OBERLIN, Ohio — EDL Energy’s new renewable natural gas plant in Oberlin, on Hill Creek Drive, is still in the commissioning process.
News 5 has been following developments for months as neighbors expressed health concerns and issues related to the plant’s gas flaring and excessive noise.
Ronald Webber lives less than a half-mile from the plant. He’s rooted in the neighborhood, having lived on Oberlin Road for decades. But he’s not too thrilled about his new industrial neighbor.
"I just like to sit out there on a Sunday morning and have a cup of coffee…peace and quiet…and it just disrupted it. It’s noisy,” Webber said. “They didn’t come to the residents. They had other plants, but these other plants are way away from population (and) way away from people.”
In October, EDL committed to investigate and resolve concerns about excessive noise and gas flaring.
Since then, EDL said gas flaring only happens on weekdays from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. They said an outside company analyzed different sources of sound at the facility and identified noise leakage.
On Feb. 5, company leaders updated the city council on insulation work and other noise mitigation efforts on various parts and components at the renewable natural gas plant.
At that meeting, Rick DiGia, EDL Energy North America CEO, said, “What we’ve done so far within the plant…we actually put in acoustic jacketing around all of our compressors."
The company said work was also done to “dampen noise” on outdoor components.
Helen Mittler’s backyard faces the plant. She’s spoken to News 5’s Damon Maloney on several occasions.
"I know that they've spent a great deal of money on the mitigation, but it doesn't seem to really solve the problem,” Mittler said. “We still get the plane landing noise, but it's also not running at night. So, we're getting some sleep.”
Mittler said the noise had died down in some ways but explained levels are inconsistent.
Mittler said she’s also noticed her home rattling at random times. It happened while she spoke to News 5.
"This is mild,” Mittler said. “This goes on all day."
EDL Energy said it would like to complete one more significant step to mitigate noise. It’s proposing to build a 12- to 15-foot sound barrier around the perimeter of its facility.
“One big benefit will be that you don't have to look at it if you're going by, if you're running (or) biking,” Mittler said. “It will hide a great deal of it.”
Construction of the sound barrier would require approval from the city and, according to EDL, would take 12 to 16 weeks to build.
Mittler and Webber said time will tell what efforts are truly effective.
"They seem to be sincere in their desire to help us,” Mitter said.
Some residents have expressed health concerns with the plant’s existence. The Ohio EPA said it’s not aware of any, and if someone’s experiencing problems, they should see a doctor and report back to them.
EDL Energy issued the following statement to News 5
EDL remains committed to being a good neighbor and responsive to community concerns about sound levels surrounding our facility. Since our last meeting with the Oberlin City Council, our team has installed a number of sound mitigating measures while keeping the community informed about our commissioning.
To date, we have put jackets on compressors to reduce high frequency noise; insulated pipes, valves and ducts to reduce flow-induced aerodynamic noise; and closed building penetrations that allowed sound to escape the facility. At each stage of our sound mitigation work, we have evaluated the improvements to determine their effectiveness and there has been significant measurable reduction in noise levels.
The next step we are introducing tonight is our plan to erect a sound barrier wall around the perimeter of the entire facility, which will have a major impact on further mitigating sound from our facility. This is a significant step and will effectively complete our sound mitigation work.
Once the sound barrier wall has been installed, EDL will conduct a final sound survey that will measure our facility’s sound footprint.
We appreciate the patience of the community and the Oberlin City Council as we’ve worked to resolve community concerns. EDL looks forward to being a good corporate citizen in Oberlin for many years to come.”
The Ohio EPA issued the following statement to News 5
Ohio EPA issued a Notice of Violation to EDL Energy in September for excess visible emissions from its flare. EDL Energy made adjustments to the flare, and visible emissions readings taken Oct. 6 were in compliance with Ohio EPA regulations. Ohio EPA has not issued additional NOVs to EDL Energy.
As for health risks associated with the site, Ohio EPA is not aware of any. If residents experience issues, or if they have any concerns, they should see their medical physician.
Many businesses are regulated by multiple agencies depending on the type of facility involved. For this facility, Ohio EPA regulates the air emissions, and is the delegated authority for federal air regulations.
