I support the Rye Park wind farm. It will provide many benefits for the local community.

submitted pdf

We are pleased to have the opportunity to make a submission in response to the Rye Park Wind Farm Project Application.

We have lived in the Rye Park area all our lives and raised our family here over the last 16 years.
We are writing to you to voice our concerns and therefore opposition to the proposed wind farm mentioned above, of which our property is of close proximity and definitely in viewing distance.
Not only are the turbines going to be an eyesore, but it is the other `unknowns' that are our main concerns.
* The uncertainty of the effect on our own health & even livestock health (infrasound)
* The potential danger to the habitats of protected species around the area, with these habitats being damaged or even removed
* The devaluation of our property, therefore affecting future lifestyle or retirement plans
* Damage to roads and increased traffic during construction
* Increased bushfire threat due to decreased aerial water bombing around turbines
* Uncertainty of increase in insurance costs
* The amount of money the government is pouring into these projects, when other areas that should be government funded are lagging behind - eg. medical system, education system, rural roads, etc. Why can't there be subsidies for solar energy which is less invasive on people and the environment and a proven energy source.
All of these concerns are real & are made more worrying due to `secret' style meetings that are held with proponents & a lack of information from turbine companies showing `both' sides of the equation. We are within approximately three kilometres of proposed turbines & have not yet been approached by anyone to inform us of this officially.
We trust you will consider our submission, along with others you will receive and help us in putting a stop to this.

We wish to make a submission against the Rye Park Wind Farm Project - application 10-0223
We live on our farm in the Rye Park district and operate a cattle and sheep business. We have lived here for 14 years and prior to this in the Blakney Creek district for 19 years. The Rye Park south through Blakney Creek to Cooalie. There will be a turbine 3 Kilometres from our home.
My wife and I have several concerns of equal importance about this project:
1. Lack of Communication. Over the past couple of years Epuron has sent out 7 newsletters of which we received none. When I questioned this at an Epuron information day in June 2014 ( which I found out about from sources other than Epuron ) their response was oh! we will put you on our mailing list now.
2. Incorrect Information. Our home was not marked on the topographical map showing the layout of the projecr, other people whose homes are closer yhan ours to the turbines also discovered the same. There are also private air strips not shown.
3. Epuron's Executive Summary. In the introduction it is stated that the country has been cleared and grazed for many decades ( page 13 1.1 of the Rye Park Wind Farm Enviromental Assessment). This not a true description as there are large areas of native forest and woodlands, and on page 195 table 11.5 it is stated that 123 heactres of forest and scrub and 60 heactres of native pasture to make way for the turbines, access roads, power lines and other associated infrastructure. On page page it is quoted "no threatened Flora species were detected during the survey"yet one sentence later they contradict themselves by stating tat four threatened flora species were identified with potential for impact. On the same page Epuron named 9 species of threatened birds and 3 species of threatened Micro Bats. Epuron then states that "a species impact statement under the EPA act is not considered necessary". They have not mentioned anything about the endangered Pygmy Perch that are in the Pudman and Blakney Creeks and their feeder streams, which all source their run of from the range the project runs along. We have also observed large numbers of Wedge Tail Eagles that thrive in this steep, remote and natural landscape.
4. Geology. The mountain range on which this project runs along is all slate and shale with highly erodable soils. It is very steep in many places. Epuron , on page 176 states that the range is of granite outcrops which is incorrect.
5. Weeds. Another issue would be the introduction of weeds once the soil is disturbed in this largely inaccessible region. If this were to happen it would be impossible to control.
6. Fire Danger. On page 253 there is a map highlighting Bush fire prone areas. The wind turbine project runs the entire length of what Epuron recognises a "Bush fire prone area ". Some of the country in the project is to steep for bulldozers and in our area fighting a bush fire on the ground with tankers and light vehicles is all but impossible and extremely dangerous. In these situations Air Support is vital for firefsuppression. I was informed by Michael Head , a Trust Power representative that the spacing between turbines could be as close 350 metres. According to Epuron's map, in our area there are 37 turbines running in 7 parrallel lines and not far away another 18 turbines running 4 lines. This configuration in design will make it to dangerous to fly through, and with turbine heights of up 150 metres, flying at a safe height water would evaporate before it hits the ground. There may be better access in some areas due to the service tacks but we can drive along the ridges already. Drainage from the tracks may cause erosion ruts which could be very hazardous.
7. Land Value. In conversation I had with a Local real estate agent I was told that in other areas properties neighbouring wind turbines had devalued by 40%. Our property is part of our superannuation plan and the project could put our future financial security in jeopardy,

We are therefore against the project.
We retain the right to submit further information.

I am writing to make a submission in favour of the proposed Rye Park Wind Farm.

I believe the project will provide immediate and long term benefits for the local community and Australia as a whole.

Since we purchased our property at Rye Park a run of dry seasons dramatically impacted on our ability to develop the property in the way we planned when we purchased it.

The proposed wind farm would provide us with additional funding to get the farm improvement back on track by allowing additional funds to be spent on fencing, pasture and soil improvement, weed control and land degradation control.

All of these improvements would require the purchase of goods and services from the local community and would also require the use of local contractors to carry out the work. These benefits would also be ongoing and provide an economic boost to the community.

Improving the productivity of the land is likely to result in higher primary production income which would result in more government revenue and would also improve the viability of the farm business and help us reduce debt and be better able to withstand droughts and times of low commodity prices.

I believe we are not alone and that the proposed wind farm would provide significant economic benefits for all of the involved land owners as well as the members of the broader community.

I also believe some areas are better suited to wind farm development than others and in my opinion the area around Rye Park where our property is located and where the Rye Park Wind Farm is proposed is very well suited to such a project as many of the issues associated with such developments do not apply to our property or the area in general due to its relative remoteness.

I grew up on a property in the Central West of NSW. The owner of the property spent significant amounts of money setting it up for irrigation on improved pastures involving a number of dams and a gravity fed irrigation scheme.

In the early 80's the owners subdivided the property and sold the blocks. A number of the blocks were purchased by a mining company.

Over time mining company purchased more of the blocks and have now turned much of the property into an open cut coal mine. Most of the areas now mined were once productive agricultural land. Who knows if it will ever be usable for anything else in future. I know this is a situation replicated in many productive agricultural areas.

I admit to not being fully aware of all aspects of the debate regarding climate change and its causes. However, just as I believe industrial development is likely to have had some adverse impact on the environment, I believe that industrial developments like wind farms can also have a positive impact on the environment by lowering the reliance on coal powered electricity production and providing landowners with income to better manage their farms.

Wind farms and agricultural production have shown that they can co exist and the additional income will provide real and direct benefits to the surrounding community.

We would like to forward a submission as a concerned long time resident of the Rye Park District concerning the Rye Park Windfarm.
1 Turbines are positioned to close to dwellings with no regard
for 2 klm exclusion zone and are very visible from the
village of Rye Park effecting noise levels and land values
of local residences.
2 Local roads are not capable of handling heavy traffic
required to supply and erect these turbines. Large trucks
and traffic through the village would be very disruptive and
dangerous. On secondery roads a large number of trees
would have to be removed and roads would need to be
realligned causing major disruption to rural properties
and stock movements.
CONCERNS FOR PROPERTY ARE:
1 Aerial supering of property would not be possible
2 Noice levels would be to high
3 Erosion and drainage through our property would be
effected from adjacent turbines and roads.
4 Some of our country is hilly and aerial bush fire fighting
would not be possible.
5 Developing company has been very unprofessional in
their negotiations, with not enough consultation with
locals and evading many questions.

WI am very concerned about the Rye Park Windfarm Development for many reasons, but first and foremost for us is Epuron's negligence regarding community consultation.

According to Epuron's categories of Key Stakeholders we are classified as "Nearby Neighbours (2-5km from Windfarm)". This is confirmed by their own diagram of the 5km footprint contained in the EA. However, we have NEVER been contacted, approached or consulted with in any way.

We purchased our property "Glenwood", (which is shown on a number of maps contained in the EA) in November 2010.
I consider over 3 years to be enough time to inform us of this vary large development so close to our property.

I also had no knowledge of a Community Consultation Committee on which I would have been keen to sit.

We attended Epuron's 1st Community Open Day which was (I believe) the first one held in Rye Park Hall on 21/5/14, at which time I filled in Epuron's Community Feedback Form stating all my contact details This Open Day was extremely uninformative. Many, many residents( including us) asked questions and sought information which was not forthcoming.
The Rye Park community is in a considerable state of
agitation regarding this development and a large number of residents and landholders still have minimal information, bearing in mind that probably 30% (conservatively) do not have access to a computer to try and answer their own questions.

I do NOT believe that Epuron's level of consultation is anywhere near that required in the Supplementary DGR and as such, this EA should NOT have been accepted as adequate for public exhibition.

Debbie Vanderlaan

Please find attached a copy of Upper Lachlan Shire Council's submission regarding the proposed Rye Park Wind Farm

Please find the attached submission

please find uploaded submission