NEW WIND TOWER PLAN SAFER FOR FLYING BIRDS.

Byline: Jim Skeen Staff Writer

PALMDALE - The Palmdale Water District's proposed wind-energy project has been revised to avoid killing birds, according to a draft environmental impact report.

But city officials, who had gone to court to force the district to prepare the report, say they are still concerned that the 230-foot-tall wind turbine tower would detract from views of the Antelope Valley.

In the draft report, district officials indicated they plan to switch to a turbine capable of generating more power but could readily shut it down during bird migration times or in cloudy weather, when birds would be more likely to fly into it.

The proposed $1.2 million wind turbine at Lake Palmdale is intended to power a water treatment plant and to boost pump facility. Any excess energy would go back to the state's power grid.

Critics said the turbine will ruin views of the Antelope Valley, particularly for people entering from the south, and will pose a hazard for birds flying around Lake Palmdale.

In March, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge ruled in favor of Palmdale city officials who argued that the water district did not comply with the California Environmental Quality Act in approving the project.

Water district officials not only listed listing steps to avoid killing birds, but also said the turbine tower would be painted with a nonreflective finish to reduce glare.

The draft report concedes that the project would have significant and unavoidable impact on aesthetics, but states that the site once held a 220-foot-tall radio tower, which was dismantled about 10 years ago.

``Highway 14 is a scenic view corridor,'' said Mayor Jim Ledford. ``It is a scenic view corridor in our general plan, and we want that recognized.''

In a July 3 letter to the district, Palmdale Planning Director Laurie Lile stated that aesthetic effects of the project have not been adequately investigated.

But the water district general manager, Dennis LaMoreaux, disagrees.

In the legal challenge that prompted the draft report, city officials said there had been an understatement of environmental effects, including visual blight, bird deaths and the potential for earthquake damage. City officials contended that water district officials had downplayed, discounted and hidden potential adverse impacts.

Water district officials said they prevailed in some portions of the court ruling because the judge opposed the potential bird kills and did not express concern about aesthetics or seismic issues.

In city officials' court filings, the wind turbine was called a ``windmill behemoth'' that would dominate views of the valley and become a death trap for ducks, geese and other waterfowl at the lake. The twirling blades of the turbine would be virtually invisible to birds, city officials said.

Originally, the district had proposed to monitor the number of birds killed by the turbine and provide that information to the California Department of Fish and Game. State officials could then have used that information to determine what protections, if any, were needed.

In addition to shutting down the turbine during periods of low visibility, district officials now plan to take action regarding the turbine's lighting and the vegetation surrounding it.

The tower lighting would be kept at the minimum level required by the Federal Aviation Administration to reduce the possibility that the lights would attract birds. The turbine tower lights would blink at the maximum allowable interval because continuous lighting or lights that flash more often than every three seconds appear to attract migrating birds during bad weather.

Vegetation would be cleared within an 85-foot radius of the tower and gophers and ground squirrels would be trapped and removed to avoid attracting birds of prey that spot them from on high.

District officials also propose to check for bird strikes daily during one week of every month and weekly for the rest of that month.

The proposed turbine will be capable of generating 1.35 million kilowatt hours per year, compared with the 1.04 million kilowatt hours previously considered.

``The project will reduce the district's dependency on power from other energy providers, improve the district's ability to provide safe potable water without interruption, and reduce environmental impacts associated with the use of electricity from fossil fuels in the district's operations,'' the report's authors wrote.

Plans call for a 230-foot tall tower with three 90-foot blades.

A decision on whether the district will go forward with the project will likely occur later this year.