Aircraft Noise Pollution (Bigger font)

 For this week's blog, I chose to talk about the problem of noise pollution when it comes to airport operations as an environmental issue and add my own real-life scenario. 

According to a scholarly source I found, "Aircraft noise is one, if not the most detrimental environmental effect of aviation. It can cause community annoyance, disrupt sleep, adversely affect academic performance of children, and could increase the risk for cardiovascular disease of people living in the vicinity of airports. In some airports, noise constrains air traffic growth" (Basner et al., 2017).  It is actually coincidental that we are discussing environmental issues this week. My mom and I were just talking about this a few days ago. We moved into a new construction neighborhood 4 years ago not taking into consideration that a little public airport is about 4.6 miles away from our neighborhood.  We were new to the area at the time.  It is a busy little airport and planes fly straight over our house every day (or every hour) either landing or taking off.  They will get pretty low too when landing because the airport is just across the way. It produces a lot of noise. As I am writing this, there is a plane flying over now. My mom and I complain about the noise often, but at the same time, I must say it is neat to sit in the backyard and look at the types of planes because they are flying low enough to really get a good look. 

The FAA is always working with airports to reduce noise pollution.  I found a document/advisory circular provided by the FAA, called "Noise Control and Compatibility Planning for Airports", which is provided specifically for airport operators and local planners, along with interested people like myself.  The FAR part 150 process, or the Airport Noise Compatability Program, is an approach for mitigating the noise impact issue of airports and maintaining the efficiency of the national aviation system. However, according to the FAA, the regulations are voluntary and airport operators are not required to participate (FAA, n.d.). "The 150 process consists of developing noise exposure maps to identify compatible or incompatible land uses around the airport so that when identified, the FAA can develop air traffic arrival or departure procedures that help reduce noise by routing flights over the less populated or less noise-sensitive areas" (FAA, n.d.).  Airports that participate in the Part 150 Program can receive AIP funds to help with noise mitigation. Sound insulation for neighborhoods or schools may be provided through these funds, but not all homes are eligible because they must have a specific interior (FAA, n.d.). Concrete walls can also be utilized as a part of sound insulation. The program can also identify areas where the airport operator can team with local officials to ensure zoning policies are in place. 275 airports have entered this voluntary program since its start (FAA, n.d.).  However, there are 19,700 total airports nationwide, with 5,080 of them being public airports like the one down the road from me (DOT, n.d.). Although, many airports do already have successful noise mitigation programs outside of this federal process by working proactively with communities (FAA, n.d.).  For example, Chicago O'Hare has a residential sound program in place for their airport where they properly sound insulate homes near the airport if you are eligible (Fly Chicago, n.d). 

That being said, I think airport managers should be more on top of this issue and work proactively with communities/local officials or be participating in a federal regulatory program. "The FAA is limited by the simple reality that aircraft make noise. Addressing this concern requires collaboration among the FAA, air carriers, airports, aircraft manufacturers, research universities, other stakeholders and industry partners, local communities, and elected officials. Decisions about flight times, number of operations, and aircraft type are in the scope of private industry. Airport location is a function of local land use planning. Runway alignment is determined by the prevailing winds at that specific location. The FAA strives to reduce noise in ways within our purview, including conducting noise research and working with aviation stakeholders and local communities" (FAA, n.d.).

OPTIONAL READ ABOUT MY OWN COMMUNITY:

For the airport near me, in particular, causing noise pollution, I found this on my town's website (Zionsville, Indiana) which is just outside of Indianapolis. I am excluding this from the word count. This is even new (and interesting) information to me that I just found out because of this assignment:

"The Indianapolis Executive Airport is experiencing growth and development. With a new runway expansion set to be constructed in the next three to five years, additional use is expected. It is increasingly apparent that residential growth and Airport growth can result in conflicting priorities. Notably, noise from airport operations can conflict with the expectations of residents in single-family suburban neighborhoods. Single-family housing is a significant challenge in this area because of sensitivity to airport-related noise and aircraft overflight. Recognizing that it is important to be proactive in making land-use decisions before conflicts arise, the Town of Zionsville and the Hamilton County Airport Authority/Indianapolis Executive Airport (Airport) jointly commissioned this strategic future land use plan for the area surrounding the Airport. This plan is intended to achieve the dual goals of meeting the demand for growth that is nearing the Airport, and establishing airport-friendly development protections so that the Airport remains viable for years to come" (Zionsville, n.d.).

Basically, what this is saying is they are looking to expand the runways by over 27% in the coming years. The proposed project would extend it to 7,000 feet which is longer than Chicago Midway International.  This is because they want to continue attracting aviation business by enabling larger aircraft to land and also bring more employment, but they also want to keep the reputation of the town and avoid conflicts.  With that, they recognize the issue of noise with so many neighborhoods near the airport (including mine). So, they have come up with a strategic plan that takes into consideration of not just this issue but also other factors like visual obstruction, vegetation, wildlife attractants, etc.  The plan involves enacting zoning regulations specific to airport needs, enact noise dampening building requirements, surrounding the airport with complimentary uses, and discourages more single-family residential housing being built close to the airport. But, there is still a petition to stop the expansion because residents do not want the noise pollution and with that, reduced property values. The elementary school is even directly under the southern flight path of the airport. 

I am going to be moving to the suburbs of Denver, Colorado in the next 6 months as we are putting our house up for sale.  I can say we will be sure not to move quite this close to a public airport again. I think that when the airports fail to do their part to help avoid this issue, sensitive groups should just be more careful where they choose to live. 

                    (picture of Indianapolis Executive Aiport)

References:

Basner, M., Clark, C., Hansell, A., Hileman, J. I., Janssen, S., Shepherd, K., & Sparrow, V. (2017). Aviation Noise Impacts: State of the Science. Noise & Health, 19(87), 41–50. https://doi.org/10.4103/nah.NAH_104_16)

Change. (n.d.). Say NO to Airport Runway Extension in Zionsville Petition. Retrieved from https://www.change.org/p/zionsville-town-council-say-no-to-airport-runway-extension-in-zionsville

Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Department of Transportation. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.bts.gov/content/number-us-airportsa

Fly Chicago. (n.d.). O'Hare Residental Sound Insulation Program. Retrieved from https://www.flychicago.com/community/ORDnoise/SoundInsulation/Pages/default.aspx

Federal Aviation Administration. (n.d.). Fact Sheet - The FAA Airport Noise Program. Retrieved from https://www.faa.gov/news/fact_sheets/news_story.cfm?newsId=18114#:~:text=The%20Part%20150%20program%20requires,newspapers%20and%20Federal%20Register%20notices

Federal Aviation Administration. (n.d.). Airport Programs and Guidance. Retrieved from https://www.faa.gov/airports/ (provided in module readings)

Federal Aviation Administration. (n.d.). Noise Control and Compatability Planning For Airports. Retrieved from https://www.faa.gov/documentLibrary/media/Advisory_Circular/AC_150_5020-1.pdf

Zionsville Indiana. (n.d.). Indianapolis Executive Airport Study. Retrieved from http://zionsville-in.gov/566/Indianapolis-Executive-Airport-Study

Zionsville. (n.d.). Executive Summary. Retrieved from http://zionsville-in.gov/DocumentCenter/View/3458/Indianapolis-Executive-Airport-Executive-Summary-Draft

Images: 

Ober, A. (2016). Inside Indiana Business. Indy Executive Airport Names First Director. Retrieved from https://www.insideindianabusiness.com/story/32245684/indy-executive-airport-names-first-director

 Wikipedia. (n.d.). Aircraft Noise Pollution. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aircraft_noise_pollution