a level playing field and host landowners along with landowners with agreements get far more consultation than neighbouring or nearby landowners. All residents deserve the right to have an open and transparent process for assessment.
Rural communities are becoming divided by wind farms, friends and neighbours and rural communities which once thrived by every member of the community working together will be eroded. Wind Farms destroy rural community relationships, this is the case of most established wind farms across Australia. Crudine Ridge will be not amune to this.
Surveys from early open days, where residents are not fully aware of their own implications of the development can have a slanted result . Of the surveys taken from an open day at Pyramul hall, where attendees filled a Wind Prospect survey form in, had concerns for the project, in varying forms.
Until industrial wind farms are proven not to impact residents health, lifestyle and enjoyment of their assets then this government can not let the project proceed.
I reserve the right to add further to my submission at a later date.

The Beragoo Estate Progress Association represents residents from over 50 small acreage properties approx 25 kms from Mudgee town centre. The population is a mix of working families, young children, retirees and a small number of weekend residents.
From Mudgee, the only vehicular route to the Estate is via Hill End Road and Windeyer Road. For those residents travelling to Mudgee for work, appointments, schooling, shopping etc, the current standard of Hill End and Windeyer Roads is barely adequate for the present volume and mix of traffic. Our major concern is that the preferred route for access to the proposed Crudine Ridge Wind Farm project is via these same roads and also Pyramul Road which is of even lesser quality at this time.
Clearly the Wind Farm proposed will be a major construction project and will involve a massive amount of heavy vehicles, support vehicles and workers transport on roads which currently service our area and others nearby. The existing roads, as currently formed, will be totally inadequate for the role they seem expected to play in the construction stage. Not only are the roads generally quite narrow and, in many places, very winding but they are not of a reasonable standard for such a significant volume of heavy vehicle traffic with many of the bridges and causeways will need to be upgraded or rebuilt.
We are most concerned with the consequences of the expected traffic volume and nature on the residents of our Estate and also of people in Pyramul, Windeyer and Hargraves who will be subjected to the same problems on the only road(s) into and out of their areas. Road Safety will be significantly impaired unless the roads are upgraded and there is particular concern for transport such as School Buses and Emergency/Essential Services vehicles. At present Hill End Road (which is the better of the three roads on the preferred route) is just wide enough for cars and small trucks/vans to safely pass each other (excepting causeways and bridges) and the expected very large and heavy trucks will create seriously concerning safety issues and very likely many occasions when the road will not be usable for residents.
Given that there is no doubt that significant road works need to be carried to enable acceptable road safety to be applied, the next issue is who should be responsible for funding the road works. Government and Council both have general community responsibilities to ensure the quality and safety of the road systems and we have been assured by Mid-Western Regional Council that, if it were the "approval authority" for the project, the proponents of the project would be required to significantly contribute to the cost of the road works.
Our understanding is that the State Government (through the Department of Planning) will be the "approval authority" for the Crudine Ridge project and it is our view, and one shared by the Council and the community generally, that the Minister should either itself make a binding commitment to meeting a significant proportion of the costs of the road works or to ensure that such a commitment is made by the project proponent as a pre-condition of any project approval.

Making or obtaining such a commitment is particularly important given that there will most likely be proposals for other wind farms in the region in the next several years. It is also an approach which should be applied to projects outside of our region whose residents, like those in our regional area, should not have to pay for the road works for such projects.
The problems we are addressing in this case are relevant only to the construction phase of the project as, once completed, there should be little in the way of heavy traffic required but, as noted above, there are likely to be many other proposals for wind farms in the region. It is also pertinent that, once built, there appears to be little in the way of direct benefits to the local area either economically or otherwise.

Australia needs to wake up to the need for Renewable Energy such as the Crudine Ridge Wind farm, primarily because the "window of opportunity" for Life on Earth is narrowing by the day due to the emissions from smoke stacks in coal power stations harming the atmosphere and the health of Humanity.

I just want to make a few key points in support of the Crudine Ridge Wind Farm.

Endless hysteria surrounds Wind Farms and has no place in the reasonable decision to move away from our dependence on Fossil Fuels for Energy production.

Some of the falsehoods about land values falling in and around Wind Farms, this has not been the case for example in this online article by Real Estate agents (and I consider that they would know their market); http://bit.ly/11FOV5k

Renewable Energy is already cheaper than Fossil Fuel alternatives, who on Earth would NOT want that; http://bit.ly/XyOWt2

Human Health is not adversely affected by Wind Farms and their Turbines, this South Australian EPA research refutes the misinformation spread by the Waubra Foundation; http://bit.ly/Yxs0Xa

Our CSIRO has a significant and undeniable research paper which I have attached to this submission, it clearly points out the public acceptance and pathway to successful Wind Farms, I want the Planning Department to have full regard to the Science in the work of the CSIRO.

The NSW Government has itself a Renewable Energy Action Plan, considering the virtues and values in that 'plan' then it would be reasonable to assume that the Crudine Ridge Wind Farm will be part of the community and Government's expectation to be built, I have attached a copy of the press release from Minister Hartcher.

Neville Mattick
"Blackwillow" since 1880
Hargraves.

Dear Sir,
Re: Crudine Ridge Wind Farm - Project Application No. 11_0033
I am aware of the proposal to construct up to 106 wind
turbines in the Crudine Ridge area, approximately 45 km south of Mudgee and 45 km north of Bathurst, NSW.

I wish to lodge my objection to this wind turbine proposal because of the following:

Health Impacts - I and many neighbours located in proximity to a local wind farm experience adverse health affects including vertigo , pressure in the head and sleep deprivation. Independent studies should be completed to assess what is causing these problems for people living near wind farms and to rectify them before ANY new wind farm is approved.

Noise pollution both audible and infrasound - I can hear wind turbines and they don't sound like the beach. Residents of Crudine Ridge should not be subjected to such annoyances.

Visual Pollution and increasing turbine size - The Crudine Ridge rural landscape should not be littered with turbines as they are unsightly and do not fit into the rural landscape.

Destruction of flora and fauna - There is no way of policing the removal of dead birds and bats from properties by land holders/wind farm operators to lower the reported rate of deaths.

Devaluation of affected land and surrounding land - Worldwide there are now cases where councils have lowered the rateable value of properties adjacent to wind farms.

Danger to low flying agricultural air craft - In a rural environment such as Crudine Ridge, farmers MUST be able to access aerial spraying for weed control etc. Wind turbines prevent this activity on properties in close proximity to them and this impacts on the farmers' profitability.

Danger to low flying air craft to control bush fires - Australia is prone to bushfires and this last summer is a very sad example. Turbines prevent aerial bombing and mapping activities by fire brigade officers. Tankers by themselves are inefficient to control large fires and there are often not enough tankers to fight big fires. Reducing aerial bombing opportunities due to the placement of wind turbines in rural areas is purely a recipe for disaster within the Crudine Ridge area.

Shadow Flicker - If you have a light flickering in your office, how annoying would it be if you couldn't change it?

Division of rural communities - Our own community is dividing at the prospect of another new wind farm and we only have wind monitoring towers (no new wind farm yet). I can only imagine how devastated many families are within the Crudine Ridge area at the prospect of their lives being destroyed.

Enforced tax payer subsidies to the wind turbine industry - This is the biggest waste of taxpayer funds to date. I would prefer to be supporting geothermal technology/solar or hydro as renewal energy sources.

Inefficient and intermittent electricity production - The local wind farm hardly ever has all of its turbines turning. Sometimes a couple are turning flat out whilst others are really slow. How can this be efficient? Why should the Crudine ridge wind farm be any different? Electricity supply must match demand...which is not just when the wind blows.

Inadequate or non-existent provision for decommissioning and removal of old turbines - What happens to the 300cubic metres of concrete in the ground per turbine? Surely the production of so much concrete per turbine actually outweighs what little good the turbines do during their lifetime?

Comments: I believe climate change needs to be addressed, but the use of wind turbines is NOT the answer. Wind farms are destroying rural communities and another alternative must be found. I therefore petition the Department of Planning & Infrastructure to disallow this proposal and look forward to your Department's favourable consideration of this submission.

Please find attached submission and inclusions A to D/E

Please find attached letter of objection

I wish to lodge my objection to this wind turbine proposal
because of the following:

*Health impacts
*Noise pollution both audible and infrasound
*Visual pollution and increasing turbine size
*Lack of community consultation and transparency
*Destruction of flora and fauna
*Devaluation of surrounding land
*Safety issues relating to blade throw and fire dangers,and
the inability to fight fires near turbines
*Danger to low flying aircraft-weed control
*Danger to low flying aircraft ta control bush fires
*Shadow flicker
*Traffic and futther damage to already dangerous roads
*Destruction of historic,heritage and cultural areas such as
the small town of Sofala
*Division of rural communities and alienation within families
leading to destruction of rural social infrastructure
*Enforced tax payer subsidies to the wind turbine industry
*Inefficient and intermittent electricity production
*Inadequate or non-existent provision for decommissioning
and removal of old turbines

My objection to the proposal is contained in the attached PDF

I object to the Crudine Ridge Winfd Farm development MP11_0033.

I object that this government continues to resist doing independent health and noise studies and ignoring the peer reviews from acoustics expert Steven Cooper, on the presence of low frequency noise and infrasound near turbines and in peoples homes.
These wind turbines are being inappropriately sited near homes and the government seems not to care.

I object to the devaluation of our properties and the precedence of Family Law Court decission (Raab V Raab) that neighbouring properties to a near farm have a substanial loss of 32%. This is an injustice to the innocent victims forced into a position of poverty and ill health caused by landowners who are seduced by the dollars thrown about by the wind industry.

I object to the Office of the Environment and Hertitage using government resources to host meetings exclusively for potential hosts and advising them of legal issues when these target group of host landowners should pay for their own independent legal advisors and this should not be at the expense of the taxpayer.

I object to the environment being destroyed by the construction of of these 194 metre turbines and the access tracks, cabling that is required to connect all these into the grid.

I object to the arrogance of the wind industry and the divison they are causing throughout communities accross many states. Communities will not survive this divide and conquer attitude of strangers who will disappear as quick as they appear.

I object to the Visual Amenity of these industrial wind turbines being placed in beautiful rural areas.

I object that the wind industry hide behind $2.00 shelf companies and that contracts are gaged in secrecy.

I object to Community Consultation Committees that are not so independent and are nothing more than a propaganda machine for the wind industry and are one more step to having regard for the NSW Draft Guidelines, but are not truly there to enhance the community.

I object that elderly residents are being subjected to the added stress involved in addressing the Environmental Assessment imposed on them, for no less than a period of 60days, whilst the Proponent has 4 years or more to prepare the EA.

I object that Wind Prospect did not supply one extra hard copies of the EA when asked , So those residents without Computers could address issues on the project. Costs were cited as the excuse, how unfair is that. What waste would there be in taking a Wind Industry roadshow to the project area, yet no extra hard copies for the elderly. Rubbish. It is just another form of exclusion from the proponent.

Wind Energy is not efficent, it is expensive to operate and does not reduce Co2 emissions.

Put a hold on any developments until an independent audit can be done on the renewable energy. Do not keep building these developments near peoples homes.

I support the application for the Crudine Ridge Wind Farm, but subject to the provision of funds sufficient to allow the upgrading of roads and bridges to the required standard for the infrastructure.

In making this submission I have no commercial, political or family interest in the outcome of the application.

Submission is attached to be uploaded

Submission attached to be uploaded

Submission attached herewith

My Grandparents live close by to where the crudine ridge windfarm is proposed. As they are ageing I have concerns for their future as I feel it will be difficult for them to sell their property because of the devalueing effect the wind farm will cause. Irrespective of the size of any devaluation which will occur, it will become more difficult for them to adequately fund themselves into retirement as is their plans through the sale of their property.
If the property is caused to be almost unsaleable , and they are forced to remain there beyond their working capability, it will result in them having difficulty coping as there are absolutely no services of any kind for 60kms (doctors, hospitals, shops etc)
The Government wants people off its welfare system and yet is willing to disadvantage the very people who have worked all their lives to be self funded retirees only to have a lifetime of planning and responsibility upturned in their later stages of life
I believe a government must bear responsibility for its decision making and take all matters into consideration, no matter how insignificant it may seem to some

I object strongly to the proposed windfarm at crudine. You are too close to houses, and many health issues have not been categorically disproven. From my reasearch it would seem that a lot of information regarding people who have lived near wind farms is suppressed, as one report states if you cant hear it it doesn't mean that it is not harming people.this is grazing land, its been in farmilies for generations, you are being very cavalier with these peoples health and lives.

The are obstructive and will cause great damage to the eagle population that exists in this area, put your wind farm away from where people live.

The Environmental Assessment does not provide an adequate analysis of the potential social and economic impact of the project on adjoining properties and the local community.

Rylstone District Environment Society Inc. supports the development of the proposed wind farm at Crudine Ridge.
We believe this development should go ahead because:
* Australians need to minimise their dependence on burning fossil fuels to create power, and instead generate energy from renewable resources such as wind.
* We should take advantage of technologies such as wind turbines that will allow us to minimise our contribution to global warming and climate change.
* Using energy derived from wind farms, rather than from alternatives such as coal, will help us to preserve our scarce resources of water.
* Scientific studies show that wind farms do not have adverse effects on human health, livestock or birdlife - in spite of unsubstantiated claims to the contrary. Misinformation has been used to create fear and uncertainty about wind farms, but we expect our political leaders to make decisions based on scientific research. More research is needed into the impact on residents of `fluctuating swish' noise but this should not be confused with infrasound.