NOISE: Caltrans Extends Deadline : Public Given More Time to Remark on Airport Noise Rules

Homeowner groups from neighborhoods near John Wayne Airport have won more time to gather ammunition in their fight against new state noise standards that benefit airport operators.

Richard G. Dyer of the aeronautics division of the California Department of Transportation said his agency has agreed to extend the deadline for public comment on the proposed state standards one month--to Feb. 12.

The extension was requested by the Concerned Homeowners of Sherwood Estates, a group led by Ed Hall of Santa Ana Heights; the Airport Working Group, an Orange County organization with 22 affiliated homeowners groups statewide, and Stop Polluting Our Newport (SPON).

Dyer acknowledged that, under the new standards, only residents of a small area near an airport would be allowed to contest the airport’s state permits on grounds of excessive noise.

Such challenges would be confined to residents of areas in which noise levels exceed the so-called 65 Community Noise Equivalent Level (CNEL). The CNEL is an index that combines noise frequency, intensity and duration into one number, based on an average over a 24-hour period.

Special Permits

A CNEL of 65 or above is considered unhealthful. Under state law, airports must obtain special permits, called variances, from Caltrans to operate when residents are within the 65 CNEL border.

State regulations now allow residents outside the 65 CNEL zone to seek state administrative law hearings to contest an airport’s noise variance. John Wayne is one of nine airports around the state operating with such variances.

The new standards also would change the way airport noise is measured. Now, flights between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. are weighted heavily in computing noise impact on the surrounding community. But the proposed rules call for averaging noise levels throughout the night. At John Wayne, there are no airline departures between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m.

Barbara Lichman of the Airport Working Group, Jean Watt of SPON and Hall said the new standards would erode residents’ standing in airport noise disputes.

Dyer said the proposed changes in how airport noise is measured would bring California into conformity with the standards used by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. He also said the changes would not shrink the 65 CNEL zone around John Wayne Airport enough to exclude any residents scheduled to benefit under the county’s program of buying or soundproofing homes.

22 Homes Within Border

County officials said 22 homes remain within the 65 CNEL border around the airport. Four of them have been purchased by the county, and another five purchases are being negotiated with the property owners, officials said.