(A) Maintenance.
(1) Annual report. The applicant (WECS permittee) must submit, on an annual basis on the anniversary date of the siting approval application, an operation and maintenance report to the county. The report shall contain the following information:
(a) A general description of any physical repairs, replacements or modification(s) to the WECS and/or its infrastructure;
(b) Complaints pertaining to setbacks, noise, shadow flicker, appearance, safety, lighting and use of any public roads received by the applicant concerning the WECS and the resolution of such complaints;
(c) Calls for emergency services;
(d) Status of liability insurance; and
(e) A general summary of service calls to the WECS. Failure to provide the annual report shall be considered a material violation of this chapter and subject to § 153.09.
(2) Re-certification. Any physical modification to the WECS that alters the mechanical load, mechanical load path, or major electrical components shall require re-certification under Design and Safety Certification as laid out in this chapter. Like-kind replacements and modifications that are made in the ordinary course of operations, including expected repairs and warranty items, shall not require re-certification. Prior to making any physical modification (other than a like-kind replacement or other modifications made in the ordinary course of operations), the applicant shall confer with a relevant third-party certifying entity identified in Design and Safety Certification of this chapter to determine whether the physical modification requires re-certification.
(B) Coordination with emergency responders.
(1) The applicant shall submit to the local emergency responders a copy of the site plan, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and Standard Operating Guidelines (SOGs), and any amendments to such documents, for the wind power facility so that the local law enforcement, fire protection district and rescue units, emergency medical service providers and emergency management service providers that have jurisdiction over each tower site may evaluate and coordinate their emergency response plans with the applicant of the WECS Project.
(2) The applicant, at its expense, shall provide annual training for, and the necessary equipment to, the operator and local emergency response authorities and their personnel so that they can properly respond to a potential emergency at the WECS Project. Special equipment to be provided includes, but is not limited to, permanently installed rescue equipment such as winches, pulleys, harnesses, etc.
(3) The applicant and the operator shall cooperate with all local emergency responders to develop an emergency response plan. The plan shall include, at a minimum, 24-hour contact information (names, titles, email addresses, cell phone numbers) for the applicant and the operator and at least three designated WECS Project representatives (a primary representative with two alternate representatives, each of whom are on-call "24 hours per day / 7 days per week / 365 days per year"). Any change in the designated WECS Project representative or his/her contact information shall be promptly communicated to the county. The content of the emergency response plan, including the 24-hour contact information, shall be reviewed and updated on an annual basis.
(4) Nothing in this section shall alleviate the need to comply with all other applicable life safety, fire / emergency laws and regulations.
(C) Water, sewer, materials handling, storage and disposal.
(1) All solid wastes related to the construction, operation and maintenance of the WECS shall be removed from the site promptly and disposed of in accordance with all federal, state and local laws.
(2) All hazardous materials related to the construction, operation and maintenance of the WECS shall be handled, stored, transported and disposed of in accordance with all applicable local, state and federal laws.
(3) The WECS Project shall comply with existing septic and well regulations as required by the County Health Department and the State of Illinois Department of Public Health.
(D) Shadow flicker. The applicant must present to the County Board a model study on potential shadow flicker. The applicant shall appropriately demonstrate to the County Board through industry standard modeling that no occupied community building or non-participating residence will experience an expected duration of 30 hours or more per year. An occupied community building owner or a non-participating residence owner may waive this shadow flicker mitigation requirement. Each waiver of the above shadow flicker mitigation requirement shall be set forth in a written waiver executed by the occupied community building owner or non-participating residence owner and filed with the County Recorder of Deeds Office against title to the affected real property.
(E) Signage. Signage regulations are to be consistent with ANSI and AWEA standards. A reasonably visible warning sign concerning voltage shall be placed at the base of all pad-mounted transformers and substations, and at all entrances to wind towers.
(F) Drainage systems. The applicant, at its expense, will repair, in a prompt and timely manner, all waterways, drainage ditches, agricultural drainage systems, field tiles, or any other private and public infrastructure improvements damaged during construction, maintenance and operation phases of the WECS Project in accordance with the Agricultural Impact Mitigation Agreement.
(G) Complaint resolution. The applicant shall, at its expense and in coordination with the county, develop a system for logging and investigating complaints related to the WECS Project. The applicant shall resolve such non-emergency complaints on a case-by-case basis and shall provide written confirmation to the county. All costs and fees incurred by the county in attempting to or resolving complaints shall be reimbursed by the applicant of the WECS Project. The applicant shall also designate and maintain for the duration of the WECS Project either a local telephone number or a toll-free telephone number and an email address as its public information / inquiry / and complaint "hotline" which shall be answered by a customer service representative 24/7 basis. The applicant shall post the telephone number(s) and email address(es) for the customer service representative(s) in an prominent, easy to find location on their websites and at the WECS Project site on signage.
(Ord. O-147-05-23, passed 5-11-2023)