A map of the greater Seattle-Tacoma area showing Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) 1991 and 2032 DNL65 noise contours alongside King County International Airport (KCIA) DNL65 and DNL70 contours. Port of Seattle permanent and portable noise monitors (2020-2022) are plotted across the region. Runway geometry markers for KCIA and COTKU are also shown.
Chart depicting Day-Night Level (DNL) methodology with hourly LEQ values and nighttime penalty weighting, showing how individual aircraft events accumulate into 24-hour average noise exposure. Illustrates the regulatory metric used to assess airport noise impacts on communities.
Read this, including the recent update, and then attend the upcoming Port of Seattle Part 150 workshops.
2022-12-05
Academic paper presented at the 183rd Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America arguing that the FAA’s 65 dBA day-night average sound level standard is not safe for public health. The paper discusses how the EPA calculated safer levels at 55 dB for outdoor activities and 45 dB for indoor activities, and examines the non-auditory
We’ve often made the claim that DNL65 is not really a unit of measure. And when we say that it comes off as both condescending and patronizing. Okeedokee… If you want to understand DNL65, you should probably start by going to the regulations governing Airport Noise Compatibility and Planning aka Part 150. Got it? Great.
Currently, FAA law has extremely complicated rules for establishing a noise boundary around airports. (A noise boundary is a geographic area inside which there is a certain acceptable noise level.) This is referred to as the DNL65. and it has several major flaws. The FAA Reauthorization Act Of 2018 attempted to address these flaws in several ways. This letter, from a caucus of Congressmen engaged on airport community issues complains to the Administrator that the spirit of the law is not being adhered to and demands that he make attempts to put his agency into compliance.
The language is fairly technical, however there are a couple of basic points they raise: First, that the noise boundary be determined by actual noise measurements (currently the noise boundaries are 'modeled' and those calculations often do not reflect in any way the lived experience for residents.) Second, that the 'acceptable' noise level of sixty five decibels (hence DNL65) has been determined to be far too high to conform with current understandings of healthy living.
116th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 5874 To require the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration to amend regulations concerning the day-night average sound level, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES February 12, 2020 Ms. Meng (for herself, Mr. Smith of Washington, Mr. Espaillat, Ms. Brownley of California, Mr. Beyer, Mr.
2022-12-05
