The Real Threat to Private Water Supplies. Does the Hill of Fare Wind Farm Development Pose a Threat to Private Water Supplies?

The simple answer is YES! Construction of the proposed wind farm does pose a significant threat to all our Private Water Supplies.

In answer to the question “If my water supply is damaged by the actions of the wind farm developer what are their responsibilities?” The answer is shocking, apparently the developer has NO responsibility in law.

The Chief Planner of the “Planning, Architecture and Regeneration Division, Scottish Government” said:-

“I have to advise that there is nothing in planning legislation that requires a person carrying out development on their property to prevent or correct potential contamination of water on their land and that may subsequently enter another person’s water supply. Under Scottish law, any damage to a person’s property is a private legal matter between the parties involved. In the event that damage was to be caused to your property, it would be open to you to take the matter to the Scottish Courts”.

Residents of Midmar and beyond, if you were not worried about your private water supplies before, you should be now. As the law stands the wind farm developer can ruin your lives and businesses then walk away. It is up to you to take a major company to court, what are your chances of winning? Also courts can take years to deliver a verdict, in the meantime you have no water!

There are many homes, farms and businesses clustered around the Hill of Fare. On behalf of the Cluny Midmar and Monymusk Community Councils (CMMCC) and HoFWIG (Hill of Fare Windfarm Information Group) a survey was carried out in December 2022. The purpose of the survey was to establish how many farms, homes and businesses relied on the Hill of Fare for their water supply. The initial survey was conducted along the eastern end of the Hill of Fare beyond Echt and along the northern side towards the west.

Forty-one homes, six businesses and three farms were visited, of these all are reliant on natural well and spring water. Thirty-eight homes and all of the farmers responded with concerns about disruption to their supply. The responses from the businesses surveyed was mixed, the majority had grave concerns, one was ambivalent and another was positively in favour of the proposed Wind Farm development.

The construction of the Hill of Fare wind farm will require the strengthening of existing roads right across the hill and the construction of completely new ones. In several areas we anticipate that there trees will have to be felled just to accommodate “turning sweep” such that the long turbine towers and blades can be manoeuvred into position. Construction of the turbine foundations will require tens of thousands of tons of peat, rock and shale etcetera to be removed in order to cast the massive concrete foundations.

It is likely that explosive blasting or hydraulic rock breaking methods will need to be used. Water in the rock formations is contained in cracks and fissures. From the centre of the blast, shock waves travel outwards like ripples on a pond. Blasting and hydraulic rock breaking can make new cracks, close existing ones and catastrophically change the course of water supplies.

At the site of each turbine, a substantial hard standing will need to be formed adjacent to each location to support the gigantic cranes needed to lift the turbine components into place. For turbines of the size proposed each of the nacelle units (blade hub and generator at the top of each tower) alone will likely be in excess of 500 tons. To gather materials to form these hard standing pads local “Borrow Pits” will be created, shattered rock, shale etcetera in massive quantities will be extracted, leaving holes in the landscape.

The present water courses, wells and springs that supply the homes and
farms and businesses have been established over eons of time. They are robust and most importantly reliable. Nothing can survive without that life giving water. The probability of some if not all of the traditionally established sources of water from the Hill of Fare being disturbed and lost has to be high, given the enormity of the civil engineering works proposed to construct the wind farm. One of our local residents, who has worked for a major civil engineering company on large scale projects is very aware of construction works of this magnitude disrupting long established sources of water.

Serious questions that we believe RES must be required to address now are:-

•  Have they given any thought to the hydrology of the Hill of Fare?
•  What happens when the hydrology is disturbed?
•  What contingency plans have do RES have in place to remedy any water supply problems faced by residents during the construction phase and provide adequate support?
•  What plans do RES have in place to remedy long term problems and how long might they take to implement?
•  Who will pay for remedial works?

Many of us on private supply will have experienced occasional disruption to our own water systems so we all know that supplying water in bottles is not a solution for us at home let alone farmers with livestock. Nor would it be of any use to mothers with young children for bathing, clothes laundry and toilet flushing.

The nearest mains water is three miles away in Echt, can Scottish Water guarantee sufficient water to supply the extra farms, businesses and homes if this becomes the only long term solution? Also it is important that RES are required to pay for the installation and the supply of water in perpetuity. Residents presently enjoy free, pure water from the Hill of Fare. Why should they be inconvenienced and also bear additional costs because of this wind farm development?

All these concerns should be addressed with credible solutions, thought through and a robust action plan put in place which is acceptable to all residents before any disturbance on the Hill of Fare commences.

This is urgent and you need to act now, please do not prevaricate or it will soon be too late. You can express your concerns about water supplies by writing directly to the owners of Dunecht Estate, they are the principal actors in this matter:-

Messrs George and Charles Pearson
c/o Dunecht Estate Office,
Dunecht,
Aberdeenshire.

You can also express your opinions to the following public figures:-

Andrew Bowie MP – andrew.bowie.mp@parliament.uk
Alexander Burnet MSP – alexander.burnett.msp@parliament.scot
Richard Fyffe CCMCC – richard@corsindae.com

The southern side (Raemoir) and west end of the Hill of Fare (Learny) are beyond our local CMMCC’s (Cluny Midmar & Monymusk Community Council) boundaries but HoFWIG and our CMMCC are in communication the Community Councils that represent these areas.

For further detailed information from HoFWIG regarding the Hill of Fare Wind Farm Development you can look at our web site www.hilloffare.org or contact myself, a long term Midmar resident, Frank Murray (CCMCC& HoFWIG) using frank.murray1@googlemail.com