Residents Near Norwalk Hospital Want Sound Wall for Power Plant

Residents near Metropolitan State Hospital have asked the City Council to press state officials to build sound walls and to plant tall trees to block noise from a soon-to-be-completed co-generation power plant on the hospital site.

The $30-million, 27-megawatt plant, one of seven planned at state facilities in California, will eventually heat the hospital and produce surplus electricity that will be sold to Southern California Edison Co.

Construction of the plant began last year, and testing of the facility is expected to begin within 30 to 60 days. Nearby homeowners, however, are concerned that noise levels will exceed the allowable limits under city law.

Ed Werner, who lives on Beaty Street, less than 200 feet from the co-generation plant, said that without a sound wall and additional landscaping to muffle the noise, property values in the area will suffer.

As he delivered a petition with more than 50 names on it supporting his position, Werner also complained that to meet a completion deadline construction had been going on around the clock in recent months, forcing some homeowners to leave the area on weekends because of dust and noise from heavy equipment.

Despite residents’ concerns, the City Council said it will wait until testing begins at the plant to determine if there will be a noise problem.

Architects of the plant contend that the facility has been designed to minimize noise levels.