A buzz has filled the air around Clifton for the past few months, and residents are wondering when it is going to stop.
Dominion Virginia Power installed two transformers at a transfer plant on Clifton Creek Road last summer, said Town Council member Chuck Rusnak, and shortly after the work was completed, residents began noticing a slight buzzing sound.
"When my wife and I would sit on our porch, there was this noise," said Rusnak. "It used to be just the peace and quiet and listening to the crickets chirping, but now it's crickets and buzzing."
The noise, which Rusnak compared to sitting next to a refrigerator while its running, has bothered residents near the power station, who first brought their concerns to the Clifton Town Council last fall.
"I took on the responsibility of sending a letter to Dominion, which we did on Nov. 2, and we asked them five questions," said Town Council member Pat Layden.
The questions were simple: What equipment is making the noise? Is it a constant noise? If additional equipment is added in the future, will the noise level increase? Does the noise level fall below state, federal and Fairfax County requirements? Are there any plans to mitigate the noise, either now or in the future?
Layden said for weeks, the Town Council didn't receive any word from Dominion. Meanwhile, the noise continued.
"It wasn't every night, but maybe nine nights out of 10," said Rusnak, who lives about half a mile from the power station. The noise does travel, he said, and could be heard while walking his dog on Frog Hill, about a mile away on the other side of town.
RESIDENTS OF THE Ivakota area have the noise in their backyards all the time, Rusnak said.
"The funny thing is, I think the noise has something to do with the way the power's generated or how much is needed," he said. "I don't notice it during the day, but that might just be extraneous noise blocking it out. I can't explain it."
While not a steady nuisance, the noise is disturbing the peace many Clifton residents value, he said.
The Council did finally receive a letter from Dominion a few weeks ago, Layden said. The letter, though dated Dec. 17, was not received until early January.
"Essentially, they said the noise was constant and generated by six single-phase transformers," Layden said. "The letter said future changes won't affect the sound level at all, and that the noise meets Fairfax County standards, but there aren't any federal or state regulations to meet."
Layden said he's going to discuss sending another letter to Dominion at the Feb. 6 Town Council meeting, asking Dominion if any action could be taken to reduce the noise at all.
Last weekend, Rusnak said a man working for Dominion was flown in from the Netherlands, where the transformers were built, to examine the power station. Rusnak said he tried to ask the worker some questions but was told the worker couldn't answer many questions and was to report back to Dominion directly.
"Right now, we're waiting for Dominion to take the next step with their consultants," Rusnak said. "We're just waiting to see what they propose."
Le-Ha Anderson, a spokesperson for Dominion, said the consultant the utility hired has been investigating possible noise mitigation technology and techniques to determine the best way to reduce the noise.
"We did some sound readings along our property line last fall and they showed that we're well within the limits of the county noise ordinance," she said. "However, we do understand the concerns of the residents and said we would evaluate other measures to mitigate noise."
The consultant's report is due back in March, Anderson said, at which point Dominion would return to Clifton to talk about the options to eliminate the buzzing sound.
"Some opportunities for noise mitigation are extremely expensive," she said.
In the meantime, residents are still hearing the noise, no longer buffered by summertime foliage.
"I heard the buzzing from my house on Sunday during the snow storm," said Clifton Mayor Tom Peterson.
Depending on what Dominion brings to the table in March, Peterson said if the town doesn't receive the response it's hoping for, other actions may be pursued.
"I haven't talked to any of our elected officials yet, but if we're not satisfied, we will," he said.