Gibson Co. EMA meets with the NWS to discuss possible impact of wind farms

GIBSON CO., Ind. (WFIE) - It’s been an ongoing controversy as E-ON is looking to build win farms in Gibson and Posey County.

As we’ve reported, some worry it could impact local weather radars. That’s why Gibson County’s Emergency Management Agency brought in the experts.

“We knew that there was going to be some type of interference, but we needed answers from NOAA directly as to the degree of interference so that it’s provided to you guys and the media for the weather service so we can get it out to the public," said Gibson County EMA Director Terry Hedges.

The doppler radar system produces early warning signals for severe weather. Kent Schriller, a Professor of physics at USI, says the presence of wind farms can alter the doppler radar reading.

“It can literally cause false positives as well as block a real event," said Schriller. “And we can’t have that to maintain the safety and welfare of the people living in the area.”

When asked about the potential affects of wind turbines on the Doppler radar, E-ON Wind Development Director Carson Rumph tells us they can’t quite predict that yet.

“Until we really know locations of wind turbines and where they are actually going in proximity to the radar, how they are placed, and so forth," said Rumph. “So right now we are working on getting the preliminary layout together.”

E-ON has started to lease land from different farm and land owners throughout Gibson and Posey counties.

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