TagEdmund Seto(13)

In summer 2018, Beacon Hill residents partnered with University of Washington researchers to measure noise levels at 52 locations across Seattle's Beacon Hill neighborhood over several months, collecting 136 separate 24-hour measurement periods. The study found that the neighborhood is heavily affected by aircraft noise from three nearby airports — Seattle-Tacoma International, King County International, and Renton Municipal — with Sea-Tac arrival flight paths directly overlying the area and King County International Airport runways located as close as a quarter mile away. The project represents the first quality-assured, community-led noise dataset of its kind for Beacon Hill, and was designed to inform future research into the health impacts of airport noise on residents.

The Beacon Hill Seattle Community Noise Team, a group of neighborhood residents working with the University of Washington, has been documenting the disproportionate impact of Sea-Tac Airport aircraft noise on their community. Building on decades of prior advocacy—including a landmark April 2000 report by Citizens for Aircraft Noise Equity—the team highlights that official noise impact assessments still rely on mathematical models rather than actual measured data. Beginning in October 2017, they launched a citizen science effort to conduct systematic, long-term noise measurements throughout the Beacon Hill neighborhood, with a focus on health effects and impacts on children's learning.