Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Loud Noises Still Coming From Transcanada Big Allis Ravenswood Power Plant Keeping Roosevelt Island Residents Awake At Night - Are Earplugs The Only Solution For An Uninterrupted Night Of Sleep

 Image Of Transcanada Big Allis Ravenwood Power Plant Across East River From Roosevelt Island

Commenting on the What's On Your Roosevelt Island Mind thread earlier today, a frustrated Roosevelt Landings/Eastwood resident, Ms Cunningham reports:
Once again excessive noise from Ravenswood Power Plant for the past 36 hours straight & still going. All those in Eastwood with Queens facing windows have no chance of sleep. Are there really not any noise related laws that can assist us in reining this in?
Loud noises coming from the power plant is nothing new. Reported last December on the loud noises, sometimes deafening, coming from the Transcanada Big Allis Ravenswood power plant in Long Island City:
 An update to posts earlier this week on the deafening noise that woke up and frightened many Roosevelt Island residents coming from Transcanada's Big Allis Ravenswood Power Plant steam release early Monday morning at around 6 AM....
Responding to last December's steam release from the Transcanada Big Allis plant, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer and other Roosevelt Island elected officials wrote to Transcanada officials urging Transcanada to take:
... steps to mitigate noise disturbances resulting from your facility operations and to improve communication processes with the surrounding community...
Full letter is here.

I am not aware of any response from Transcanada to the letter from Roosevelt Island elected officials but have asked Borough President Stringer's office if there has been one. Will update when responses is received.

Cheshire Kitty responds to Ms Cunningham frustration with a solution - earplugs:
Probably "revving up" because of the big demand for power due to the excessive heat.  The scrubbing noise is even louder, but doesn't last that long.   We deal with it, just as folks in LIC deal with it; there is also a big plant in N. Astoria.  Forget about the pollution that comes out of the stacks - which is why the stacks are so tall.  The thought it the pollution is wafted away from populated areas - hah!  This is the trade-off of not having to pay as much in rent as in Manhattan, or in fact, many other areas that do not face a huge electrical generating plant.  Still, we have to thank Con Ed (or whichever company currently controls Ravenswood):  Without them, there would be no air-conditioning, no refrigeration, no fans.. and in the winter, no electrical baseboard heating.  A handy "fix" for power plant noise:  Earplugs!
Here's the Roosevelt Island Residents Association (RIRA) discussion of issue from December 2011 Common Council Meeting.