WOODSTOCK — A proposal for a wind farm atop Spruce Mountain will be sent to the Department of Environmental Protection for review.

Patriot Renewables of Quincy, Mass., held a public informational meeting on the proposed project Wednesday at the Woodstock Elementary School.

The company plans to put nine to 11 wind turbines totaling 18 to 20 megawatts of output on a ridgeline of the mountain. The project would also include a 3.75-mile access road, operations and maintenance building, a below-grade system to connect the turbines, and a 34.5-kilowatt distribution line to feed electricity into the power grid. The cost of the project is estimated to be $36 million to $38 million.

Wednesday’s public hearing was being held in advance of Patriot Renewables’ filing for a joint Natural Resources Protection Act and Site Location of Development Act permit. The DEP will determine whether Patriot Renewables has met applicable standards in numerous areas, including protection of groundwater, management of stormwater, protection of wildlife and noise mitigation.

The town’s Planning Board has found the application to be complete, but a public hearing last month drew concerns about the project. On Wednesday, resident Leola Ballweber accused Patriot Renewables of failing to give clear answers about the project.

“There is a nationwide cry for you people to not even be allowed to come in unless you meet a certain set of specifications,” Ballweber said.

Ballweber said the turbines would create audible noise in the valley as well as low-frequency sound that could lead to detrimental effects on the health of nearby residents. She also said the project would clear forest and inhibit wildlife habitats, would not use local labor in the construction, and could lead to more turbines on the mountain than the maximum of 11 that is proposed.

Andy Novey, project director with Patriot Renewables, said the company has talked with local builders about the proposal and will put it out to bid if it is approved. He said that since nearby land is in conservation and a specific output has been set, the number of turbines will not increase.

“There will be no more than 11,” Novey said. “We’re interconnected at 20 megawatts, which is our limiting factor.”

Novey also said there are plans to plant vegetation to restore 26 of the 50 acres that would be cut to put in the wind farm.

Tricia Pellerin, of Tetra-Tech in Boston, said a sound study determined that the noise generated by the turbines would be 45 decibels or less at the nearest residences, falling within the guidelines set by the state and town. She said the computer mapping program used to project noise levels limits the number of buffering factors, such as trees, that actually exist on site.

“We include many factors of conservatism,” Pellerin said. “We kind of model it as if it were worst-case.”

Pellerin also disputed Ballweber’s claim that low-frequency noise could present health issues. Pellerin said a study released this week concluded that the argument was based on non-comparable studies, such as the effects of low-frequency noise from stronger sources such as jet engines.

mlangeveld@sunjournal.com

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