What is ideal allowable noise level for frost fan activity?

Hi there.

For my first post to this blog (thanks Jack) I would like to take the opportunity to address a means of setting  limits for noise producing activities (ideally frost fans). 

Some may feel as if I've come down on the side of the resident instead of the vineyard owner. But in fact, I've deliberately tried to avoid playing favorites by applying a logical premise that people should be allowed to sleep in their homes. If you think that's a bit over the top, then you are in effect agreeing to being kept awake against your wishes for one night every week for three months. Welcome to the World of frost protection for the inconsiderate. 

Following the model below means that vineyards coud actually produce more noise from frost fans if they want, so long as it didn't impinge on peoples ability to sleep.

What is ideal allowable noise level for frost fan activity?

The easy answer is the level that allows for sleep during the night.

The practical aspects of this are more difficult to manage, but that shouldn’t stop us from exploring the options.

First and foremost the World Health Organisation have set out a level of 30dBA Leq as the maximum noise level permissible at night to avoid serious health effects.

This is the level inside a person’s bedroom that allows them to sleep.

That’s where the main thrust of this argument should lay.  

The issue is not ‘How much noise is a frost fan allowed to make’.

It is ‘How much quiet does a person need to sleep’.

The widely quoted value for the amount of reduction of noise that occurs in a modern home from the outside to the inside is 20dB (this assumes the windows are closed).

That means that the amount of noise that can be present outside a person’s house that allows them to sleep is 50dBA Leq.

Now setting this level does not take into account a fundamental point. Noise pollution is insidious in the manner that is can be produced and nebulous in the way it can be monitored. Therefore setting a level required outside a house does not allow for a residential section that has yet to be built on or the fact that if a house is set back considerably from a boundary, the noise level that is present in the receivers property exceeds that required if they ever decide to subdivide or re-build in a different position. 

Therefore the noise pollution needs to be contained within the boundary of a noise producing property.

Therefore the amount of noise that can be present at the boundary of a property should not exceed 50dBA Leq. 

That’s actually still pretty simple. If you want to make noise, ensure that the amount that is present at your boundary is less than 50dBA Leq.

This is where people assume it starts to get more difficult.

What if a property is at a point where two neighbouring (noise producing) properties meet? This would mean that if each (of the noise producing properties) was producing 50dBA Leq then the total would be 53dBA Leq where the three properties meet.

This would exceed the maximum amount of noise that would allow sleep.

Is that so bad though? Surely a regulatory body like a District Council would jump at the chance to ensure that a condition of consent that allowed for safety of the residents was adhered to?

In fact that works out quite well. It is a very simple matter to calculate that in the example above, the measured permitted noise level for each noise producing neighbour should be less than 47dBA Leq at the point where the noise producing properties and their neighbour meet.

In fact this example can extend to describing the allowable noise at any point on the boundary of a property dependant on how your neighbour’s properties abut yours. It is extraordinarily simple.

Any noise produced by ‘Vineyard A’ or ‘Vineyard B’ should not exceed 50dBA Leq at Point ‘A’ or at Point ‘C’.

Any noise produced by ‘Vineyard A’ or ‘Vineyard B’ should not exceed 47dBA Leq at Point ‘B’.

This model ignores the type and number of noise producing sources. Assuming they are frost fans, there can be as many or few as desired. So long as the measured noise at the relevant points on the boundary are within the limits everything is acceptable. This assumes that any testing is carried out in the ‘worst case scenario’ where all frost protection devices are operating (i.e. cumulatively).

Using this model each and every property can carry out frost protection with an achievable target that is independent of having to allow for the noise coming from their neighbours. This protects the rate payer that wants to sleep and gives all noise producers a clear level to meet.

The down side is that there is still a need to monitor for compliance. While conditions can be imposed for stringent testing, there needs to be effective and robust methods of ensuring conditions of consent for noise are being met. I intend to cover possible options in a future post. And guess what. It can be done simply.

Conflicts of Interest: Dealing with them

Some situations will need to be the subject of discretionary judgements as and when they arise.

There are two aspects to dealing with particular situations:   

• identifying and disclosing the conflict of interest (primarily the responsibility of the member or official concerned); and
  
• deciding what action (if any) is necessary to best avoid or mitigate any effects of the conflict of interest (primarily the responsibility of the public entity).   
  

The member or official with the conflict of interest is obliged to identify it, and disclose it to the relevant people in a timely and effective manner. It is better to err on the side of openness when deciding whether something should be disclosed. 

If a matter in which a member or official has an interest arises at a formal meeting, the member or official should declare to the meeting that they have an interest in the matter before the matter is discussed. In other situations, the matter should be raised and discussed with a relevant person (such as a manager or chairperson) as soon as the potential for a conflict of interest is identified.

The moral of the story is...

If you have an interest in viticulture don't think that some people won't view that as a conflict of interest when forming policy on viticulture related activities (such as frost fans).

In vino veritas

The wine industry.

Holders of public trust (like Fontera), protectors of the environment (like Exxon), purveyors of reasonably priced export quality (like... Rosecreek?).

Fascinating article in stuff.co.nz about a Martinborough winery (Te Kairanga) exporting 4000 cases to Germany, only to have it returned because of copper content that exceeded the European health standard.

Well the good news is that we're sticking it to the Germans in an ironic twist that sees the same wine (not just the same brand, the ACTUAL wine that was returned) sold in New World and Pak'n Save  at a bargin price!  

Yes, you can have a cut price bargin, and there's no need to be concerned about the high copper levels that thoses snooty Europeans whine about because in New Zealand there's no legal requirement to disclose the levels! That's showing them.
The price? A steal at $19.99. About the same price as four cans of Chinese baby milk. If you're that brave.

Tell your side of the story

Having been recently contacted by Garret Keizer in relation to his current work on a book about the politics and history of human noise, I would like to take an opportunity to recommend to anyone that may have a story to tell about issues relating to environmental noise to visit the website www.noisestories.com. 

Garret has a history of bringing noise related activities to the attention of the World through his work as a freelance writer and contributing editor to Harpers Magazine. This could be an opportunity for your voice to play a part in improving the enviroment for everyone. 

If you want to pass on your story, head on over to Noise Stories.

And so it begins...

It's that time of year again.

The fans started up for the first time (in the spring) this morning.
It was either 3:45, 4:45 or 5:45 on a Sunday morning. With the change in daylight saving, I'm not even sure what time it is now (either 5am, 6am or 7am).
But I know I'm awake!

Noise Stories

Having browsed across the Noise Stories website in the past (http://www.noisestories.com/).
I had a reason to check out some related work of its author Garret Keizer.

Amongst his wide range of articles was the classic 'How to build whatever you want' (although it has a noise related twist, it is applicable to a wide range of situations).

READ IT.

If this doesn't sound familiar to a lot of people reading this blog I will be mightily surprised.

Wind Turbine Catstophe

Now first off these are NOT frost fans.

They are wind turbines and are therefore a completely different beast to the dainty little whiners that infest New Zealand.

However, these are sufficiently amusing (in an unfortunate way) to warrant posting. Both can be found on the Fail Blog and for those that have never been there, might I recommend a visit.

The first (at left) appears to be simulating a frost pot and could be quite effective.

The second will require you to visit the Fail Blog as it includes the video of a turbine spinning itself to destruction.

There is actually a second video taken with a wider angle that shows the scale of the fan and the destruction as the tower collapses (including landing on a van at the bottom of the unit). Sadly I was not able to locate this one. If anyone spies it, drop me a comment.

Conflicts of Interest: What variations are there

A conflict of interest can arise in a wide range of circumstances. 

For instance, the member's or official's other interest could be:   

holding another public office; 

being an employee, advisor, director, or partner of another business or organisation; 

pursuing a business opportunity; 

being a member of a club, society, or association; 

having a professional or legal obligation to someone else (such as being a trustee); 

owning a beneficial interest in a trust; 

owning or occupying a piece of land; 

owning shares or some other investment or asset; 

having received a gift, hospitality, or other benefit from someone; 

owing a debt to someone; 

holding or expressing strong political or personal views that may indicate prejudice or predetermination for or against a person or issue; 

or being a relative or close friend of someone who has one of these interests (or who could otherwise be personally affected by a decision of the public entity).

There are clearly a wide range of possible conflicts. For the sake of giggles let's try to make up a doozie.

Should an employee of a District Council who has any influence in the granting of resource Consents for the installation of frost fans declare a conflict of interest if they;

Are the president of the NZ Winegrowers association, director of a vineyard, investing in an agricultural machinery franchise while being the beneficiary of a trust that owns a vineyard with frost fans on it, owns shares in Cloudy Bay Vineyard, rents out a property to vineyard workers, receives a case of wine each year for the Council Xmas party and is married to the daughter of a wine bar owner?

The answer is probably yes.

On the off chance that the above description comes even vaguely close to describing someone;

a) sorry, I made it up completely and any resemblance is co-incidental.

b) you should probably do something about that.

Cartoon of the Day: How many sleepless nights?

One of the pathetic deceits practiced when submitting resource consent applications for frost fans is to claim that the percentage of sleepless nights will be no greater than X% in a year.

THIS IS DELIBERATLY MISLEADING.

Firstly,  any claim that a specific number of nights is all that will occur clearly has no basis in fact when it comes to predicting the weather.

Secondly,  when it is described as a yearly percentage, it sounds almost reasonable. I mean once a month? Come on what are you worrying about? Hang on... The frost fans only operate in a small portion of the year. That means (by the same math) you'll get on average, one sleepless night every week for three months. Yeouch!

Thirdly, it's not just the frequency. It's the fact that it happens at all! Go without sleep for a night. See how well you function the next day. Try a couple of days in a row.

Click on the cartoon to see a readable version or click here to see all the cartoons.

Conflict of interest: Rules and Regulations

Both the ethical and legal dimensions of conflicts of interest need to be considered when managing them.

There is no prescriptive set of rules specifying what constitutes ethical behaviour for all situations or all public entities, although expectations applying to a particular situation may come from a variety of sources. Decision-making should be guided by the principles of integrity, honesty, transparency, openness, independence, good faith, and service to the public.

Some rules for particular types of public entity (but mainly applying only to members of a governing body) are set out in statute. Also, the common law requires that public decision-making be procedurally fair.

Policies and procedures can provide clear rules for simple and predictable situations, and establish a process for dealing with the more difficult ones. One process many public entities use is to require members or officials to regularly (for example, yearly) complete and submit a declaration listing specified types of personal interests. This is sometimes called an "interests register". An interests register can help public entities identify when a conflict of interest might arise so that steps can be taken to manage it.

Alternatively, at some Council meetings members are asked to declare any colflicts of interest as one of the first orders of business.

However, policies and procedures are not necessarily enough. They cannot anticipate every situation. Moreover, the seriousness of some situations will be a question of degree, and not easily managed by a rule. Policies and procedures need to retain some flexibility so that the public entity can exercise judgement in individual cases. A policy should not state or imply that the specific situations it covers are an exhaustive list.

Ahh... North Canterbury. Or as Royce McKean would prefer, an acoustic ghetto.

The Waiata Vineyard in tranquil Hurunui is a 365Ha property that allegedly sports 53 Orchard-Rite frost fans.

These are the topic of heated debate over the granting of a consent for use that appears to have circumvented the normal sequence of checking with the neighbours about the noise. (assuming that’s the responsible sort of thing that the Hurunui District Council does).

As you could imagine the residents surrounding this BLOT on the acoustic landscape are making a bit of a fuss.

We can only hope that their concerns can be heard over the noise of the fans.

This picture shows a section of the vineyard. Click on it at your own peril as it will open a sizeable 1.2MB picture!

I say a section because I can only (reliably) count about 34 frost fans. I assume that Mr Royce McKean of McKean Estates (the absentee landlord that owns this monstrosity) has paid for what he received. He’s certainly not getting what he deserves and nor are the neighbours of this industrial site.

Conflicts of interest: Examples from the news

A quick check of Stuff.co.nz shows a nice crossection os conflicts of interest. Remembering that not all of these are 'show stoppers'. But the perception of the conflict is enough to give people pause for thought.

That is the main issue. Not that there is some kind of dodgy dealing, but that there is an impression of it. 

A police officer uses his father-in-law to source the information that he then uses to justify a search warrant;

The chairman of a panel hearing arguments into the building of a proposed hydro scheme in Marlborough is a shareholder in a company with links to the energy industry;

A district Councillor organises a petition to oppose a building project;

A member of the board of directors is accused of a conflict of interest because he is also a member of the board of directors of Wellington airport and he is backing the Whenuapai airport project.

The important thing to remember is the impression of conflict is as important to manage as an actual conflict.

Cartoon of the Day: What the Absentee Landlord hears

I sometimes wonder if I'm being unfair poking the borax at the honest busines men/women trying to make a decent living who just happen to be investing in vineyards.

Then I am woken at 2am by the sound of frost fans or the organophosphates drift over the house from spraying and suddenly I realise that this is not something they have the slightest bit of concern about.

Click on the cartoon to see a readable version or click here to see all the cartoons.

Conflicts of interest: Identifying

Just because a member or official has an interest outside their work, it does not necessarily follow that they have a conflict of interest. A conflict of interest only occurs if something arises at work that overlaps with the other interest. 

 The management of conflicts of interest also involves appearances — what an outside observer might reasonably perceive. Most often, what needs to be managed (and be seen to be managed) is the risk of the adverse public perception that could arise from the overlapping interests.  

Sometimes there may be a perception of a conflict of interest where the interests come close but do not actually overlap. It may still be necessary to take some steps to manage these situations. Not taking steps to manage these risks can undermine an entity's reputation.

So in the case of frost fans, a conflict of interest could take many forms, but just because an individual has (for instance) a business interest that would benifit from the installation of frost fans, doesn't mean that a conflict of interest is occuring.

As with anything, appearances are significant. Identifying that a percieved conflict exists and managing that to ensure that there is complete transparency is vital to avoid any question of bias.

Cartoon of the day: What's promised and What happens

 The distinction between promises and reality...

If it isn't written down, it didn't happen.

If it can be monitored or verified, it won't happen.

Click on the cartoon to see a readable version or click here to see all the cartoons.

Conflicts of Interest: Definition

Definition

There is a conflict of interest where:

A member's or official's duties or responsibilities to a public entity could be affected by some other interest or duty that the member or official may have.  

The other interest or duty might exist because of:  

• the member's or official's own financial affairs;
  
• a relationship or other role that the member or official has; or
  
• something the member or official has said or done.    
  

The term "conflict of interest" can also cover circumstances that include or appear to include "bias" or "predetermination".

So with regard to frost fans...

(purely theoretically of course (no really!))

A councilor would have a conflict of interest if they were part of the hearing panel considering a frost fan resource consent if:

• They owned a frost fan franchise;
  
• They were in a relationship with someone that was a vocal opponent of the use of frost fans; or
  
• They had previously stated that it would be a cold day in hell before they allowed another frost fan to be installed in Marlborough;
  

It is useful to note the wording where a conflict of interest exists if circumstances include or appear to include bias or predetermination.

It is important to ensure that appearance of bias and conflict of interest is identified. More on that later.

Cartoon of the Day: Special Audible Characteristics: When do they start

I have yet to see data on a vertically mounted frost fan that does not produce special audible characteristics.

 Click on the cartoon to see a readable version or click here to see all the cartoons.

Conflicts of interest: The broad sweep.

I'm sorry I've been busy lately. 

But I've been doing a little digging and probing. Ferriting in the muck. Dredging through the detritus.

And so I would like to cover a little ground on conflicts of interest. 

Now this is a lengthy topic and worthy of far more than the crude and untrained overview I intend to provide. So I encourage you to do your own research on the topic where you think there might be an instance of something odd happening that makes you go hmmm.....

So what I'd like to cover are the following topics;

• Definition
  
• Identifying
  
• Rules and Regulations
  
• Types of other interest
  
• Dealing with them
  
• Avoiding
  
• Disclosing 
  

The vast majority of this is sourced from the website of the Office of the Auditor-General.

Now there'd be no use going through all of this without a reason.

So why?

Well, I'm curious. You see the wine industry is a large body with considerable influence. An influence that could extend either intentionaly, or not, to other bodies that have responsibilities in other areas. This could indicate a conflict of interest.

As you'll see with the discussion. This is not necessairly a bad thing so long as it is managed properly. But it does need to be managed properly...

Cartoon of the Day: A consent condition that makes sense

A condition of consent that makes sense!

Now I've seen it all.

Noise measurement (3) Describing the noise

There are a myriad of ways of measuring sound and noise. For this reason alone it is an area where even experts can differ on the finer points.

The following are some of the more common relating to noise disturbance.

L10: Denotes the level of sound exceeded for no more than 10% of the period being monitored.

This is a useful means of expressing noise from a frost fan as the cyclical nature of the sound varies considerably over a 5 minute period and averaging the noise conceals the peaks that are particularly disturbing.

Lmax:  The single highest sampled level of sound. Used in night-time emission limits as a means of ensuring sleep protection. Short duration, high-level sounds such as audible warning devices, pressure relief valves have a significant effect on Lmax values.

L90: The level of sound exceeded for 90% of the monitoring period. This level of sound can be used to define the background sound level, and is influenced by constant sources such as industrial equipment and constant background city sounds, eg from air handling equipment. Noise emission limits are not generally specified in terms of an L90 level.

All the above units will typically be expressed using ‘dBA’ values. For instance 55dBA L10.

The readings that will be the most significant are those that are specified in the district plan as being the standard by which noise measurements are to be made.

This should always be your first port of call to ensure that you are comparing apples with apples for noise measurement.

Cartoon of the Day 10 September 2008

Personally I think the Council is missing out on a huge revenue gathering opportunity by not monitoring frost fan noise. Think of all the fans and think of the number that probably exceed the noise limits.

There's money in them thar windmills!

 Click on the cartoon to see a readable version or click here to see all the cartoons.

It's an ill wind...

I note with interest a paper from Brock University, Ontario Canada.

In the paper they state that there is no warm air above a vineyard if the wind speed is above 7km/hr. 

Now those who are familiar with wind speed will know that 7km/hr is incredibly slow. I can only presume that wind and frost behave the same way in Canada as New Zealand and that the noise from a frost fan is just as annoying. 

Frost fans depend on inversion frosts to operate correctly and these occur with little or no wind. So according to Brock University, if you have a gentle breeze blowing, all you’ll end up doing with a frost fan is blasting cold air across the grapes (can anyone say wind chill?).

Cartoon of the Day 2008 09 09

Click on the cartoon to see a readable version or click here to see all the cartoons.

Measuring noise (2) 'A' weighting

In the measurement details that are commonly associated with frost fans, the noise levels are typically produced as dBA L10.

We have explained a bit about what the ‘dB’ part means earlier. Now we will explain a bit about the ‘A’ part. Again (and sorry to harp on) this is a fairly tricky subject for some and this information will not make you an expert. But it may help lift the fog a little.

In the measurement of Sound levels, A-weighting is the most commonly used of a family of curves defined in the International standard IEC61672:2003.

Sound level, loudness, and sound pressure are not the same things; indeed there is not even a simple relationship between them, because the human hearing system is more sensitive to some frequencies than others, and furthermore, its frequency response varies with level, as has been demonstrated by the measurement of equal-loudness contours. In general, low frequency and high frequency sounds are perceived to be not as loud as mid-frequency sounds, and the effect is more pronounced at low pressure levels, with a flattening of response at high levels. Sound pressure level meters (SPL meters) therefore incorporate weighting filters, which reduce the contribution of low and high frequencies to produce a reading that corresponds approximately to what we hear.

A-weighted decibels are abbreviated dB(A) or dBA. When acoustic (calibrated microphone) measurements are being referred to, then the units used will be dB SPL referenced to 20 micropascals = 0 dB SPL.

While the A-weighting curve has been widely adopted for environmental noise measurement, and is standard in many sound level meters, it does not really give valid results for noise because of the way in which the human ear analyzes sound. The A-weighting system is used commonly in roadway noise and aircraft noise analyses. Humans are considerably more sensitive to noise in the region of 6 kHz than to tones of equivalent level (see ITU-R 468 weighting for further explanation).

A-weighting is also in common use for assessing potential hearing damage caused by loud noise, though this seems to be based on the widespread availability of sound level meters incorporating A-weighting rather than on any good experimental evidence to suggest that such use is valid.

Beware… the distance of the measuring microphone from a sound source is often "forgotten", when SPL measurements are quoted, making the data useless.

In the next instalment we will give some common variations of noise measurement variations including the ‘L10’ reference.

Cartoon of the Day 8 September 2008

Excuse me while I climb onto one of my hobby horses.

I'ts all very well for an industry to claim that their a primary producer and of vital importance to the nation blah... blah... But for crying out loud, why would you get special dispensation to install a noisy frost fan on the basis that your growing WINE?

Does it cure cancer? Feed the poor? Lower the road toll? Ensure World peace? Please... It's a good cash crop. Let's call  it what it is.

 Click on the cartoon to see a readable version or click here to see all the cartoons.

Is this Safe? Orchard-Rite with Bent Blade

Now I'm no expert, but...

To the uninitiated, the practice of securing the blade of a frost fan by tying it down so hard it bends seems like a bad idea.

What sort of stresses are being induced on the blade and the gear?

Now I would presume that there ARE enormous stresses caused by the normall running of the machine, but this would appear to be an unatural one and non-symetric to boot.

For those who are interested the location is here.

You should be able to click on the picture to open a larger version (warning, it is approximatly 500kB).

Perhaps OSH and Orchard-Rite (In New Zealand that would be Williams and Kettle) would like to have a chat with the local agents? (That would be Marlborough Tractor Services (03) 572 8787))

Cartoon of the Day 7 September 2008

For those that are unaware, there was an application for resoruce consent to install four frost fans opposite the Burleigh dairy (resource consent application U080033).

This was probably the worst written application known to man and the MDC. There are over 70 residences within 500 metres of the closest wind machine and the news only gets worse.

You see the claim has been made that if only one fan meets the noise level then everything is ok. 

EVEN THOIGH THEY WANT TO PUT IN FOUR FANS!

Can you say "Cumulative effects"?

Each of the squares below is a seperate image (so you can see all the gory detail!) you will want to click on each in turn to realise the full horror!

Measuring Noise (1) The Decibel

In order to make measurements of noise and sound a method is used that measures the results in units called decibels.

Decibels can be a bit of a mystery to the uninitiated (and sometime those of us who should know better) and so I hope to go over some of the basics to help understand how they relate to noise and noise measurement (this will take more than one post).

Most of the information below has been unscrupulously scrounged from Wikipedia.

The decibel (dB) is a logarithmic unit of measurement that expresses the magnitude of a physical quantity (usually power or intensity) relative to reference level. Since it expresses a ratio of two quantities with the same unit, it is dimensionless.

Being dimensionless means that you can’t describe a quantity of something as being XXdB. It has to be referenced to something. Like radio frequency power can be expressed as XX dBm. Where the ‘m’ means that the number is being referenced to one mili-watt. Likewise for noise measurements it’s common to see them expressed as XX dBA. The ‘A’ part is the reference (we’ll cover the reference in another post). Anyone who quotes a measurement for noise as being XXdB does not understand decibels (this is true for some ‘experts’).

A decibel is one tenth of a bel (B).

The decibel is useful for a wide variety of measurements in science and engineering  (e.g., acoustics and electronics) and other disciplines. It confers a number of advantages, such as the ability to conveniently represent very large or small numbers, a logarithmic scaling that roughly corresponds to the human perception of, sound and light, and the ability to carry out multiplication of ratios by simple addition and subtraction.

The decibel is commonly used in acoustics to quantify sound levels relative to a reference level is typically set at the threshold of perception of an average human.

A reason for using the decibel is that the ear is capable of detecting a very large range of sound pressures.

Because the power in a sound wave is proportional to the square of the pressure, the ratio of the maximum power to the minimum power is above one (short scale) trillion. To deal with such a range, logarithmic units are useful: the log of a trillion is 12, so this ratio represents a difference of 120 dB. Since the human ear is not equally sensitive to all the frequencies of sound within the entire spectrum, noise levels at maximum human sensitivity — for example, the higher harmonics of middle A (between 2 and 4kHz) — are factored more heavily into sound descriptions using a process called frequency weighting. More on that later.

Cartoon of the Day 6 September 2008

Shouldn't more people be happy that  viticulture and frost fans can supply more of the essentials of life to families that need it?

Why is that frost fan running during the day?

Frost fan operation must comply with the local district plan.
The Marlborough District Council has specific rules for frost fan operation.
Additionally, if they have required a resource consent to be installed they may have conditions that accompany that consent.

Now if you see a frost fan running during the day it could be for a few reasons. Some good some bad.

Good:
They are testing the fan prior to use for a season and ensuring it's safe mechanical state (= responsible running). OR
Bad:
They may be testing the fan prior to use for a season and the wind is blowing at the same time. This is BAD because frost fans can be dangerous to operate in windy conditions. (= bad and dangerous practice that endangers the workers testing the fans and neighbors within fan blade flinging range)

Good:
The fan may simply be free-wheeling in the wind. No problem there. The motor will not be running and the fan will not be turning at anything like its normal operating speed. (= Just fine. No problem. Even in wind)

Bad:
The vineyard operator may be trying a new trick that has recently been used in Marlborough where the fan is operated just prior to harvest in an attempt to dry the vines to control build up of fungus. This is a naughty for a couple of reasons. Firstly, it's a violation (in Marlborough) of the District plan. Secondly if the wind speed is anything above a crawl, it could be dangerous to operate. (= Naughty. Naughty. And neighbors noticing this should contact the Council to make a complaint)

Cartoon of the Day 5 September 2008

Yes, we live in a more enlightened age.

Click on the cartoon to see a readable version or click here to see all the cartoons.

Who do I call if I have a complaint about a frost fan operating?

If you believe that a frost fan is operating in beach of its resource consent or in breach of the Disrtict rules. Call the Council.

The Marlborough District Council have a 24 hour line that will be answered by a human!

The number is (03) 520 7400.

This comes from the contact details on their web site. They will answer and take your call seriously. It's their job after all. And remember, these are your rate dollars at work, so use the service if you need it but don't abuse it. Remember the people taking these calls are there to help, they are not the people causing the noise!

Cartoon of the Day 4 September 2008

Ahh... Resource consent hearings.

A place where even the wildest claims can be believed, safe in the knowledge that you don't have to rely on the normal rules of evidence and your audience are laypeople. Nirvana....

Click on the cartoon to see a readable version or click here to see all the cartoons.

What on Earth is happening in the Hurunui?

Whispers are filtering about of a gang related 'incident' at the Waiata Vineyard between Amberly and Waipara. Like any good rumour, just what the actual events are may be hidden behind a wall of silence.
Ironic that this McKean Estates Vineyard is a predominant source of noise pollution in the area and has been the subject of on-going complaints from locals over the presence of wind machines.
There has been lots of activity at the 365 Ha property that boasts 53 frost fans, the noise from which has been likened to the sound of a train going past that just keeps going.......
Royce and Susan McKean (the directors of the company that owns the vineyard) have a reputation for absentee landownerism that extends to Marlborough (They live in Sumner, Christchurch of course). Additionally, they also own Wairau Contract Labour Services. Could I be bold enough to think that they are using gang affiliates for vineyard work in both the Hurunui and Marlborough? Not that there's anything wrong with someone wanting to do a decent days work. But recent events in Marlborough have not endered the recently arrived gang presence to the locals.
Royce and Susan. You didn't have anything to do with encouraging a gang presence in Marlborough did you?
Perhaps the sound of mayhem on the streets will distract the population form the noise of the frost fans.

Cartoon of the Day 3 September 2008

Ah... Monitoring.
Monitoring, monitoring, monitoring......

Click on the cartoon to see a readable version or click here to see all the cartoons.

Safety First

You know it happens to everybody, and I always welcome those moments of epiphany where in spite of thinking I have a reasonable grasp of a subject, I realise that I missed something. I missed something big.
Happened again today.
For some time I have argued the point that the percentage of time that frost fans operate in a year is wrong for this reason or that reason and to be honest it's all about the weather and there's the definition of random.
Well, I believe that I have been blinded by arguing the case placed before me that resource consultants want you to believe that it's XX% of the nights in a year that are affected.
Sure it happens, but that's not the main issue.
The main issue isn't even noise.

The main issue is DEATH.

That's going to happen to someone after a sleepless night of being kept awake by frost fans. It won't matter if its the first night without sleep or the third in a row.
This is how it will go.

Someone will be deprived of sleep overnight due to frost fans operating.
The next day they will get into their car and make a bad decision.
They'll die.

New Zealand has an excellent source of local information on the effects of driving without getting enough sleep at http://www.akilla.co.nz/.

It's pretty simple.
It's the equivalent of drunk driving without the alcohol.
Feel free to google the term "sleep deprivation" and driving. Frankly it's horrifying.
You'll read things like;

The driving data provide confirmation that sleepiness is a significant factor leading to off-road accidents. Accident rates showed a small increase after a moderate reduction in the previous night's sleep (4h vs. 8h), and a marked increase with progressive sleep deprivation.

and

Sleepiness (drowsiness, somnolence, hypersomnia) is a feeling of abnormal drowsiness, often with a tendency to actually fall asleep. It is associated with memory deficit, impaired social and occupational performance, and car crashes

and

In a study published this week in the British journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine, researchers in Australia and New Zealand report that sleep deprivation can have some of the same hazardous effects as being drunk.

Frankly, I feel a little sick.

Cartoon of the Day 2 September 2008

Welcome to the World of the Absentee Landowner

Click on the cartoon to see a readable version or click here to see all the cartoons.

Noise pollution and the absentee landowner

Ok, so having frost fans thumping through the night is pretty grim and as nasty a form of noise pollution as you can find.
But why would farmers do it to themselves?
There are genuine reasons, such as they could be the only ones affected and / or the profit margin is too good to turn down. But increasingly the answer as to why a farmer would put up with these devices is;

1. They aren’t farmers and
2. They don’t live there.

Yep, welcome to the World of the absentee landowner. To them it’s a business. Pure profit and loss calculations to be made on a spreadsheet.
These are business men, their properties will be investments, held in tax dodging trusts to make sure that they will squeeze every last cent out of it.
Now there’s nothing wrong with making a dollar, but any attempt to portray themselves as men of the land or guardians of the soil maintaining a natural balance is rubbish.
A resource consent is a commodity (it is common practice to buy a piece of land, get a resource consent for an activity and then sell it off for profit).

But the worst part of all….

They don’t live there. They will be living in an affluent part of Auckland or Christchurch. The worst noise they will be contending with is the sound of the espresso machine on a Sunday morning.
So while 50 frost fans beat the air into submission and the neighbours (and the vineyard manager) shudder in their (suddenly devalued) homes, they will be relaxing to the sound of nothing at all.

They have no sense of community spirit. And they certainly will not be interested in your concerns unless those concerns threaten to cost them money. In which case, it’s time to hire some lawyers. And you can bet your bottom dollar that this will be a common occurrence for them.

Here’s the analogy.

France was more than happy to advance their nuclear arsenal by testing their weapons as far away from themselves as possible and to leave the area polluted.
Personally I don’t see a lot of difference in the Absentee Landowner.

Frost fans can be used responsibly.

• Keep them way from residences.
• Assist your neighbors to improve their sound insulation.
• Use the quieter models of fans.

But I suppose none of those options are the cheapest…

Cartoon of the Day 1 September 2008

I have to admit to not following the plight of vineyard workers closely enough. But as an average punter, my impressions are of poor treatment and exploitation. This at the same time that the district equally needs their services, but would rather they didn't disturb the locals.
Frankly, it's time to wake up. With the number of vines needing tending only increasing, they ARE locals.