Updated August 1
With turbine debris now washing ashore onto Martha’s Vineyard, some town officials are calling for Vineyard Wind to address the community.
The scope of the turbine debris from a broken blade washing ashore on Martha’s Vineyard seems to have widened, with confirmed reports of debris in Edgartown and possibly Aquinnah as well. A witness has also reported debris on the northern side of Chilmark.
Times reporters saw around 30 to 40 pieces of debris of varying sizes on Thursday morning at South Beach scattered on the sand, entangled in seaweed, or tossed into trash cans. Some of the hard, sand-speckled white pieces were nearly 9 inches long.
Edgartown town administrator James Hagerty said that Vineyard Wind’s developers need to create a plan so turbine blades don’t fracture again He also underscored the need for a “pause” on Vineyard Wind’s operations until the details surrounding how to prevent such an occurrence are ironed out.
“It’s a huge concern,” he said, pointing out that such a big incident occurred early into the construction of the offshore wind farm.
Hagerty acknowledged Vineyard Wind has been responsive to the issue, although he said “they can be as responsive as they can be, there’s still debris washing up.” The state has also been proactive, with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection offering support.
The Edgartown town administrator said Vineyard Wind should meet with the Island’s various stakeholders, including fishermen, conservationists, and government officials, once it has developed a plan.
Edgartown select board member Art Smadbeck told the Times on Thursday that Vineyard Wind should address the whole Island community, similar to how they met with the Nantucket community.
“I see this as not only an Edgartown issue, but an Island issue and as such, once all the investigations are complete, the Island should be addressed,” Smadbeck said. “There are many stakeholders that would have an interest in a meeting with representatives of Vineyard Wind to answer the many questions this turbine failure raises.”
Vineyard Wind has warned that more debris may be coming to the Island as well, instead of to Nantucket as the offshore wind company originally expected.
On Wednesday afternoon, Edgartown issued a swim advisory for Norton Point and South Beach after finding debris. At the time, Hagerty told the Times “less than a garbage bag full” of foam was found washed ashore at Norton Point on Wednesday. Beaches remain open and town staff will do the initial cleaning. It is uncertain at this time how much debris has washed up, although Hagerty estimates around a garbage bag’s worth of debris has been collected.
A Wednesday afternoon press release states the Edgartown Parks Commission announced the beach advisory in a news release soon after debris was spotted.
“This advisory is a precautionary measure to ensure public safety,” the release reads. “A determination regarding the potential full closure of these beaches will be made based on ongoing assessments of current and future conditions. We urge members of the public and property owners who discover debris to immediately contact the Edgartown Parks Department. Your cooperation is essential in maintaining the safety and cleanliness of our beaches.”
Hagerty said Vineyard Wind or GE Vernova, the companies responsible for manufacturing and installing the offshore wind farm’s blades, will also be sending personnel to the down-Island town to deal with the debris.
Craig Gilvarg, Vineyard Wind spokesperson, said in an email Wednesday that more debris could be headed to the Vineyard.
“As wind patterns have shifted through the day, models are now suggesting the foam and other debris are more likely to be visible on Martha’s Vineyard, rather than being concentrated on the South beaches of Nantucket,” he said. “We have responded by mobilizing personnel, contractors, and resources on Martha’s Vineyard to quickly identify and collect any foam and other debris that may appear on the island.
“We have received some confirming reports of foam at Martha’s Vineyard, including on Norton’s Point and South Beach, which are limited to small, popcorn-sized pieces of foam,” the statement continued. “Crews have been dispatched to those locations, as well as Wasque Beach on Chappaquiddick, and in Menemsha, in coordination with local tribal leaders, and have found very limited debris on the beaches which has been recovered.”
Gilvarg also said “limited debris” was removed from Cuttyhunk Island’s south side on Monday. He said that most of what GE Vernova and Vineyard Wind have seen and collected over the past several days were “unrelated trash.”
In Aquinnah debris is believed to have washed ashore as well, although last weekend. Jeffrey Madison, Aquinnah town administrator, and Cheryl Andrews-Maltais, chairwoman of the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) both received a call from Vineyard Wind last weekend stating that a part of the damaged turbine blade may have washed ashore on a north side beach in town.
Andrews-Maltais said the possible debris was found near the jetty at West Basin. “I believe it’s from Vineyard Wind,” she said.
The possible debris was found during Vineyard Wind’s “regular reconnaissance,” according to Madison. The Aquinnah town administrator said the company was “very forthright” over what they found and are investigating the matter, making an effort to clean up and search for other debris that may be in the area.
“They are trying really hard to do the right things,” Madison said.
So far, the offshore wind developers had not provided further updates, he said.
Chilmark officials told the Times that while they are keeping an eye out for possible debris, they have not found any yet. Additionally, they pointed out that general ocean debris washes onto Chilmark shores on a daily basis.
“There’s constantly stuff washing up from the ocean,” Martina Mastromonaco, Chilmark beach superintendent, said. Mastromonaco said if debris was confirmed to be in Chilmark, they would “act appropriately” and notify the public.
Ellen Rogers, a Chilmark resident, said that she has seen debris wash ashore on the North side of the Island that resembled debris recently reported in Edgartown. The debris was all styrofoam and she’s collected all together a few dozen pieces, some about a foot in length. The debris she came across was on Cape Higgon beach, and she has noticed it arriving on the Island since Sunday.
Rogers also said that she called a Vineyard Wind hotline to report the debris, and was somewhat mystified when the person answering the phone seemed unaware of the broken wind blade and confused why she was reporting turbine debris. After some back and forth, she was eventually able to file a report.
She said that it’s worrisome that debris is washing ashore and that she made the call to the hotline to help ensure that someone is taking responsibility to clean it up.
Vineyard Wind has been asking people, especially on Nantucket where truckloads of debris washed ashore, not to touch debris if they find any and should instead report it to them.
These aren’t the first bouts of possible debris from Vineyard Wind the Island has dealt with.
Earlier in July, Vineyard Wind notified Edgartown that foam from the broken turbine blade having potentially washed ashore around Wasque Point on Chappaquiddick Island.
The Trustees of Reservations, who manage the Wasque area, announced on July 19 that they were working with Vineyard Wind to locate and remove any potential debris on Chappaquiddick.
Mary Dettloff, the Trustees spokesperson, said a “very small amount of styrofoam” was found at Wasque, although she referred the Times to Vineyard Wind on whether the material was actually from the offshore wind turbine.
“Our rangers continue to monitor the beaches, and we are in regular contact with Vineyard Wind as they continue their monitoring as well,” she said.
While the Trustees had “communicated” to Vineyard Wind about the styrofoam, Dettloff said the company has not retrieved it.
Vineyard Wind previously told the Times that modeling of the currents and the wind direction indicated debris from the offshore wind project would not hit Martha’s Vineyard shores — unlike Nantucket where fiberglass shards, among other materials, washed ashore on its beaches.
Vineyard Wind and US Coast Guard Sector Southeastern New England in Woods Hole have been working to model the debris’ trajectory on a daily basis, according to Coast Guard Lt. Samantha Corcoran. However, neither entity has responded to the Times’ request for the data.
