Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Locals tour south of Ritzville
Representatives from Lincoln County visit a wind turbine at Rattlesnake Flats near Ralston in Adams County Thursday, June 13.
RALSTON - A crew of Lincoln County employees, citizens, landowners and Planning Commission members made the hourlong trek south to the Rattlesnake Flats Wind Farm in rural Adams County to see wind turbines up close and personal Thursday, June 13.
The tour was hosted by Avista, which buys 100% of the power, and Clearway Energy Group, which funded the project.
Lincoln County representatives included Planning Commission members Sue Lani Madsen, James Johnson, Mark Sheffels and Keith Nelson, Commissioner Jo Gilchrist, landowner Casey Nonnemacher, Public Works Director Dave Orvis, Planner Courtney Thompson and Environmental Health specialist Mike Troutman.
Attendees toured the 57-turbine farm leased through 19 landowners, six of whom live onsite, though more are around during harvest. The turbines there reach heights of 298 feet from base to height of the "stem" and close to 500 feet or more to the tip of the blade at its highest point.
The project, commissioned in Dec. 2020, features wind turbines that are slightly smaller than those expected to be placed in Lincoln County by Portland-based Triple Oak Power and Omaha-based Tenaska in the Davenport, Reardan, Harrington and Edwall areas.
Those onsite said no issues with animals or birds have been noticed, and turbines can be shut down in case of nearby wildfires, power outages or ice accumulation.
One tower is shut down during the winter due to its proximity to a public road.
Noise from the wind turbines were audible, but not overpowering. Some in attendance said they certainly noticed the noise, while others said the blades were quieter than expected.
Gravel roads were built directly to the base of the turbines, and some shoulders of nearby, established roads were widened to accommodate trucks. The turbines were secured with a locked gate at the top of a ladder to access the inside of the machine.
Around 410 employees came through the site during Rattlesnake Flats Wind Farm construction, officials said. Current employees live in Adams County, Pomeroy, Spokane County and Post Falls.
Wheat abatement has been the biggest local complaint, officials said. Complaints are reportedly few and far between.
The terrain of the acreage south of Ritzville was much flatter than most in Lincoln County, particularly compared to Mill, Green and Harker Canyons.
Drew Lawson is the editor of the Davenport Times. He is a graduate of Eastern Washington University.
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