PRINCETON -- Interference with television reception in Wyanet could bring the turbines at Crescent Ridge Wind Farm near Tiskilwa to a halt.

Bureau County Board zoning committee chairman Bill Bennett (R-Neponset) told the board Tuesday night that he was prepared to suspend the company's conditional use permits if a solution could not be found.

"The board needs to be aware that some people in the Wyanet area are having difficulty with TV reception of the Peoria UHF channels,� Bennett said. �Crescent Ridge has not responded to the TV problems in the area as they said they would in the original agreement. My only recourse is to suspend the conditional use permits until they fix the problems."

Allowed to briefly address the board, Crescent Ridge site manager Tim Reeder said he has been aware of the problem since November even though the turbines didn�t become operational until after December. Reeder also said he has been working to figure out the problem and find a solution.

"In December, local landowners began having TV problems, so we decided to make satellite TV available for people," Reeder said.

One resident in Wyanet posed a more difficult problem, though.

Reeder said that because most wind turbines are located in more isolated areas, problems with TV reception are not well researched.

The resident in Wyanet who had TV problems could not use satellite TV because FCC rules prohibit Quad Cities satellite providers from offering Peoria stations, which is what the resident wanted.

The solution, Reeder said, is to try to upgrade the gentleman's broadcast antenna. If that works, other residents in Wyanet will be offered that same solution. Otherwise, Crescent Ridge will offer to hook up cable TV for anyone having TV reception difficulties in Wyanet.

Reached early Wednesday morning at home, Bennett said he was satisfied with the response from Crescent Ridge and puts the issue down to a lack of communication.

"I think the biggest thing is that he should have been reassuring the people having a problem," Bennett said. "He may have been doing something, but he needed to tell the people having a problem."