OCS Study BOEM 2019-028 Field Observations During Wind Turbine Operations at the Block Island Wind Farm, Rhode Island US Department of the Interior Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Office of Renewable Energy Programs OCS Study BOEM 2019-028 Field Observations During Wind Turbine Operations at the Block Island Wind Farm, Rhode Island May 2019 Authors (in alphabetical order): James Elliott Anwar A. Khan Ying-Tsong Lin Timothy Mason James H. Miller Arthur E. Newhall Gopu R. Potty Kathleen J. Vigness-Raposa Prepared under BOEM Award Contract No. M15PC00002, Task Order No. M16PD00025 By HDR 9781 S Meridian Boulevard, Suite 400 Englewood, CO 80112 U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Office of Renewable Energy Programs DISCLAIMER Study concept, oversight, and funding were provided by the US Department of the Interior, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), Environmental Studies Program, Washington, DC, under Contract Number M15PC00002, Task Order No. M16PD00025. This report has been technically reviewed by BOEM, and it has been approved for publication. The views and conclusions contained in this document are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as representing the opinions or policies of the U.S. government, nor does mention of trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendation for use. REPORT AVAILABILITY To download a PDF file of this report, go to the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Data and Information Systems webpage (http://www.boem.gov/Environmental- Studies-EnvData/), click on the link for the Environmental Studies Program Information System (ESPIS), and search on 2019-028. The report is also available at the National Technical Reports Library at https://ntrl.ntis.gov/NTRL/. CITATION HDR. 2019. Field Observations during Wind Turbine Operations at the Block Island Wind Farm, Rhode Island. Final Report to the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Office of Renewable Energy Programs. OCS Study BOEM 2019-028. 281pp. ABOUT THE COVER Cover photo: Block Island Wind Farm Facility Wind Turbine 3 Construction (left panel) Wind Turbines 1–5 operating (right panel). Courtesy of HDR RODEO Team. Used with permission. All rights reserved. ACKNOWLEDGMENT The HDR RODEO Team includes the following subcontractors (in alphabetical order): Arthur Popper, Ph.D. Clark Group, LLC EA Engineering Science & Technology, Inc. Fugro Marine GeoServices, Inc. Fugro GB Marine Ltd. H.T. Harvey & Associates Loughine Limited Subacoustech Environmental. Significant additional technical support for the monitoring effort was provided by the following institutions: Marine Acoustics, Inc. University of Rhode Island Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Blue Land Media. Vessel services for visual monitoring were provided by Hula Charters. Assistance and support from all team members is greatly appreciated. Contents List of Figures ............................................................................................................................................ iii List of Tables ............................................................................................................................................. vii List of Abbreviations and Acronyms ..................................................................................................... viii Executive Summary .................................................................................................................................... 1 1 Introduction ......................................................................................................................................... 5 1.1 The RODEO Program ................................................................................................................... 5 1.2 The Block Island Wind Farm ....................................................................................................... 10 1.3 BIWF Operational Phase Monitoring .......................................................................................... 10 1.4 Report Organization .................................................................................................................... 10 2 Visual Monitoring .............................................................................................................................. 11 2.1 Observations ............................................................................................................................... 13 2.1.1 Southeast Lighthouse ........................................................................................................... 13 2.1.2 Point Judith ........................................................................................................................... 17 2.1.3 Brenton State Park ............................................................................................................... 17 2.1.4 Night-time Offshore Monitoring ............................................................................................ 21 2.2 Discussion and Conclusions ....................................................................................................... 22 3 Airborne Noise Monitoring ............................................................................................................... 23 3.1 Onshore Airborne Noise Monitoring Results .............................................................................. 24 3.2 Offshore Airborne Noise Monitoring Results .............................................................................. 25 3.3 Discussion and Conclusions ....................................................................................................... 26 4 Underwater Sound Monitoring ........................................................................................................ 27 4.1 Survey Methods .......................................................................................................................... 27 4.2 Winter 2016 Monitoring Results .................................................................................................. 31 4.2.1 Vertical and Horizontal Line Array Monitoring Data ............................................................. 33 4.2.2 Geosled Monitoring Data...................................................................................................... 34 4.2.3 Conclusions from 2016 Winter Operational Phase Underwater Acoustic Monitoring .......... 37 4.3 Late Summer 2017 Monitoring Results ...................................................................................... 38 4.3.1 Vertical and Horizontal Line Array Monitoring Data ............................................................. 40 4.3.2 Geosled Monitoring Data...................................................................................................... 42 4.3.3 Air/Sea Acoustic Interaction Data ........................................................................................ 45 4.3.4 Conclusions from 2017 Late Summer Operational Phase Underwater Acoustic Monitoring ............................................................................................................................. 49 4.4 Extended Summer 2017 Monitoring Results .............................................................................. 49 4.4.1 Survey Methods ................................................................................................................... 49 4.4.2 Results.................................................................................................................................. 50 4.4.3 Key Observations ................................................................................................................. 61 i 4.4.4 Discussion ............................................................................................................................ 65 5 References ......................................................................................................................................... 68 Appendix A: Field Sampling Plan ............................................................................................................ 71 Appendix B: Visual Monitoring Data ....................................................................................................... 72 Appendix C: Airborne Noise Monitoring Report .................................................................................... 80 Appendix D: Late Summer 2017 Underwater Sound Monitoring Data ................................................ 81 ii List of Figures Figure 1. BIWF Project Area. .................................................................................................................... 6 Figure 2. Visual Monitoring Locations. .................................................................................................... 12 Figure 3. Sample data log screen from the iPad App. ............................................................................ 13 Figure 4. WTG 3 as seen from the Southeast Lighthouse on a clear day (22 June 2017) (Photograph taken with lowest camera focal length setting of 100 mm). ................................ 14 Figure 5. WTGs 4 and 5 seen from the Southeast Lighthouse on a clear day (22 June 2017) (Photograph taken with lowest camera focal length setting of 100 mm). ................................ 14 Figure 6. View of the turbines from Old Harbor,