There's a public meeting tonight to discuss a wind farm project that could be setting up north of Wallaceburg.
And you can bet several residents will be asking about the impact construction of the turbines could have on water wells.
North Kent councillor Leon Leclair plans to attend the meeting at the Baldoon Golf and Country Club and says he wants the wells to be tested on an on-going basis.
"When I used to have a rural well, even a storm would change the condition of my well," says Leclair. "Some heavy impacting of the digging or maybe of pounding of the steel rebar to make a foundation could impact the well -- those could be temporary."
Several local activists, including a group called "Well Waters First," have been raising concerns about how the construction of wind turbines may be making well water cloudy -- and in some cases undrinkable.
Leclair says if there is a link between the two, something needs to be done quickly.
"The Minister of the Environment should maybe be having more input on this because when it comes to clean water, once we've lost that and it's been tainted, we can't get that back," says Leclair adding he'll be asking several questions at the meeting. "I'm hoping they are open to hearing what we have to say, but it's just to make sure we're holding their feet to the fire to make sure they follow up on our concerns."
You can find a map of the proposed Otter Creek Wind Farm below. It would include approximately 19 wind turbines.
Tonight's meeting regarding will run from 5pm to 8pm at the Baldoon Golf and Country Club on Dufferin Rd. in Wallaceburg.
The proposed boundaries for the Otter Creek Wind Farm. (Photo courtesy of ottercreekwindfarm.ca)
