El Toro Jet Noise Analysis Isn’t Sound, Critics Say

A consultant for Orange County told supervisors Tuesday that residents near the proposed airport at El Toro wouldn’t be affected much by jet noise, a notion South County residents angrily dismissed as sugar-coated propaganda.

Acoustics expert Vincent Mestre told supervisors at their regular meeting that computer analysis of a Boeing 757 showed that most noise from the jet engines would be contained on the El Toro base--far from homes in neighboring Lake Forest, Irvine and Laguna Hills.

He said the noise would be concentrated over undeveloped land within the 4,700-acre base, regardless of whether planes departed to the north or the east.

“This is a very dramatic indication of what was thought to be a serious problem in South County because of misinformation that’s been going on for the last several years,” said Supervisor Charles V. Smith, who supports an international airport at El Toro once the Marine Corps leaves its air base next July.

But several South County residents who attended Tuesday’s meeting weren’t buying it.

Several pointed out that the Boeing 757 is the quietest jet in use by U.S. airlines and that other jets--like the Boeing 747 and the McDonnell-Douglas MD-11--are 10 to 20 decibels louder on takeoff and landing than the 757. An increase of 10 decibels doubles the noise.

The residents chastised county officials for presenting misleading assurances.

“You can always pay consultants enough money to tell you what you want to hear,” said Dave Kirkey of Coto de Caza.

Kirkey said he did his own calculations based on noise and aircraft information found in the county’s Community Reuse Plan. Using a mix of planes, he presented supervisors with a noise “footprint” for El Toro, overlaid on Thomas Guide map pages, that spilled across several South County neighborhoods.

Bert Hack of Leisure World said tests of a Boeing 747 flown 1,000 feet over the Leisure World golf course registered between 86 and 94 decibels. That kind of noise, particularly at night, could have a devastating effect on elderly residents, he said.

Using unnamed medical studies, he said that those older than 70 whose nightly sleep is interrupted have life expectancies up to two years less than those with unaffected sleep.

But county airport officials continue to insist that the noise nightmare predicted by many South County residents is unfounded.

To underscore the point, Mestre presented aerial slides of El Toro overlaid with runways and homes at John Wayne, Los Angeles International and Dallas-Fort Worth International airports. The slides showed El Toro neighborhoods much farther from runways, meaning planes would be higher above those homes than at the other airports.

Airport planning manager Courtney Wierchioch said the Boeing 757 was used for Tuesday’sEl Toro update only to provide a snapshot of what noise would be like around the airport. She said the Boeing 757s and 737s, which also are quiet planes, would comprise about 70% of the commercial fleet at El Toro.

A complete noise analysis of all of the aircraft that would use El Toro will be included in an environmental report that should be available to supervisors in October, she said.

Smith said the studies should be sent to South County residents to allay their concerns.

“We need to get this message out to the folks in South County so upset about noise . . . to show what it’d really be like,” he said.

The county plans to spend $2 million in the fall to conduct a series of tests with a mix of commercial aircraft to simulate the real-life effect of noise and pollution at an El Toro airport. The tests will include Boeing 747s and the new 777s, county officials said.

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In another noise-related action Tuesday, supervisors approved language for a so-called avigation easement to be signed by future residents of three tracts of homes in Aliso Viejo.

The county agreed to allow 1,800 homes to be built in a current no-home zone only if future homeowners acknowledge the noise risks from a commercial airport. No homes have been built there for 20 years because the noise level from military operations at El Toro is greater than 65 decibels--the limit for residential areas set by state law.

By signing the easement, homeowners would agree to sue the county only for damages to their property if commercial aircraft noise exceeds 65 decibels averaged over a year. However, the housing tracts aren’t expected to be within the highest noise zone after the military leaves because commercial jets are quieter.

Officials originally intended to ask future El Toro airport-area residents to sign away their rights to sue over noise. But they added language at the urging of supervisors Thomas W. Wilson and Todd Spitzer to allow lawsuits if the noise exceeds 65 decibels. The easements mirror those already in place for homeowners in Santa Ana Heights, which lies just off the runway at John Wayne Airport.

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COMMISSARY

Marines urged to keep the El Toro facility open after the base closes. B4