On January 16, 2024, approximately 1,000 acres was approved for Conditional Use by the Ford County Commissioners for the Boot Hill Solar Project (Resolution No. 2024-09).  The 150-megawatt Boot Hill Solar Project will consist of 300,000 solar modules mounted on a single-axis solar tracking system on 1,000 acres near Sunflower’s Fort Dodge Station, one mile southeast of Dodge City.  This project entails taking productive irrigated farmland and dryland farmland out of production.  This solar industrial site is extremely close to residential homes, which will not only cause unpleasant visual consequences, but possible property value degradation, environmental and unknown physical/health impacts.

Solar sites such as these can have detrimental effects on both the land they occupy and their surrounding ecosystems. According to a study by Oregon State University, solar panels can cause soil underneath them to become compacted and lose its fertility over time. This could significantly impact local farming practices which form an integral part of Ford County's economy. Additional concerns of these solar development sites of this size include fire risks, water quality degradation, air and noise pollution, soil contamination, and environmental damage. This industrial complex also would have a negative impact on the economic and social well-being of a longstanding agricultural community. Additionally, this project has a ten-year tax easement where there will be no taxes paid to the county.  

Concerned residents, landowners, and taxpayers are encouraged to add their names to this important cause to protect and defend our rural communities and petition the Ford County Commissioners to bring an end and reduction to the footprint of the ever-increasing industrial solar complex that will forever plague the place we all love and call home. 

We understand the need for renewable energy sources but believe there must be a balance between progress and preservation. We, the citizens of Ford County, want a moratorium (18-month minimum, HALT) on all solar developments so that we may further evaluate the full scope of possible concerns and impacts as listed below.  

SOLAR PROJECT CONCERNS:
Agricultural Losses - Ford County is known for its fertile agricultural lands that provide sustenance for both our local community and beyond. By converting these valuable lands into a solar farm, Alluvia threatens not only our food security but also the livelihoods of farmers who depend on these fields for their incomes.  
Questionable Benefits - While Alluvia Energy claims that this solar project will bring economic benefits to Ford County, we question their true intentions behind such assertions. It is crucial to note that the energy generated by these panels will not directly benefit our local community but instead be sold elsewhere for profit.  Additionally, they will be exempt from taxes for 10-years, instead Alluvia will provide monetary donation to the USD 443 school.  How will this affect the Ford County's long term property taxes?
Environmental Impact - Utility-scale solar power installations require a lot of space because solar energy collection is relatively inefficient; it can take up to 10 acres of solar panels to produce 1 megawatt of electricity. Clearing land for a solar power plant will destroy wildlife habitat and degrade soil quality by removing plants and their root structures. Water Supply Management may be threatened if not carefully managed.
Visual Impact - Like any proposed structure, concerns can be raised over the visual impact a solar development will have on its surroundings.  To construct a solar farm, numerous panels must be installed. This alters the landscape in practical and aesthetic ways. The land can no longer be used for anything but solar power generation. The panels, once installed, can also alter local habitats, and affect wildlife in negative ways.
Reflections from the Panels - Panel reflection is possibly the most common safety concern raised for solar developments and is commonly referred to as ‘glint and glare’ concerns. Solar panels are designed to absorb as much light as possible and reflect as little as possible. Many modern commercial panels are NOT ‘anti-glare’ to minimize reflections further.
Water Concerns - Construction projects need to have serious consideration of the quantity of water retained at the construction site. The integrity of the town’s water system is among the concerns that potentially toxic components of the solar equipment could leak. What most don’t know is that manufacturing semiconductors consumes massive amounts of water. Manufacturing a one-foot-wide wafer of semiconductors, about 0.75 square feet in area, consumes about 2,200 gallons of water. A typical solar power installation needs several square feet of semiconductors. Unmanaged drainage and water systems, even when designed to properly remove sufficient water from solar farms, can have detrimental effects on nearby properties.
Property Devaluation - The solar farms would devalue resident’s properties due to present health risks from the installation, electromagnetic exposure, visual impact, solar panels glare, drinking water supply, poor water drainage management, continuous noise during the solar production (generator like noise), and habitat degradation.
Human Health Risks - While solar power remains a more environmentally friendly form of energy production than fossil fuel sources, it is not completely free of hazards. Toxic chemicals, including hydrochloric acid and sulfuric acid, are used to clean the surface of semiconductors during PV cell production. The cells themselves contain materials that are harmful to people and the environment if improperly thrown away; these include gallium arsenide and cadmium telluride. Silicon dust produced by the PV cell manufacturing process is also harmful to people if inhaled.
Fire Safety - The possibility of fires resulting from or intensified by PV systems may trigger concern among the public as well as among firefighters.
Habitat Degradation - The impact that solar farms have on individual species can send ripples throughout entire ecosystems. When solar farms harm or remove species within a habitat, they also remove the valuable ecosystem services that they provide to the habitat. The habitat becomes less livable for plants and wildlife that have adapted to its specific conditions.
Panel End-of-Life Management - Operations and Maintenance – Panel Washing and Vegetation Control Electromagnetic Fields (EMF) PV systems do not emit any material during their operation; however, they do generate electromagnetic fields (EMF), sometimes referred to as radiation. EMF produced by electricity is nonionizing radiation, meaning the radiation has enough energy to move atoms in a molecule around (experienced as heat), but not enough energy to remove electrons from an atom or molecule (ionize) or to damage DNA.
Energy Consumption - Solar power plants generate clean energy, but they do not yet produce enough to provide electricity for the production of all solar power equipment. Most PV cells and other solar equipment are produced in facilities that rely on fossil fuel-based power sources, such as traditional power plants. Therefore, the manufacture of these components results in the emission of greenhouse gases and other pollutants that affect the air and nearby water bodies. Transporting, installing, and maintaining solar power equipment also contributes to the carbon footprint of this power source.