The federal government will fund a scientific investigation into the so-called Windsor Hum, a low-frequency rumble that has been rattling residents of the Ontario border city for nearly two years.
Bob Dechert, parliamentary secretary to Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird, announced Monday that the $60,000 studywill be conducted by scientists at the University of Windsor and Western University.
“Our government takes this issue seriously and is following up on our commitment to find a solution that works for the people of Windsor. Promise made, promise kept,” Dechert said in a statement.
“To get a solution, we first need to find the source. This study is a step in the right direction.”
The constant rumbling noise has been reported in different parts of Windsor since early 2011. Residents have described the hum as the sound of an idling truck or the bass of a boom box playing in the distance. Some say the noise has rattled their windows and kept them up at night.
A previous investigation by Natural Resources Canadasuggested that the noise and vibrations are coming from Zug Island, an industrial strip of land on the U.S. side of the Detroit River.
Local officials across the border, however, have said that they don’t have the money or the resources to look into the matter.
The newly announced study will involve strategically placed noise monitoring stations in the Windsor area, as well as specially designed microphones that can record low-frequency sound waves.
Windsor residents like Gary Grosse welcomed Ottawa’s announcement.
“If an independent citizen had tried to do this, it probably would never have gone anywhere,” he told CTV Windsor. “But because a group of citizens engaged the government the right way and used the proper channels, two years later, here we are getting ready to undertake a study.
“That’s awesome.”
With a report from CTV Windsor
