I have concerns regarding the proposed wind turbines. One of these concerns relates to the cumulative effect of the trafficking of 2 different windfarm components and supporting vehicles along local roads.
We live 7km from the village of Rye Park along the Dalton Road. As such we will be affected by the multitude of vehicles travelling the Dalton Road if the building of the proposed Rye Park Wind turbines occurs. This will make travelling along the Dalton road, either to the north to Boorowa or south to Yass or Gunning, hazardous and access unreliable. If this is combined with approval of the `Bango' Windfarm, which will similarly affect the Wargeila and Rye Park Roads, described by the proponents as "temporary, short-term full road closures" (p236) producing "some delays to local traffic" (p 228) travel for business or appointments will be unpredictable and no alternate roads will be available to avoid this. Considering that the most optimistic prediction for building these structures is 2 years, this is a considerable amount of time for this situation to continue.
The damage to all these roads by the heavy, oversized vehicles will also make any trip dangerous.
The attached pdf file shows the current state of one of the roads (Tangmangaroo) following the recent rain. This will be travelled by the Bango loads. How then will it stand up to the over-size vehicles that will be using it during the building of this project? The Bango proponents state that "any damage resulting from construction traffic, except that resulting from normal wear and tear, would be repaired at the Proponent's cost" (p239). As the surface of the Rye Park Road is already very poor and much of the Wargeila Road is dirt and the table below is the proponent's estimate of the size and number of vehicles travelling the roads during the building phase, who will have the say in what is `normal wear and tear'? The EA estimates the components required to be transported including "the heaviest loads are expected to be the nacelles weighing up to around 125 tonnes" (page 233) requiring "122 over-size vehicles" to deliver these to site. "The longest loads will be for the blades, which will have trailer lengths up to 72 m long" (page 233) with "366 over-size vehicles" required. For the "towers 610 low-loader (over-mass) vehicles + 122 semi-trailer trucks". "The collector substation transformers would have a typical weight of up to 90 tonnes" needing "5 over-size (mass) vehicle + 10 semi-trailers of support equipment".

Total Estimated Vehicles
vpd - vehicles per day (i.e. two way trips) vph - vehicles per hour (peak hour)
moderate or average and a conservative or high estimate (in brackets)
Lachlan Valley Way Tangmangaroo
Road Rye Park Rd /
Hopefield Lane Yass Valley Way / Wargeila Road Rye Park-Dalton Road
vpd 96 (160) 34 (60) 88 (140) 96 (158) 60 (112)
vph 37 (59) 19 (28) 37 (59) 37 (59) 33 (53)


They state that "as a last resort, where other options are not feasible or practicable, consideration may be given to the replacement of the bridge / culvert with a structurally suitable permanent upgrade to support the projected component loads" (p240). Given the standard of most of the road surfaces this should surely be a minimum requirement before consent is given. Driving the roads used by Goldwind in constructing the Gullen Range turbines clearly demonstrated the deplorable state of the roads left by windfarm proponents.

I reserve the right to submit further submissions.

please see attached submission

Dear Sir/Madam
I am in full support of the Bango Wind Farm and declare that along with my wife Sharon that we are involved landholders in the proposed project. I am a fifth generation farmer producing wool, meat and grain on our family farm.
The benefits of Renewable Energy of any form must be considered over fossil fuel use. Clean Energy is a must for our country, environment and future.
The turbines will allow us as Host landholders to invest in our farm with a flow on effect to the community, farmers are an aging part of the population, therefore it will be great to think the next generation will be able to take the farm over in a healthy state. Our own children have left the family farm for employment and their return is exciting for my family but it is also essential for the wider community that we have farmers. Employment during construction as well as operation will also boost opportunities in our community that have never existed before.
Our local community from farmers to businesses will benefit greatly from a wind farm and the Community Enhancement Fund will provide funds for essential local projects including schools, hospitals and Retirement services. Many of these services find it harder and harder to find these essential funds in order to continue.
Many think we are only in this for the money, however Climate Change is real and if nothing is done a rise of a few degrees in temperature could destroy much much more than a few turbines on our hills.
We have worked closely with the developers CWP and they have been assured us that the best practises will be put in place during construction and afterwards during operation.
This will insure that our farm and in particular the landscape will be protected and the interruption will be kept to a minimum so we are able to continue running our farm, producing top quality wool meat and grain.
Please consider my submission when determining your decision.
Regards
Thomas and Sharon McGrath

I strongly dissaprove of the costruction of the Bango Windfarm, NSW.

My concerns are as follows:

* Disturbance of large vehicles, on the small country roads, safety and noice an issue.

* Destruction of the natural habitat for wild life and birds.

* Movement of sheep and cattle on roads is essential ,and will be disrupted due to vehicles/trucks on roads.

* Large amount of bushland cleared resulting in big amounts of erosion in the area and surrounds.

* Fire control would not be as affective.

* There are 200 residents living in and around the village of Rye Park ,which I feel will affect there lifestyle/health which will be so heavely impacted from this construction.

* If the Bango Windfarm is constructed I beleive Rye Park as it is and always has been ,will ultimately be destroyed both physically and in spirit of a country village.

*The constructions of the Bango Windfarm is a disaster waiting to happen.

I strongly dissaprove of the costruction of the Bango Windfarm, NSW.

My concerns are as follows:

* Disturbance of large vehicles, on the small country roads, safety and noice an issue.

* Destruction of the natural habitat for wild life and birds.

* Movement of sheep and cattle on roads is essential ,and will be disrupted due to vehicles/trucks on roads.

* Large amount of bushland cleared resulting in big amounts of erosion in the area and surrounds.

* Fire control would not be as affective.

* There are 200 residents living in and around the village of Rye Park ,which I feel will affect there lifestyle/health which will be so heavely impacted from this construction.

* If the Bango Windfarm is constructed I beleive Rye Park as it is and always has been ,will ultimately be destroyed both physically and in spirit of a country village.

*The constructions of the Bango Windfarm is a disaster waiting to happen.

Please see attached letter of objection.

I object to the `Bango' Windfarm on the grounds that it is a misnomer that can be seen as a ploy to fool the people who will be most affected by the windfarm into believing that they are not even close to the area they will be built in and, as such, will reduce the number of people who will submit objections. The EA describes the project as being "20 km north of Yass, 7 km south-east of Boorowa, 4 km south-west of Rye Park". Even if the project was originally going to start near Bango, which has a very low number of residents, it still should have been called the Boorowa Wind Farm to demonstrate transparency of purpose.

I reserve the right to submit further submissions

I would like to state I have many major concerns about the proposed wind turbines. Our property is situated in the valley between 2 proposed wind farms with one being sited 3km to the west (Bango Wind Farm,122 turbines) and another one 3km to the east of our home (Rye Park Wind Farm,109 turbines). Our property is not only our home but also our workplace and livelihood as we run a sheep stud.

One of our concerns relates to the loss of visual amenity. The proposed Bango turbines are 200m and the Rye Park ones 157m tall. Even though the Bango Windfarm proponents state that we will not see the project from our residence, the turbines will be clearly seen from much of the property. When combined with the blatant visual effect of the Rye Park Windfarm which will be seen from our residence as well as the vast majority of our property, there will be nowhere that the wind turbines do not intruded on our visual enjoyment of our home and property. CWF's statement that `there are no specific references to designations or policies which indicate or recognize a `high value' landscapes' (page 47) they are a high value to us and the imposition of 230 wind turbines will be a huge blot on our views devastating our enjoyment of the landscape from every direction. There will be no escape from the sight or the sound of them thus they will destroy the joy of living and working on our property.

I reserve the right to submit further submissions

I would like to state I have many major concerns about the proposed wind turbines. Our property is situated in the valley between 2 proposed wind farms with one being sited 3km to the west (Bango Wind Farm,122 turbines) and another one 3km to the east of our home (Rye Park Wind Farm,109 turbines). Our property is not only our home but also our workplace and livelihood as we run a sheep stud.

A major concern relates physically to our inability to live on the property due to reported ill-health caused by the effects of the wind turbines. The magnitude of possible health effects is not known as there are no conclusive research studies into the cumulative effects of being exposed to multi-directional industrial turbines and certainly not to the high number of turbines proposed in this area (231 total). With us being surrounded by these huge structures (the proposed Bango turbines are 200m and the Rye Park ones 157m tall) regardless which direction the wind is blowing from we will be impacted by them. The Trustpower EA (proponents for the Rye Park Wind Farm) states that the NHMRC reported that there is no evidence that wind farms cause medical problems. However the NHMRC actually states that:
"After careful consideration and deliberation of the body of evidence, NHMRC concludes that there is currently no consistent evidence that wind farms cause adverse health effects in humans. Given the poor quality of current direct evidence and the concern expressed by some members of the community, high quality research into possible health effects of wind farms, particularly within 1,500 metres (m), is warranted." NHMRC Statement: Evidence on Wind Farms and Human Health February 2015 NHMRC ref # EH57.
The NHMRC CEO Professor Anne Kelso stated that "existing research in this area is of poor quality and targeted funding is warranted to support high quality independent research on this issue". The operative words being "high quality" and "independent" as most of the opinions quoted by wind farm proponents are made by `interested parties' with no medical qualification only a degree in sociology. The Nov 2014 judgement of the Environment Resources and Development Court of South Australia is cited by other wind farm proponents as proof that detrimental health effects of wind farms do not exist. In this case, an `expert' witness Professor Wittert referred to a study which looked at all 51 Australian wind farms with a total of 1634 turbines. Professor Wittert (an endocrinologist) who undertook the `research' said that the methodology in the study was robust. A search in Google Scholar identified that this `research' was conducted by accessing data from the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme to compare medical prescriptions of people living in areas with and without turbines. This study purportedly involved 12,000 people living within a 10km radius around wind farms in South Australia and Victoria and concluded that "There is no hint of any effect on a population basis for an increased use of sleeping pills or blood pressure or cardiovascular medications whatsoever". This cannot be classed as robust research as for this to be relevant the groups compared would have to be identical in all aspects including physical, psychological and socio-economic. Other writers have described Professor Gary Wittert as the paid medical expert for Acciona.
Researchers, commissioned by Pacific Hydro, took sound measurements near the company's Cape Bridgewater wind farm, in south-west Victoria. A correlation was recorded between the noise made by the turbine and the sensations felt by residents. It was the first time reactions like this had been included in a wind farm study."What we found was that previously they were complaining about the noise, but it wasn't really the noise, it was sensations." Pacific Hydro external affairs executive manager Andrew Richards said it was not the company's role to contribute further reports about the noise made by wind turbines, including medical studies.
$3 million in research grants has been allocated and surely no approvals for these projects should be given until the research has been presented.

I reserve the right to submit further submissions

Effect on the children at Rye Park Primary school.
The proposed Bango wind turbines to the east of Rye Park village combined with the Rye Park windfarm proposal to west of the village of Rye Park, puts approximately 33 turbines within 5km of the village, including the village primary school. No mention is found in any proposal documents to address the possibility that they may be doing harm to our children.
Dr Nina Piermont (2010) states that "the presence of noise in the environment degraded how these children's brains processed language sounds, which in turn degraded their ability to learn to read. It wasn't that the noise just kept them from hearing things they needed to learn; the noise actually harmed their brain's ability to process language". She went on to state "over 90% of my sample of affected people, both adults and children had cognitive difficulties during wind turbine exposure--problems that lingered and resolved slowly after exposure ended. These included difficulties with reading, math, spelling, writing, multitasking in kitchen and home, remembering a series of errands, maintaining a train of thought in a telephone conversation, following the plot of a TV show, following recipes, and following directions to put together furniture." Professor Arline Bronzaft (2011) states "based on our knowledge of the harmful effects of noise on children's health and the growing body of evidence to suggest the potential harmful effects of industrial wind turbine noise, it is strongly urged that further studies be conducted on the impacts of industrial wind turbines on their health, as well as the health of their parents, before forging ahead in siting industrial wind turbines".

Researchers, commissioned by Pacific Hydro and reported last year, took sound measurements near the company's Cape Bridgewater wind farm, in south-west Victoria. A correlation was recorded between the noise made by the turbine and the sensations felt by residents. It was the first time reactions like this had been included in a wind farm study."What we found was that previously they were complaining about the noise, but it wasn't really the noise, it was sensations." Pacific Hydro external affairs executive manager Andrew Richards said it was not the company's role to contribute further reports about the noise made by wind turbines, including medical studies.
Statements by Rye Park windfarm proponents that the NHMRC reported that there is no evidence that wind farms cause medical problems is incorrect. NHMRC actually states that `given the poor quality of current direct evidence and the concern expressed by some members of the community, high quality research into possible health effects of wind farms... is warranted." NHMRC Statement: Evidence on Wind Farms and Human Health February 2015 NHMRC ref # EH57. This research should go one step further and investigate the specific effects on childrens' brains of the cumulative effect of so many turbines in close proximity. Have this many industrial wind turbines been built in such close proximity to a school of any kind let alone a primary school?
Piermont N., (2010) PhD Keynote address before the "First International Symposium on the Global Wind Industry and Adverse Health Effects: Loss of Social Justice?" in Picton, Ontario, Canada, October 30.
Bronzaft , AL., (2011), The Noise From Wind Turbines: Potential Adverse Impacts on Children's Well-Being, Bulletin of Science, Technology & Society 31(4) 291-295

I reserve the right to submit further submissions