TagNoise Monitors(48)

This document contains materials from the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport FAR Part 150 Noise Study, including an agenda for a Citizens Advisory Committee meeting held on July 22, 1998, at the airport's Main Terminal Building. The meeting covered topics such as a presentation of Working Paper One on inventory, preliminary noise monitoring results, and an open house discussion. A tentative schedule for follow-up meetings through December 1998 was also included, covering sub-committee sessions and additional CAC/TAC public meetings.

This Spring 1998 newsletter from the Port of Seattle provides an update on the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport FAR Part 150 Aircraft Noise and Land Use Compatibility Study, which aims to reduce the impact of aircraft noise on surrounding neighborhoods. The study involves measuring existing and predicting future noise levels, evaluating noise reduction and land use alternatives, and producing noise exposure maps using the FAA's Integrated Noise Model. Citizens raised key concerns at an initial open house, including adherence to flight tracks, ground noise, and expansion of sound insulation programs, with findings to be presented at a second public open house on July 23, 1998.

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport operates one of the nation's most comprehensive airport noise management programs, divided into Noise Abatement measures — such as restricting the noisiest Stage 2 jets at night, controlling ground engine use, and routing flight paths over fewer homes — and Noise Remedy programs that help affected residents through home sound insulation, sales assistance, and a completed acquisition program that purchased 1,400 severely impacted homes. The Port of Seattle also monitors noise levels through an 11-station system and tracks flight paths using FAA radar data to ensure compliance. Residents can report concerns or request information 24 hours a day via the Noise Information/Complaint Line at 433-5393 or toll-free at 1-800-826-1147.

In a January 29, 1982 letter to the Port of Seattle's Director of Planning and Research, Riverton Heights community representative William C. Holstine outlined several concerns about Sea-Tac Airport noise management, including calls for annual calibration of noise-measuring equipment, independent auditing of the Perry Company's noise study, and additional community-level noise measurements beyond the existing fixed monitoring stations. Holstine argued that existing remedies such as property acquisition and purchase guarantees should not be delayed while new solutions were being studied, and stressed that a five-to-ten-year timeline for resolving aircraft noise impacts—after already waiting ten years—was unacceptable to his community. He urged the Port to expedite and expand its noise remedy programs, drawing a comparison to the Port's willingness to fund other major projects like the Shilshole Marina expansion and the West Seattle Bridge.

A March 1980 internal memo from Bob Wells of the Planning department transmits Noise Monitoring System reports for January and February 1980 to Marion MacKenzie, noting that the station map quality is poor while a clearer version is being prepared. The accompanying report for Sea-Tac International Airport shows monthly and long-term average Day-Night Sound Level (LDN) readings across nine remote monitoring stations, with January 1980 values ranging from 73 to 84 dBA. Operational notes indicate that 58% of January air traffic flew north to south, heavy snowfall forced a brief airport closure on the 8th–9th, and two minor clock failures in the monitoring system were corrected without any loss of noise data.

In June 1979, the Port of Seattle installed nine noise-monitoring stations around Sea-Tac Airport as part of a $200,000 project. The monitors collect aircraft and community noise data via waterproof microphones, transmitting readings over telephone lines to a minicomputer on the fourth floor of the airport parking garage. Results from the system were expected to influence local noise-remedy programs for affected property owners once full testing was completed that fall.

Figure 3 shows the locations of noise monitoring system sites around the Seattle-Tacoma Airport area, covering communities from Seattle in the north to Woodmont Beach and Poverty Bay in the south, including Burien, Normandy Park, and Des Moines along Puget Sound. The map displays numbered monitoring stations positioned throughout the region to measure aircraft noise impacts on surrounding neighborhoods. This figure was likely part of an environmental or noise impact study related to Sea-Tac Airport operations.

This 1978 Project Manual outlines the specifications for a Noise Monitoring System at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, issued by the Port of Seattle Commission. The document covers bidding requirements, contract conditions, and detailed technical specifications for installing remote monitoring stations, communications channels, and a central processing system to track aircraft noise levels around the airport. It was prepared under the direction of Chief Engineer Vernon L. Ljungren and includes provisions for system warranty and ongoing maintenance services.