Frequently Asked Questions
What’s this website about?
This site is intended to be a convenient repository for news and information about nuisance noise that has occasionally been heard by residents of Camillus, Geddes and the west side of the City of Syracuse. It will provide a clearinghouse for information for residents, elected officials, local industries and the media.
Where did the noise come from?
Although there are several different sources of noticeable noise in the area, the particular sound that has drawn most complaint has been determined to be coming from the Trigen Syracuse Energy Corp. (Suez) cogeneration plant on 56 Industrial Drive in Solvay. Syracuse Energy has acknowledged (as of April 2008) that the sound was coming from their plant.
What has the noise sounded like?
Between December 2007 and late April 2008, the noise made an oscillating humming sound. A resident of the Sherwood Knolls subdivision in Fairmount made a recording of the sound as heard at that time, which is archived here. However, following a new equipment installation at the plant in April 2008, the character of the noise changed and now is heard as a steady humming sound at the same frequency. Two recordings, made on May 7, 2008 from the same location as previously, can be heard here: Recording A (8 MB) and Recording B (790 kB).
Update: Oscillating sounds similar to the original sounds heard in early 2008 were reported by local residents starting the weekend of May 23-24, 2009. This sound was no longer heard after May 28, 2009.
Screenshot of a recording of oscillating noise, taken in early 2008
When did these sounds start?
Residents of Camillus, Geddes and Syracuse began noticing an increased noise level from the plant during the winter of 2007-08, particularly in December and January. Other residents closer to the plant have reported being disturbed by it before then, as far back as September 2007 or even earlier.
Who has heard it?
Complaints about the sound, prior to late April 2008, were voiced by residents living up to five miles away from the plant, including as far west as Kasson Road and Howlett Hill in Camillus, and as far east as Syracuse’s Tipperary Hill neighborhood. As of May, residents in Solvay, Westvale, Lakeland, Fairmount and Syracuse still report a disturbance, especially in the middle of the night and early hours of the morning, and particularly at higher elevations. (Some residents living at lower elevations have reported little or no noise.) A map of some of the locations where the sound was heard in 2008, and some descriptions by local residents, can be found here.
In May 2009, the oscillating noise was once again briefly heard, for a period of about five days, in the same general area as in early 2008.
What has Syracuse Energy Corp. done to address the problem?
According to a report in the Post-Standard on April 29, 2008, Syracuse Energy Corp. began its own investigation of the original sound in April 2008 and determined that an out-of-sync fan motor was responsible. A new fan motor was installed in late April 2008. Upon further complaints about nuisance noise, the company said they would conduct more studies to see if they are compliance with the Town of Geddes’ noise ordinance (Post-Standard, May 27, 2008)
What media coverage has there been?
The Post-Standard, WSTM, and WSYR-TV originally reported on the situation in April 2008, with an additional Post-Standard follow-up story on May 27, 2008. See the Media Coverage page for a complete listing and links.
Who should I contact if I am disturbed by this sound?
See the Contact Names and Numbers page for information on how to report a disturbance to Syracuse Energy and to your local and state officials.
What is being produced at the Syracuse Energy Corp. plant? What is their relationship to the Suez Group?
Trigen Syracuse Energy Corp. is a subsidiary of Suez Energy North America (headquartered in Houston, TX), which is a member corporation of the Suez Group (headquartered in Paris, France). The plant in Solvay, which has been in operation by Syracuse Energy Corp. since 1991 (although built earlier), burns bituminous coal and alternative fuels to produce electricity. It sells electricity to the New York Independent System Operators (NYISO), General Chemical, and Solvay Paperboard.
How can I contact the webmaster of this site?
Ellen Edgerton can be reached at fairmountgeddes@gmail.com.