Letters

I thank The Southampton Press for keeping the spotlight on the proposed battery energy storage system (BESS) in Hampton Bays. I, like every Hampton Bays resident, have so many unanswered questions that serve to heighten our fears of fire, explosions, toxic emissions, and ground and marine water contamination.

Noise emitted from the 30 BESS units is yet another unaddressed threat. This includes (1) A cooling system that emits noise from outlet and inlet airflow vents and pumps from each of the 30 enclosures. (2) Air cooling fans from inverters that produce a buzzing sound. (3) Transformers that have fans mounted outside of them.

At the Town Hall meetings, Southampton Canal stated that the decibel level was 55 and later stated that it was 43. Which is it, and was there an independent sound expert analysis completed? If so, what company provided these figures, and was this study completed on a project of comparable size and topography? Did the study take the road noise from County Road 39 and North Road into account? The information gleaned so far about this and other concerns provides no clear, scientific answers.

The decibel level measured 58 on my deck on a Tuesday afternoon. On Friday at 5:40, it was reported as 76 decibels, with a max of 98. Imagine this din, and the BESS installation, accosting the human ear 24 hours a day. The Canal Southampton’s noise mitigation plan is for berms and vegetation.

What we do know is that noise is bad for your health. A New York Times June 9 article states this unequivocally.

Over time, noise can chronically affect the amygdala and the sympathetic nervous system, which can lead to inflammation, hypertension and plaque buildup in arteries, increasing the risk of heart disease, heart attacks and stroke.

The World Health Organization maintains that the average road traffic noise above 53 decibels or average aircraft noise exposure above 45 decibels are associated with adverse health effects.

The Environmental Protection Agency recommends 30 decibels for quality sleeping and states that extended exposure to anything above 55 to 60 decibels is disturbing to sleep.

The EPA states that noise needs to be below 70 decibels to prevent induced hearing loss.

Clearly this project, for health reasons, among myriad reasons, does not belong in a residential area. A thorough environmental impact study that includes an operational noise assessment survey of a comparable size installation by an organization that specializes in this must be completed prior to any approvals.

Great idea but inappropriate location. The town needs to serve its constituents above all else.

Bonnie Doyle

Hampton Bays