JOHN WAYNE AIRPORT: NOISE STATISTICS

Caltrans’ division of aeronautics has established guidelines to control the amount of noise generated over residential areas by aircraft using the state’s airports. Under those guidelines, any area exposed to an average Community Noise Equivalent Level (CNEL) of more than 65 in a year is considered to be noise-impacted.

To comply with those regulations, John Wayne airport has set up nine stations at locations in Newport Beach, Santa Ana and Tustin to monitor noise levels. Some stations are on private property and others on public land, at the following locations:

MONITOR STATIONS

M-1: 2139 Anniversary Lane, Newport Beach

M-2: 1907 Tradewinds Lane, Newport Beach

M-3: 2601 Vista del Oro, Newport Beach

M-4: 1352 Reynold Ave., Santa Ana

M-5: 17952 Beneta Way, Tustin

M-6: 20192 Kline Drive, Santa Ana

M-7: 20181 SW. Birch St., Santa Ana

M-8: 1131 Back Bay Drive, Newport Beach

M-9: 1300 S. Grand Ave., Santa Ana

The stations monitor the noise levels on a daily basis. The average daily levels, which are also averaged for each month, are “the result of a computer analysis based on county-provided data including flight tracks, actual traffic counts, average SENELs (Single Event Noise Exposure Levels) by aircraft model and recorded CNEL values for each monitor station,” according to the quarterly report from the airport’s Noise Abatement Office. The following are the monthly averages for the first half of 1987.

COMMUNITY NOISE EQUIVALENT LEVELS January-June, 1987

Month M-1 M-2 M-3 M-4 M-5 M-6 M-7 M-8 M-9 Jan. 62.5 54.2 52.6 60.4 49.0 64.3 63.2 56.2 47.0 Feb. 62.8 53.9 52.8 60.8 48.4 64.4 63.3 56.6 45.2 March 62.8 53.9 53.5 60.8 50.1 64.4 63.7 56.8 47.8 April 62.6 53.5 52.4 61.0 48.1 64.2 63.9 56.5 47.3 May 62.7 54.1 52.6 61.7 50.2 64.6 64.2 57.8 47.0 June 62.6 54.2 52.5 62.4 50.4 64.0 63.9 57.2 46.3

As of the end of June, a total of 19 homes in Newport Beach and Santa Ana Heights are in a noise-impacted area. The state has several remedies for property owners in the area: the homes can be insulated, they can be purchased by the county, or the sites can be re-zoned for “other non-noise sensitive uses,” according to Lynn Dosheery, a county planner who serves as the Santa Ana Heights project manager. For instance, the zoning in the area along Acacia and Birch streets in Santa Ana Heights has been changed from a general agricultural use to a business park, she said.

TELEPHONE COMPLAINT CALLS January-June, 1987

The airport’s Noise Abatement Office logs noise complaints from local citizens. During the first half of 1987, the office received a total of 524 noise complaints from local citizens. In the first quarter there were 240 calls, up 6% from 226 complaints in the previous quarter and down 31% from 349 calls in the first quarter of 1986. The office received 284 complaints in the second quarter, representing an 18% jump from the first quarter but a 31% decrease from 412 calls receivedin the same period a year ago. Each complaint is investigated and the operators of flights found to have exceeded the maximum noise levels are notified. The valid complaints normally correspond to noise readings taken by the monitors, according to Alan Murphy, assistant to the airport manager.

first quarter second quarter Tustin/Orange 31 35 Santa Ana 16 8 Santa Ana Heights 24 29 Costa Mesa 8 17 Westcliff, Newport Beach 70 59 Eastbluff, Newport Beach 27 53 Balboa/Corona del Mar 50 37 Other areas 14 46

Clipboard researched by Nancy Reed, Henry Rivero, Deborrah Wilkinson / Los Angeles Times