Posey Solar Project construction creating issues for residents

POSEY COUNTY, Ind. (WEHT) – Frustrations continue to boil over for residents as construction on the 1,500 acre Posey Solar Project continues. Some residents say crews have handled construction with a lack of care and accountability for their environment.

“Our little piece of paradise has been taken away from us,” says resident Mat Seifert.

Seifert has lived in Posey County his entire life. Situated next to his parent’s farm, Seifert built a home on his farm with his wife in hopes of enjoying a quiet view. But construction on the Posey Solar Project altered those plans.

“Since we didn’t let them come through our property, they’ve decided to come down the road,” says Seifert.

Seifert lives between two major construction areas on Allison Lane, which he says has been, at times, impassable. “There was a good, I’m going to say 8 to 10 days, where the road was un-passable by car,” recalls Seifert. “If you didn’t have a pickup truck or a large SUV, you weren’t getting out.” Seifert goes on to say, “The problem was that they dug so much that it filled the road more than halfway, so you had to drive through the other ditch in order to get down the road.”

Allison Lane has since received new gravel, but concerns remain over heavy equipment passing through and the stability of the road with deep ditches now along the side. “It was like, ‘Hey, we’re going to fix this temporarily and make you happy, but we’re still going to use the road,'” says Seifert. “It could be two weeks from now, it could be four months from now, it could be a year from now, I’m fully expecting the road to have more damage done to it.”

Water quality is also a concern. Seifert says crews hit an old oil line that has left his well water looking discolored, resorting to the use of bottled water until his well is clean. Once completed, the project is expected to have a lifespan of about 35 years.

Eyewitness News has reached out to officials with the Posey Solar Project for comment. They are working on sending us a statement. This article will be updated once that statement is received.

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