Kane County looks at light pollution

When the lights go down in the city, it may be because Kane County officials would like to see more environmentally-friendly uses of illumination.

While a parking lot light shining into a bedroom window may be a nuisance, it's also a waste of energy as members of the county board's Energy and Environmental Committee learned Wednesday.

Drew Carhart of the Illinois Coalition for Responsible Outdoor Lighting showed committee members historical aerial photographs depicting the growth of lighting during the past 40 years. That growth has robbed an entire generation of the beauty of the stars and of the darkness needed to get a healthy night's sleep, Carhart said.

"It's not dark here at all," he said. "We're talking about an awful lot of light shining up into the night sky, and every bit of that is wasted energy because we're not trying to light up the night sky."

Carhart said too often the method of choice for lighting any area or activity at night is "brute force" illumination that sends light pouring onto private property, up into the sky and many other places beyond the intended surface.

Committee Chairman Tom Van Cleave, of Batavia, said he's seen enough evidence of brute force illumination being standard practice just in county projects.

"It seems like we could do a better job of restricting the lighting to do what it should do, rather than the more (lights) the better," Van Cleave said. "The Fabyan Parkway Bridge, when those lights first went up there, you could see them from the space shuttle. It was crazy. And it's still nuts."

"I don't think we do a great job of lighting so that it's not over the top," he added. "I would like to see that looked at so we're more conscious of light pollution."

But it's not just a matter of using more efficient bulbs and directional lights. County staff warned that, especially when it comes to lighting roads and bridges, lights are designed to be bright enough to provide illumination in bad weather and for drivers with less-than-perfect vision. Any dimming of those lights, especially below state standards, could open the county up to more legal liability.

The committee suggested some shrouding for lights or more use of directional lighting and fixtures that would reduce power costs. Members asked county staff to determine which department is best suited to explore the county's options and report back.