‘Accidents happen’: Rush residents say Horseshoe Solar drilling aftermath gets worse

RUSH, N.Y. (WROC) – More than a month after the Horseshoe Solar Energy Project aquifer puncture, residents who live near the site are still experiencing issues which they believe are a result of the drilling mishap.

News 8 first spoke with Susan Swanton of Meadowood in late February when she discovered a pulsing sensation in her walls and floors. At the time, she suspected it to be connected to Horseshoe Solar’s drilling.

Since then, the company behind the project, Invenergy, paid for vibration monitoring to be completed on Swanton’s property. The results showed vibrations to be present, but that they didn’t pose a risk to the structural integrity of her home.

Although Swanton explained this to be a relief, she’s still worried.

“I’m still feeling the vibrations, and I don’t know what’s causing it,” Swanton said. “If not the drilling, maybe it’s the generators.”

But, Swanton shared a bigger issue on her mind and raising concern throughout her neighborhood.

“The water is the biggest issue right now,” Swanton said. “It’s fine for flushing the toilet or doing the dishes, but I do not drink it.”

Swanton added that representatives of Horseshoe Solar visited her property to assess the water coming from her spring into her tap. According to her, the project workers claim the water has turbidity, or stirred-up sediment drawn from the aquifer.

Swanton finds this to be unsettling.

“We don’t know if it’ll be like this for 10 months, 10 years or a century,” Swanton said. “But i’m going to push for public water because that’s the long-term solution.”

Swanton believes Invenergy should pay for this extension of public water to Meadowood because of the punctured aquifer’s impact.

Other residents of Rush who support the project believe Invenergy has done enough to make up for the aftermath of the puncture, including Joanne Scanlon from the Supporters of Horseshoe Solar.

“What else do [Meadowood residents] want? Accidents happen,” Scanlon said. “They’re not the only company that’s ever had a problem hitting water when drilling. It happens with gas pipelines, utility pipelines, it’s not just solar.”

Scanlon has supported the project since proposals were first being drafted and explained her belief that the end result will be worth any accidents caused by drilling.

“We want to have better, cleaner air and we want to have less costly infrastructure,” Scanlon said. “We also want a healthy planet for future generations.”

A spokesperson from Horseshoe Solar provided a statement regarding the concerns of Meadowood residents:

“Following coordination with DPS, work resumed at the site shortly thereafter. All of the seven total bores have been completed to date, and any remaining drilling-related work is wrapping up shortly. For the two bore holes that required grouting, Horseshoe Solar worked closely with DPS to develop and submit a grouting plan and after receiving approval from DPS, the grouting work was successfully completed over two days, concluding on Sunday, March 8. The approved grouting material is accepted by industry standard NSF/ANSI 61 as a safe drinking water system component and is commonly used as a sealant in underground construction. No water has surfaced from the grouted bore holes.

In the weeks following the incident, four homes in Meadowood and one home on East River Road experienced low water levels. Horseshoe Solar promptly provided drinking water and worked quickly to install temporary potable water systems for the homeowners that remain in place for use as needed.  During this time, cycling water pumps on and off can temporarily create air bubbles and disturb sediment, which may cause cloudy water. Our team remains in close contact with these households and is available to provide support services as needed. We’re grateful for the patience and engagement our neighbors have shown.

Horseshoe Solar conducted all required pre-construction monitoring of private wells in the project area and voluntarily expanded the monitoring area from the 500 feet state requirement to 1,000 feet to provide an added layer of assurance for the community. To date, no additional water issues have been reported.

We understand there has been concern about vibrations. The drilling method used at the site does not rely on impact force. Independent monitoring conducted between March 13–20 at one of the Meadowood homes found that both continuous and transient vibration levels recorded over seven days fell below the threshold of human perception. The report concluded that the vibrations detected were likely associated with normal movement within the house, and that drilling is not causing damage or notable vibrations to the home.

Horseshoe Solar Energy Center is a 180-megawatt solar project Siting Permit was approved by New York State in 2022. Beyond delivering reliable energy to power the equivalent of more than 34,000 homes, the project represents a meaningful investment in the local economy, contributing over $3 million each year to support local services, infrastructure, and community priorities.

-Spokesperson, Horseshoe Solar Energy Project

News 8 has reached out to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to learn more about any potential environmental impacts of the drilling mishap. We are waiting for a response.

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