Water Wells First meeting February 23, 2107.  (Photo by Paul Pedro)Water Wells First meeting February 23, 2107. (Photo by Paul Pedro)
Chatham

'Water Wells First' Getting Ready To Battle

The group called Water Wells First is rallying the troops and preparing for a fight.

The group is warning farmers in Dover Centre, Otter Creek and North Kent to test their wells now in case a court battle brews with the nearby wind farm developers.

Several farmers are complaining the pile driving and vibration from nearby wind turbines is disturbing their wells and contaminating their drinking water.

"We are going to have a big fight on our hands," says Mark St. Pierre, a local landowner who is affected by the turbid water. "The turbine companies are not cooperating with testing properly so we're going to fight them on that and see if we can get our own testing done and prove them wrong."

Around 140 people attended a meeting at Country View Golf Course Thursday night to strategize.

Pile driving in Otter Creek and North Kent should start soon and the goal is to stop construction.

"They're not carrying out the testing as per protocols," says St. Pierre of the wind farm developers, who adds he's paying for his own testing because he doesn't trust the testing being done by the wind developers.

"My big concern is the stigma that's going to remain on the properties in Dover," says St. Pierre, adding his property value is dropping and he's not going to take it sitting down. "When I want to sell my property, the realtors don't even want to look at it."

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