RUSH, N.Y. — A Rush homeowner is demanding a permanent water solution after construction work for a solar project damaged her well and left her without reliable water for a couple of days.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Horseshoe Solar addresses aquifer incident during Livingston County construction – WHEC.com
News10NBC’s Adelisa Badzic spoke to Susan Swanton, who lost water for about three days after workers at Horseshoe Solar hit an aquifer while drilling across the Genesee River. Workers were able to plug the aquifer and Swanton got water back, but the water remains dirty.
“They were able to plug the aquifer and we got water back. But the water is dirty,” Swanson said. Horseshoe Solar workers told her the water has turbidity, cloudiness caused by sediment stirred up from the aquifer. Swanton said she is only drinking bottled water provided by the company. She is pushing for public water access, which is only a mile and a half away in West Rush.
She said the company should pay to extend the public water line to her home and others affected. “And I’m pushing for public water because public water is only a mile and a half from us and West rush. They can dig under the Genesee River. They can dig under those railroad tracks,” Swanton said.
The company has hooked some neighbors up to water totes because they do not have any water. Swanson said she still has water, but it is unclear when the turbidity will calm down.
“They will hook us up to these water totes. And if you see Ethan and Susan, Chris house, they’re hooked up. They don’t have any water, much less dirty water. They don’t have any water. So we still have water, but it’s not, until it gets tested or this turbidity calms down. And who knows, ten days, ten years, a century,” Swanton said.
Swanton sent a letter to the Town of Rush {letter in full can be seen below} expressing her gratitude to Horseshoe Solar for its help. She also mentioned she is not against the project and supports green energy but hopes everybody can come to an understanding. Swanton also said she feels vibrations from the drilling in different areas of her house. A vibration monitor installed at her home showed the vibrations are not damaging the structure, but she said they interrupt her sleep.
News10NBC did reach out to Horseshoe Solar, it’s full statement and background information can be seen below.
On February 3, during scheduled drilling activity, groundwater surfaced from two HDD bore holes. While not the desired outcome, this is a potential occurrence with this type of underground construction. The water briefly spread to a limited area on the nearby agricultural field. Our Environmental Monitor was onsite and followed established protocols to stop work and notify the agencies and parties specified by our response plan. The incident was reported to the New York State Department of Public Service (DPS) and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), who visited the site shortly after the event.
Following coordination with DPS, work resumed at the site shortly thereafter. All of the seven total bores have been completed to date, and any remaining drilling-related work is wrapping up shortly. For the two bore holes that required grouting, Horseshoe Solar worked closely with DPS to develop and submit a grouting plan and after receiving approval from DPS, the grouting work was successfully completed over two days, concluding on Sunday, March 8. The approved grouting material is accepted by industry standard NSF/ANSI 61 as a safe drinking water system component and is commonly used as a sealant in underground construction. No water has surfaced from the grouted bore holes.
In the weeks following the incident, four homes in Meadowood and one home on East River Road experienced low water levels. Horseshoe Solar promptly provided drinking water and worked quickly to install temporary potable water systems for the homeowners that remain in place for use as needed. During this time, cycling water pumps on and off can temporarily create air bubbles and disturb sediment, which may cause cloudy water. Our team remains in close contact with these households and is available to provide support services as needed. We’re grateful for the patience and engagement our neighbors have shown.
Horseshoe Solar conducted all required pre-construction monitoring of private wells in the project area and voluntarily expanded the monitoring area from the 500 feet state requirement to 1,000 feet to provide an added layer of assurance for the community. To date, no additional water issues have been reported.
We understand there has been concern about vibrations. The drilling method used at the site does not rely on impact force. Independent monitoring conducted between March 13–20 at one of the Meadowood homes found that both continuous and transient vibration levels recorded over seven days fell below the threshold of human perception. The report concluded that the vibrations detected were likely associated with normal movement within the house, and that drilling is not causing damage or notable vibrations to the home.
Horseshoe Solar Energy Center is a 180-megawatt solar project Siting Permit was approved by New York State in 2022. Beyond delivering reliable energy to power the equivalent of more than 34,000 homes, the project represents a meaningful investment in the local economy, contributing over $3 million each year to support local services, infrastructure, and community priorities.
Additional information, attributable to Horseshoe Solar:
Like any major infrastructure project, Horseshoe Solar conducted extensive geotechnical, groundwater and surface water studies prior to beginning construction activity to inform safe and responsible site plans and secure necessary permit approvals. The HDD work at Horseshoe Solar utilizes the same materials that are used for drilling wells and are drinking water safe. Horseshoe Solar filed required documentation that can be found here and received DPS and DEC approval for its grouting plan. Once construction is complete, the HDD site will be restored to its pre-construction condition. HSS damages 3-11-26 pdfDownload‘The water is dirty’: Rush homeowner left without clean water after solar project breaches aquifer WHEC.com.
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