The Windmills of Lewis County (Maple Ridge Wind Farm)

About a half-hour drive from Kayuta sits the largest alternative energy project east of the Mississippi. From Route 12D in Boonville, we continued on Route 26 until we started to see the windmills and then turned onto Flat Rock Road.


New York's largest wind farm, the Maple Ridge Wind Farm, is named in honor of the county's status as the biggest producer of maple syrup in the state. Its 195 turbines are scattered along 12,000 acres of farmlands on a 12-mile strip of the Tug Hill plateau, in the towns of Martinsburg, Lowville, Watson and Harrisburg. At an average elevation of 1600-1800 feet, this region was selected because it experiences strong lake-effect winds from Lake Ontario.

First conceived in 1999, the project became fully operational in January 2006. It is able to produce 320 MW of electricity which is enough to power 160,000 homes, equivalent to a mid-sized power plant, and like taking 105,000 cars off the road.


To casual observers like us, the windmills make for a very interesting landscape. More mixed emotions are expressed by local residents. With the 260 feet high wind tower, each 1.65 megawatt turbine reaches a maximum of 390 ft when one of its 130-ft long rotor blade is at 12 o'clock, and has been likened to a "spindly-armed alien" or a "giant praying mantis peering at my home". Some complained of interference with the radio and tv reception, while others expressed concern for their impact on the bird and bat population. The constant "whoosh, whoosh" heard from the rotor blades spinning at 14 revolutions per minute is another constant irritation.

But, for many other residents, the windmills are a source of much needed revenue. Seventy-four landowners were paid a yearly fee of $5000-10,000 per turbine while other neighbors were given $500-1,000 just for the inconvenience of living close to the turbines. Instead of full taxes, the company will make reduced payment to the county for 15 years. So far, this welcome revenue has helped projects in the towns and school districts involved. With the current energy crisis, particularly with New York's passing of the Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS), a law requiring power utilities to purchase at least 25 percent of their electricity from renewable sources by 2013, more windmills may be cropping up in this area in the near future.

More on the windmills:
A New Crop Upstate: Electricity from Windmills
Falling in Love with Wind
Windmills split towns and families