The monopole adjacent to the Northport Wastewater Treatment Plant still stands in place today, almost three years after it sustained significant damage following a wind storm.
Northport Village Council discussed the status of the monopole and options to move forward at its work session meeting on Aug. 7. Representatives from Leelanau Community Energy (LCE), the organization which shares a site lease agreement with the village, were also present to talk about their efforts to remedy the situation since severe weather conditions caused the propeller blades to collapse from the base pole in December of 2022.
The initial goal of the Leelanau Community Energy project was to build a wind turbine that would support the electrical needs of the wastewater treatment plant at no cost to the village. The turbine was producing about 110,000 kWh per year (or about 15,000 kWh per month), which was enough energy to power about one-half of the electricity needs of the treatment plant or about 10 homes annually.
