Getting the Facts Out on El Toro Airport

The proposed international airport at El Toro has been an important issue in this county, and The Times has tried its best to report on relevant legislative, legal and economic issues. It is surprising, therefore, that The Times did not see fit to report the detrimental effects of aircraft noise on the weakest segments of our society--children and the elderly.

On July 25, I attended the latest presentation by Project ‘99, dedicated to this issue. Daniel Stokols, dean of UC Irvine School of Social Ecology, described studies that he conducted around LAX and found that aircraft noise seriously affected the learning abilities of children in schools located under the flight paths. Eric Walther, an environmental consultant, described studies showing that sudden, loud bursts of aircraft noise in the middle of the night resulted in sleep deprivation, leading to health problems and death.

These were important facts that were not available to the citizens of Orange County when we voted on the issue of El Toro.

HANNA HILL

Irvine

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The Times notes that the Board of Supervisors turned down a staff plan to spend over $450,000 on public relations regarding the El Toro Airport project.

Aviation industry sources have confirmed, in writing, that two airports next to each other just won’t work. Is the county ready to publicize that?

The county Environmental Impact Report and El Toro airport construction cost studies are all based on using the existing Marine Corps runways. The Airline Pilots Assn. has provided technical basis for why the existing runways need to be torn up and reoriented. That will put flight paths over unsuspecting communities that are not covered by the county environmental studies. Is the county ready to publicize that the voters may have been misled?

LEONARD KRASNER

Editor, El Toro Airport Info Site

Dana Point

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South County groups continue to put forth negative information about the proposed El Toro airport by using improbable, worst-case scenarios and portraying them as probable occurrences. Scare tactics are used and people panic. To correct the steady stream of misinformation, our county is being forced to put forth facts and correct the rumors and propaganda.

The irony is South County leaders now have the audacity to criticize the supervisors for initiating this public service.

JOHN NEIL

Newport Beach