From the Regional Commission on Airport Affairs, we received this letter (posted also on their blog) regarding Wednesday night’s (Feb. 24th) “Part 150″ airport noise workshop put on by the Port of Seattle:

Congratulations to those who attended last night’s kick-off workshop for Sea-Tac Airport’s Part 150 study!

Despite a restrictive format, the public delivered a loud & clear message spelling out major issues that concern us all.

After an initial presentation, the attendees (estimated at about 200) crowded around the whiteboards in 15 break-out groups.

We heard over & over that the attendees do not believe that the FAA’s 65 DNL noise assessment has anything to do with noise as it is actually experienced.

We heard over & over that single-event noise –not averages — is what intrudes on people’s lives.

Sharp questions were raised about the five-year planning horizon:  the study needs to look long-term.

And what will the Airport look like, what will it sound like, at its maximum?

At the concluding, wrap-up session, there was widespread spontaneous applause for comments that the region needs two more airports, & for the suggestion that if the present noise cannot be fixed, the airport should be moved.

Less-controversial comments included pleas for more noise insulation, more buy-outs, more sellers’ assistance programs.

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The first in a series of public workshops for Sea-Tac Airport’s “Part 150 Noise Study” is scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 24th at Mount Rainier High School (locatrd at 22450 19th Ave. South in Des Moines) beginning at 5:15pm.

So if you have something to say about airport noise, this would be the place to air your thoughts and hope that the Port of Seattle hears you.

Doors open at 5pm, with the program beginning at 5:15pm.

Here are the details:

WHAT: Public workshop for Sea-Tac Airport’s “Part 150 Noise Study” program

WHEN: Wednesday, Feb. 24th beginning at 5:15pm

WHERE: Mt. Rainier High School, located at 22450 19th Ave South in Des Moines

INFO: From a press release:

The Part 150 Study will look at ways to reduce aircraft noise impacts on communities. Throughout the study, the public is invited to participate in the solution and recommendation process through active engagement in a series of topical workshops.

The February 24th workshop will include a brief presentation followed by facilitator-led, small-group working sessions designed to gather the public’s input on refining the scope for the Part 150 Study. So, please review the meeting agenda and come prepared with ideas.

Visit the dedicated Part 150 Study Website – the single location for all documentation connected to the study.

A public workshop for Sea-Tac Airport’s Part 150 Noise Study is scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 24th, from 5pm – 7pm at Mount Rainier High School, which is located at 22450 19th Ave South in Des Moines.

The Part 150 Study looks at ways to reduce aircraft noise impacts on communities. Throughout the study, the public is invited to participate in the solution and recommendation process through active engagement in a series of topical workshops.

For more information, visit the dedicated Part 150 Study website here that has been established as the single location for all documentation connected to the study.

Up to six additional public workshops will be held throughout the Part 150 Study process. This first meeting will introduce and orient the participants to the Part 150 process as well as further “scope” the study itself. In order to do that, the consultants will facilitate small group discussions with the participants to talk about their concerns and what they are hoping to see included in the study. Records of these sessions and the input received will be kept and factored into the study. The Port will soon launch an advertising campaign publicizing the meeting and they will make sure the members of the Forum get additional information.

Public workshops are not the only vehicle that will be used to engage the public. The Port wants to make sure community leaders, such as the members of the Highline Forum, and the general public has ample opportunity to review the status of the project and offer their thoughts and recommendations. The Port will be providing just that at the regular Highline Forum meetings. In addition, the Part 150 Study team will be available to attend a City Council meeting or meet with the representatives of a specific neighborhood or organization.

There will be a public hearing and comment period at the end of the process. More information will be provided at that time when there is a fully developed set of recommended actions.

More info available at these links:

• Part 150 Scope of Services (PDF)
• Port of Seattle’s “Air Mail” (PDF)

According to the Port’s Part 150 website:

The Part 150 Study process is designed to identify noise incompatibilities surrounding an airport, and to recommend measures to both correct existing incompatibilities and to prevent future incompatibilities. For Part 150 Study purposes, noise incompatibilities are defined as residences or public use noise-sensitive facilities (libraries, churches, schools, nursing homes, and hospitals) within the 65 Day-Night Average Sound Level (DNL) noise contour.

The purpose for conducting a Part 150 Study is to develop a balanced and cost-effective plan for reducing current noise impacts from the airport’s operations, where practical, and to limit additional impacts in the future.

Among the general goals and objectives addressed by a Part 150 Study are the following:

• To reduce, where feasible, existing and forecasted noise levels over existing noise-sensitive land uses;
• To reduce new noise-sensitive developments near the airport;
• To mitigate, where feasible, adverse impacts in accordance with Federal guidelines;
• To provide mitigation measures that are sensitive to the needs of the community and its stability; and
• To be consistent, where feasible, with local land use planning and development policies.

Specific goals for this Part 150 Study include the following:

• To address noise issues related to the third runway;
• To conduct the process in an open and engaging way; and
• To look for opportunities that have not been thought of versus re-visiting old issues.

This study will identify existing and future flight corridors, develop aircraft noise exposure maps for current and future conditions, evaluate air traffic control procedures that could be implemented to reduce noise exposure over residential areas, consider land use controls that could be established to reduce future incompatible land uses from being developed within high noise areas, and evaluate means to mitigate noise impacts within high noise exposure areas.

It is anticipated that the Part 150 Study will be completed in late 2011. After completion, it will be submitted to the FAA. The review period by the FAA is typically 6-9 months.

by Ralph Nichols

If it wasn’t already obvious before Tuesday (Sept. 29) night’s community meeting about additional noise generated by commercial jets using Sea-Tac International Airport’s third runway, people living not only under but near the new flight paths are mad as hell.

But while they don’t want to take it anymore, it appears they have no option but to endure it. No governmental organization is stepping forward with solutions – not studies, but solutions – then putting them into effect.

As a result, these citizens are even more frustrated than mad. And Port of Seattle and Federal Aviation Administration representatives heard this frustration – laced with anger – during the two-hour meeting at the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Center in Burien.

The strongest complaints from the audience of approximately 400 included charges that the Port of Seattle “lied” to the public about the use of the third runway when it was being planned and designed and studied for its environmental impacts on the surrounding area.

“We need answers,” said Debi Wagner, a long-time activist against airport expansion. “You guys lied to us.”

Another woman said her home was soundproofed against noise from the second runway in 1992, yet “now it’s worthless. Are you people above the law?” She added that President Obama should become involved because “he closed Guantanamo (Bay detention of terror suspects) … He can close the Port of Seattle.”

One man in the audience suggested that to save the millions of dollars future lawsuits over noise and noise mitigation could cost, the Port of Seattle should just shut down the third runway.

When asked if the Port would consider doing that, Stan Shepard, manager of Sea-Tac noise programs, replied, “Absolutely not.”

Joining Shepard to hear complaints and field questions from the public were David Suomi, deputy regional administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Northwest Mountain Region, and Linda Pelligrini with FAA’s air traffic control.

Also attending were District 33 legislators – Sen. Karen Keiser and Reps. Dave Upthegrove and Tina Orwall – and 34th District Rep. Sharon Nelson, King County Councilwoman Julia Patterson, and representatives of CASE (Citizens Against Sea-Tac Expansion) and the RCAA (Regional Commission on Airport Affairs).

“We’re here to listen,” Keiser (D-Des Moines) told the assembly. “These issues are not new to us. But they have been sharpened” since the third runway opened 10 months ago and has been operating “24/7.”

Paramount concerns, Keiser continued, include sleep – “it’s hard to get a decent night’s sleep when planes are always flying” – and public safety with planes flying only 100 to 200 feet overhead on final approach.

She said the 33rd District’s delegation would develop legislation in Olympia to help alleviate these problems.

Two separate realities really frustrate, confound and even anger many living near the airport and along the third runway flight paths:

1. First, the third runway was planned and built by the Port of Seattle, which operates the airport including its facilities and infrastructure.
2. Second, it is the FAA, and not the airport, that directs air traffic including which runways will be used for each landing and take-off.

Several in the audience reminded Shepard and the FAA representatives that the third runway had been sold to the public as a backup runway primarily for landings in bad weather to reduce flight delays and departures. But since it opened, it also has been used routinely for what Shepard described as “high-demand” periods – those times when eight or more planes arrive within 15 minutes.

This is a primary reason why a number of those speaking accused the Port of lying to them before the third runway was built.

Another man asked what happened to the concept of limited use, noting it was “an enormous leap” from that earlier assurance “to high demand. We would like that concept changed.” He was roundly applauded when he added, “We were hoodwinked.”

Wagner also declared that with emissions from jet engines, including small black dust-like particles, the Port is “killing us with their aircraft. They’re causing cancer and they don’t care about you at all.” New airports have a five-mile buffer for emissions as well as noise because of the high cancer risk from jet emissions, she added. Some airports even have nighttime curfews.

“The Port is fully committed to make this a public process,” Shepard said about future noise studies and noise mitigation. He later was jeered when he noted, “Sea-Tac is a leader in airport noise mitigation,” and the third runway doesn’t alter that fact. “I’m damn proud” of what the Port has done, he said.

Shepard also reminded the audience that while the third runway has been operated as a regular runway since April, this is about to change and that will result in less noise from flight operations on the runway.

The third runway has handled a lot of Sea-Tac departures as well as arrivals during the complete rebuilding of the longest runway (closest to the terminal). That job has been completed and, when the FAA certifies that runway as operational, use of the third runway will be reduced.

None of what they heard, however, appeared to satisfy the audience because, many seemed to feel, their concerns appear to have no impact on the FAA’s use of the third runway.

A second community meeting on Sea-Tac Airport noise has been scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 29th from 7pm to 9pm at the State Criminal Justice Training Commission Auditorium in Burien (located at 19010 First Ave South), according to an announcement from Rep. Dave Upthegrove (D-33).

Here’s the full text of Upthegrove’s announcement:

Dear Neighbors,

As you know, our August 19th Community Meeting on Airport Noise was attended by more people than the venue could accommodate.  I know that many of you took time away from your families and other duties to attend this meeting and I apologize to everyone who was turned away.  Please know that simply by showing up, you helped to demonstrate just how deeply this issue affects our community.

We have scheduled a follow-up meeting to accommodate those who were turned away last month. Please join me, along with Senator Karen Keiser, Representative Tina Orwall, Des Moines City Councilwoman Susan White, and King County Councilmember Julia Patterson, to discuss airport flight operations and noise mitigation programs.

While the state legislature and county and city governments have no direct authority over SeaTac Airport flight operations (where and when planes fly), we have heard from many of you with questions and concerns about increased noise since the third runway has gone into use.  This meeting will be an opportunity to hear directly from the Noise Programs Manager at SeaTac Airport and to ask questions and share information and concerns.

Rep. Dave Upthegrove

Follow-up Community Meeting on Airport Noise

• Tuesday Evening, September 29th
• 7:00m to 9:00pm
• WA State Criminal Justice Training Commission Auditorium: 19010—1st Ave S, Burien

Some of the questions to be addressed:

• Who decides who gets money for noise insulation?
• Who is responsible for determining runway usage and flight patterns?
• How does current use of the Third Runway compare with previous projections?
• How has airplane noise changed in the last decade?
• How can community members monitor and track runway usage and flight operations?

Noise from airport operations significantly impacts our quality of life.  The more informed we are about how flight decisions are made and how noise mitigation funding decisions are made, then the more effective we all can be advocating for the interests of our community.

Sincerely,
Dave Upthegrove
State Representative
33rd District
Chairman, House Ecology & Parks Committee

Webpage: http://hdc.leg.wa.gov/members/upthegrove/index.asp
Sign up for my E-memo: http://hdc.leg.wa.gov/members/upthegrove/ememo.asp
Legislative Hotline: 1-800-562-6000

The Regional Commission on Airport Affairs (RCAA) has also launched their own blog, which includes the latest updates – you can read it here.

The Citizens Against Sea-Tac Expansion (C.A.S.E.) is holding their monthly “Sea-Tac Expansion” Meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 2nd from 7pm to 9pm at the ERAC offices, located at 15675 Ambaum Blvd. SW.

Here are the details:

WHAT: CASE Monthly Meeting

WHEN: Wednesday, September 2nd, from 7pm to 9pm.

WHERE: ERAC (Highline District Adm. Office), located at 15675 Ambaum Blvd. S.W., Burien.

INFO: CASE President Brett Fish will conduct the meeting and briefly update us on a number of actions/issues we have with the Port of Seattle and with the 3rd runway operations. These will include:

• The significant noise Increase resulting from the operations using the 3rd runway is much greater than predicted prior to the construction because of the 24-hour use was not planned. Our State Representative Dave Upthegrove and Des Moines Mayor Bob Sheckler, former Director of the ACC (Airport Cities Coalition), will be available to speak on this subject.
• The multiyear study by the WA State Aviation Planning Council, started in 2005, has been completed and reported to the governor. The results do not identify the next regional airport in Washington as was expected. RCAA Operations Manager Chas Talbot will update us on this subject.
• Construction is still continuing on the re-construction of the #1 runway.
• Questions or Comments will be heard as time allows.

If you have questions or need directions, call 206-824-6589.

Residents of the Highline area are invited to a community meeting about airport noise on Wednesday, Aug. 19th from 7pm to 8:30pm at the Des Moines City Hall. The meeting will be hosted by local legislators, including Senator Karen Keiser, and State Representatives Dave Upthegrove and Tina Orwall, along with Des Moines City Councilwoman Susan White.

Although the state Legislature does not oversee and has no jurisdiction over Sea-Tac Airport flight operations, the district’s elected officials are hosting this discussion to help inform residents of the decision-making process and provide an opportunity to ask questions and voice their concerns on issues from flight times to eligibility for noise mitigation projects.

Joining the legislators will be the Noise Programs Manager at Sea-Tac Airport, who will be on hand to present information and answer questions. The Noise Programs Office works closely with the Federal Aviation Administration, the airlines, and local communities to monitor existing noise programs and develop new ways of reducing airport and aircraft noise.

“As someone born and raised in the Highline area, I’ve experienced airplane noise first-hand,” said State Representative Dave Upthegrove (D – Des Moines), the meeting’s organizer. “Since operations have begun on the third runway, I have heard from many neighbors and Highline residents with questions and concerns about noise. This meeting will not only be an opportunity to learn more about flight operations and noise mitigation programs, but also get questions answered and share concerns.”

WHAT: Community meeting on airplane noise with state and local officials

WHEN: Wednesday, Aug. 19th, from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

WHERE: Des Moines City Hall Council Chambers, located at 21630 11th Avenue South, Suite B

Bothered by Airport Noise?

Wonder just how loud airport noise is in your neighborhood and/or other areas around Sea-Tac Airport?

Want to support efforts to monitor airport noise levels and obtain independent measurements?

For the past several months, the Regional Commission on Airport Affairs (RCAA, www.rcaanews.org) has been monitoring and recording noise in the areas adjacent to Sea-Tac Airport. This data, gathered independently of the Port of Seattle’s noise monitoring, may be useful to citizens concerned about airport noise levels, particularly noise increases resulting from the third runway.

On Friday July 17th, RCAA will be holding a community meeting; here are the details:

WHAT: RCAA Community Meeting on Sea-Tac Airport Noise

WHEN: Friday, July 17th, from 7pm to 9pm (drop by at any time, presentation will be at 7:30)

WHERE: North SEA-TAC Park Picnic Shelter, located at 129th and Des Moines Memorial Drive

INFO: Light dessert and beverages will be served.

TOPICS:

• See the noise meter in action
• Learn about noise readings taken in your area in the winter (all three runways in use) and summer (two runways)
• Discuss Port of Seattle noise complaint line caller locations (obtained via Freedom of Information Act)

PRESENTERS:

• Stuart Jenner
• Mike Jacob
• Chas Talbot

RCAA is partly funded by local cities. Donations of $5 – $10 per person would be greatly appreciated to help support specific costs of the noise monitoring, including calibration.

According to the RCAA website:

We pledge our best efforts to compel the Airport to obey the environmental rules that are supposed to govern the operation of SeaTac Airport including the new third-runway. Ordinary operations at the Airport continue to contaminate the streams that flow from its campus through neighboring communities & into Puget Sound, in violation of the permits that supposedly protect us. Safe, clean water is a vital concern to the communities near the Airport.

For more information about the noise monitoring email stuartjenner@comcast.net or call 206-241-0101 (9am to 9pm), or visit their website at www.rcaanews.org.

First it was SeaTac Airport’s new third runway, and now KOMO News is reporting that Sound Transit’s new Light Link rail system is too loud.

According to the story, some local residents are complaining that the new Light Link rail system is just too noisy.

One resident even bought a decibel meter and measured the noise level near his house, with measurements reaching as high as 88 decibels. An average vacuum cleaner runs between 75 to 80 decibels and airplanes on an airport tarmac around 120 decibels.

Sound Transit has apparently insulated a number of homes in the Rainier Valley, and has also installed air conditioning units in others where it was determined that noise might disrupt residents during summer’s open-window months.

We’re not sure if a class action lawsuit lies in Sound Transit’s future, so keep your ears open.

Read the full story here, and please take our poll:

Residents in the path of Sea-Tac Airport’s third runway, negatively affected by increased noise and toxic fumes, are meeting with attorneys on Sunday, April 19th to prepare a lawsuit against the Port of Seattle.

The meeting will be held at 2:30pm, Sunday at the SeaTac Community Center, located at 13735 24th Ave. South in SeaTac. Area homeowners are invited. Trial attorneys Michael Pfau and Darrell Cochran, known for a string of successful, high-profile verdicts and settlements, are partnering with Seattle personal-injury attorney Will Dixon.

Sunday’s meeting is a discussion of homeowners’ rights, and potential remedies available under the law. Concerned residents living near the third runway’s flight path first contacted and met with attorneys on Jan. 10th.

Sea-Tac Airport’s third runway went into use Nov. 20th, 2008. Originally, Port of Seattle officials stated in planning documents, such as the environmental impact statement, that the new $1 billion runway was needed to reduce delays during poor weather. But in recent public statements, port officials have said the third runway was always intended to be used at high-traffic times and 365 days a year.

Local homeowners believe the situation will only worsen as departing planes – not just incoming flights – use the new runway. Also, the port plans to shift more traffic to the third runway as it rebuilds the eastern runway.

There are at least two potential lawsuits that are likely to be filed by homeowners. The first, a class-action lawsuit, would focus on the legal principle of inverse condemnation. Basically, plaintiffs believe the fair-market value of their property has been diminished by government “takings” or damages – in this case, by the dramatic increase of planes flying the area for third runway take-offs and landings. Plaintiffs would seek to recover just compensation for damages based on measurably diminished property values.

The second case would be a nuisance or damages lawsuit representing individuals seeking compensation for personal injuries. Local homeowners say throughout the day, big commercial jets are flying over their homes, coating their lawns with jet fuel particles and leaving a wake of toxic fumes.

Michael Pfau and Darrell Cochran are partners at the law firm of Pfau, Cochran, Vertetis, Kosnoff. Pfau and Cochran have years experience in personal injury and class-action lawsuits. In February, Pfau and Cochran secured a $14.2 million settlement from the Catholic Archdiocese of Seattle and a New York-based Catholic order on behalf of two dozen men, who were sexually abused at a Kent orphanage, the Briscoe Memorial School, during the 1950s and 1960s. In 2007, Cochran secured a $13.5 million settlement on behalf of thousands of Washington state students affected by the abrupt closing of the now-defunct Business Computer Training Institute (BCTI).

Earlier this year, Cochran and Pfau left their longtime law office of Gordon Thomas Honeywell to open their own firm, with offices in Seattle and Tacoma.

Will Dixon is a seasoned lawyer with more than a decade of legal experience representing clients in numerous multi-million dollar cases in Washington state and federal courts. Dixon focuses on personal injury, wrongful death, and commercial litigation. Dixon also worked in Gordon Thomas Honeywell’s trial group with Pfau and Cochran before opening his open firm. (Dixon Law Firm, http://www.dixon-law.com)

The meeting will be held in the Banquet Room of the SeaTac Community Center, which is located at 13735 24th Ave South:

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The Citizens Against Sea-Tac Expansion (C.A.S.E.) is holding their monthly “Sea-Tac Expansion” Meeting on Wednesday, April 1st from 7pm to 9pm at the ERAC offices, located at 15675 Ambaum Blvd. SW (see map below).

Here are the details:

WHAT: CASE Monthly “Sea-Tac Expansion” Meeting

WHERE: ERAC (Highline District Adminstration Office), located at 15675 Ambaum Blvd. S.W., Burien.

WHEN: Wednesday April 1st, from 7pm to 9pm

INFO: “You, your friends and neighbors are invited to attend our April monthly CASE meeting.

CASE President Brett Fish will conduct the meeting and will recognize our elected leaders attending and introduce the speakers.

We have two main subjects to discuss at the meeting:

• John Shambaugh, Senior WSDOT Aviation Planner and the Aviation Planning Council will give us a presentation on the state-wide aviation studies (“LATS”).  This Long Term Air Transportation Study was authorized by the state legislature in 2005, LATS is in the final phase of the study to determine what the State of Washington has, what they need and how to meet the needs regarding statewide aviation capacity.   Final recommendation on LATS is due to the governor and legislature on July 1st.   Public comments on the study will be accepted during the meeting.
• The Port of Seattle and the Department of Ecology (DOE) will present the current action plans for the above-ground demolition of the contaminated buildings at the Lora Lake Apartment property.

The RCAA noise meter is currently being calibrated for use in measuring noise levels resulting from the 3rd runway operations.  This subject is being scheduled to be covered in greater detail at the May 6th CASE meeting with a report of the testing to date.

Questions and Comments from the floor will be welcome.

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The Citizens Against Sea-Tac Expansion (C.A.S.E.) is holding their monthly “Sea-Tac Expansion” Meeting on Wednesday, March 4th from 7pm to 9pm at the ERAC offices, located at 15675 Ambaum Blvd. SW (see map below).

Here are the details:

WHAT: CASE Monthly “Sea-Tac Expansion” Meeting

WHERE: ERAC (Highline District Adminstration Office), located at 15675 Ambaum Blvd. S.W., Burien.

WHEN: Wednesday March 4th, from 7pm to 9pm

INFO: “You, your friends and neighbors are invited to attend our March monthly CASE meeting.

CASE President Brett Fish will conduct the meeting and will recognize our elected leaders attending and introduce the speakers. We have two (and possibly three, time permitting) subjects to discuss at the meeting: the SeaTac airport industrial polluted waste discharge 402 Permit (NPDES) renewal and noise pollution resulting from the 3rd runway.”

Speakers identified to date include:

• Ed Abassi, DOE permit writer and RCAA/CASE Consultant Greg Wingard will brief us on the changes that have been incorporated into the renewal of the existing permit. This permit must be renewed every 5-years in order to keep improving the clean water quality.
• Arun Jhaveri, Former Mayor of Burien during the 3rd Runway planning, will give us his comments on the current operational use of the 3rd runway. RCAA Director Stuart Jenner will give us the status us on recent noise measurements.
• Time permitting, Normandy Park City Council Woman Marion Yoshino will discuss her position on completion of Highway 509 to connect with I-5.

Questions and Comments from the floor will be welcome.

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The Citizens Against Sea-Tac Expansion (C.A.S.E.) is holding their monthly “Sea-Tac Expansion” Meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 4th from 7pm to 9pm at the ERAC offices, located at 15675 Ambaum Blvd. SW (see map below).

Here’s more info:

WHAT: CASE Monthly “Sea-Tac Expansion” Meeting

WHERE: ERAC (Highline District Administration Office), located at 15675 Ambaum Blvd. SW

WHEN: Wednesday February 4th, 2009 from 7pm to 9pm

INFO:

Hello Friends and Neighbors against the environmental damages from expansion and operations of the SEA-TAC Airport:

You, your friends and neighbors are invited to attend our February monthly CASE meeting.

CASE President Brett Fish will conduct the meeting and briefly update us on the DOE draft release of the NPDES Permit that requires the Port to obey (treatment) when releasing polluted airport storm water into waters of the state.  A future Public Hearing will be held later.  Brett will recognize our elected leaders attending and introduce the speakers.

The main purpose of this meeting will be to give any additional impacted people a platform to vent their disappointment and anger caused by their loss of quality of life, including financial loss of property value, resulting from use of the 3rd runway to increase normal airport operations rather than to reduce bad weather operations as planned.

At the January 8th meeting of the Highline Forum to discuss the issue of 3rd runway operations and increased airport noise, the limited hour of public comments proved that many Highline residents are very much impacted and should receive immediate mitigation.  With the current plan, mitigation will be many years away, if ever.  We need to keep the pressure on the Port and FAA to mitigate all those impacted and restore our lifestyle and the quality of life to that prior to operations with the 3rd runway.

Members of the Port staff and Port Commissioners have been invited.

Questions and Comments from the floor will be welcome.

If you have questions or need directions, call me on 206-824-6589.

Thanks.

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by Nicholas Wolfe

About 100 Highline residents and local public officials, angry and frustrated with flight operations involving the third runway at Sea-Tac International Airport, voiced their complaints to Port of Seattle representatives at a special meeting of the Highline Forum on Thursday.

While noise and pollution from low-flying commercial jets using the new runway – and the negative impact these have on property values – are significant concerns, their primary grievance is that the port either reneged on assurances to the community that it would have limited use as a backup landing strip in inclement weather or misrepresented the actual intent for its operation.

The disagreement between the airport’s residential neighbors and the port over use of the third runway was highlighted in an exchange between State Sen. Karen Keiser, D-Des Moines, and Sea-Tac Managing Director Mark Reis.

A pre-construction supplemental Environmental Impact Statement said the third runway would be operated “in bad and good weather conditions” along with the other two runways to maintain air traffic flow, Reis noted.

“During poor and good weather, this is increasing the efficient operating capability of the airport during peak hours,” he added. “We never said it would be used in bad weather only.

But, countered Keiser, “The community was led (by the port) to believe that the third runway would be used in cases of bad weather when safe landings created a need (for its operation). That was the premise that the Environmental Impact Statement. Now here we are with the third runway in operation.

“The premise seems to have changed from being used as a foul-weather type of facility. It’s been shifted, and I am very concerned about what that does to the process on the EIS,” she said.”

Des Moines Mayor Bob Sheckler, co-chairman of the Highline Forum, told Reis, “The senator and I are on the same page here.” During the decade-long debate over the third runway, he recalled, port representatives “brought to the ACC (Airport Communities Coalition) over and over that it would be used for arrivals only in bad weather…. That’s what the port has been saying.”

The Highline Forum, comprised of the cities of Des Moines, Normandy Park, Burien, Tukwila, SeaTac and Federal Way, the Highline School District, and the port, was organized after construction of the third runway got underway to promote cooperative relationships between Sea-Tac and neighboring cities. It replaced the Airport Communities Coalition that for a decade tried to block the third runway and secured environmental regulations for airport operations.

Earlier, Sheckler asked Reis, “Is it fair to say that the third runway is going to be used as a fully functioning runway?” “Yes,” Reis replied. Since it became operational on Nov. 20, Sea-Tac has used two runways in bad conditions and all three in good weather.

But Federal Aviation Administration, not the airport, directs air traffic – including the use of runways, Reis and Stan Shepherd, manager of airport noise programs, both said. The port manages general operations at Sea-Tac, including noise control and mitigation in impacted neighborhoods.

Three FAA representatives were in attendance as observers.

Sheckler also quizzed Reis about how long it will take for the impacts of third runway operations to be fully mitigated by the port. Although it could take between three and five years, Reis said, “The public process does not need to be drawn out too long.”

The supplemental Environmental Impact Statement, which was prepared in 1997, estimated that by 2010 almost 28 percent of all flights arriving at Sea-Tac would use the third runway. But according to data from the port, 44 percent of inbound planes landed on it through Dec. 17. This, port officials said, reflects the low visibility that generally occurs in November and December, and that this figure is expected to go down in the spring and summer months.

Reis said the port “did the best we could to project what was going to be the noise associated with operation of the runway,” and that the FAA now is looking for ways to reduce its impact, including not using the runway between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. and not landing older, noisier jets on it.

Dr. Dagmar Cronn, president of the South Park Neighborhood Association, said residents in her community “are unhappy or shocked about the increase in noise. Suddenly they noticed more planes and more noise overhead.” She asked that mitigation be provided by the port to offset the decline in home values and the disruption of sleep patterns and the quality of life.

“The noise is unacceptable,” said Benjamin Stark of Des Moines. Asking where the money for mitigation will come from with mounting deficits in both the federal and state governments, he suggested, “It seems to me that the thing to do is just shut it down.”

Several residents described how third runway flight operations have destroyed their ability to live normal lives in their homes and deflated the value of their property.

Reis said the port will continue to study its impacts on the surrounding area. In the meantime, he cautioned residents, the third runway will be in full operation from April through late October while Sea-Tac’s first runway is completely rebuilt.

by Nicholas Wolfe

The Port of Seattle committed “fraud” by misrepresenting its actual plan for use of the third runway at Sea-Tac International Airport until after the controversial addition went into operation on Nov. 20, CASE (Citizens Against Sea-Tac Expansion) president Brett Fish of Burien charged at a meeting of the watchdog group Wednesday evening.

“I know that’s a strong term, but I don’t know what else to say….”

“A lot of heads should roll down the third runway,” Fish declared as he criticized port officials for using it 24/7 as a primary runway, even in good weather conditions, despite repeated pre-construction assurances that it would be used only in bad weather – and then primarily for landings to prevent flight delays. “They lied about not using it as a main runway…. Do we want to become a jet ghetto? I don’t think so. It’s our job to turn this thing around.”

And the first step in turning things around, both Des Moines Mayor Bob Sheckler and Fish emphasized, is for Highline residents who are experiencing negative impacts from third runway flight operations to speak out at a public meeting of the Highline Forum with port officials at 2 p.m. Thursday, January 8, at the port office on the mezzanine level of the main terminal at Sea-Tac. Parking will be validated upon request.

Sheckler also is co-chairman of the Highline Forum, which is comprised of the cities of Des Moines, Normandy Park, Burien, Tukwila, SeaTac and Federal Way, the Highline School District, and the port. The forum – which replaced the Airport Communities Coalition that for a decade tried to block the third runway – was organized after construction got underway to promote cooperative relationships between the Sea-Tac and neighboring cities.

“I never expected to be before you again on third runway issues. At least I hoped I wouldn’t be,” Sheckler told CASE members. But now it’s “very, very clear how it’s operating,” he observed. “It’s like a main runway … it’s obvious to me that the third runway will continue to be used as a main runway. So the focus needs to be on mitigation.”

In the past, Sheckler continued, “the port has been fairly good on addressing issues of mitigation. But this is really a big one…. When the third runway was built, they never looked at it in terms of impact by its use as a main runway…. We need to ask them, ‘What are you going to do about it?’”

Noting that “we were caught off guard” by the immediate use of third runway as a main rather than a backup runway – which Highline communities had been assured it would be – he added, “We weren’t prepared for this. The first thing we have to do now is see what the port’s response is. We hope to find that out” at Thursday’s meeting. “I want everyone to remember to ask, ‘Why did you tell us that?’”

Asked by one community resident about the possibility of suing the Port – and even the Federal Aviation Administration – for damages, Sheckler replied, “That’s what I’m hoping to avoid. I hope the port does not have a short-term memory loss…. But if the third runway becomes a major issue … there’s going to be hell to pay for it.”

While CASE membership is comprised of veterans of the anti-third-runway fight, an outspoken newcomer is Miriam Bearse of Burien, who moved to the city late last year. “We weren’t aware of the third runway when we bought our home,” she said. But the impact on their lives has “been astounding…. That roar (of jets flying low overhead). The whistling. It sounds like it’s getting so close…. No matter how hard I try, it strikes fear in me.

“That the port should be able to go back on their word is incredible,” Bearse declared. “I don’t think that we should stand for it.”

She said a meeting for affected homeowners and renters only, at which the possibility of legal action against the port will be discussed, will be held at 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 10, at the SeaTac Community Center (full details here).

Burien Deputy Mayor Rose Clark, who lives close to the third runway, said noise from flight operations “is an increasing problem” that rattles her windows to the point that she is concerned they will break eventually. “We need to do something soon.”

Beyond the possibility of such damage, Clark is concerned about the negative impact on the value of neighboring homes. Her house “was devalued by $20,000 by King County” due to the second runway at Sea-Tac. “Now I expect its devaluation to be even greater.”

The impact of devaluation doesn’t stop with individual homeowners. “Property devaluation also impacts local cities and the Highline School District,” she noted, “because lower valuation results in less property tax revenue.”

One member of the audience noted that a port representative had told a long-time resident, who complained about the noise, “It’s your fault for living there.”

Another exclaimed, “Since the state is out of money and the feds are out of money, why don’t we just shut the goddamn runway down?”

But, observed a third, there is little community residents can do because the “jet airplane mobsters” operate under laws passed by Congress.

Both the port and the FAA are expected to study the impacts of the third runway – a process that could take months if not years. “In the meantime,” Fish suggested, “have them back off on the use of the third runway and do what they said they would.”

[EDITOR'S NOTE: The B-Town Blog would like to welcome its newest Writer, Nicholas Wolfe, to its team. Wolfe is an investigative journalist who will be covering community issues. Look for more of his coverage of the third runway noise issue soon!]

They say that great things come in threes (unless of course you live under the new flightpath and you’re talking about airport runways…), and this coming week is no exception, as there will now be THREE meetings scheduled to discuss the third runway and the Port of Seattle!

The latest will be put on by CASE, aka Citizens Against Sea-Tac Expansion, which has a long history of battling the Port of Seattle over the airport expansion.

Well, they haven’t given up yet folks, and their next meeting is this coming Wed., Jan, 7th, from 7pm to 9pm. Here are the details:

WHAT: CASE Monthly “Sea-Tac Expansion” Meeting

WHERE: ERAC  (Highline District Adminstration Office), located at 15675 Ambaum Blvd. SW,  Burien (near Azteca & Hi-Line Lanes)

WHEN: Wednesday, Jan. 7th, from 7pm to 9pm

INFO: From the invitation sent out by Brett Fish:

You and your friends and neighbors are invited to attend our January monthly CASE meeting. CASE President Brett Fish will conduct the meeting and briefly update us on the DOE draft release of the NPDES Permit.  The main subject of this meeting will be to hear additional comments on the airport noise caused by the new flight patterns currently being used with operations with the 3rd runway.

Speakers at this meeting will include new voices from North, West and East of the airport.   Many of these neighbors do not have noise insulation provided by the Port because of the different predictions of flight operations and/or calculations by averaging noise over time by the Port.  These neighbors have measured the noise levels to be “equivalent to that of a motorcycle level” in their back yards.

One neighborhood mother complained that “her baby used to sleep through the night but now wakes up every half-hour”; another “It feels like we’re in a war zone,” said Miriam Bearse, who lives north of the third runway in Burien. “It feels like bombers going overhead every five minutes at low altitude.”

We are inviting representatives from the Port of Seattle and the FAA to attend the meeting and to respond to the complaints and the plans to fix them and who will be responsible.

Bob Sheckler and the Port have announced that the postponed Special Session of the Highline Forum on aircraft noise has been rescheduled for Thursday, January 8th.  Members of the Highline Forum will meet at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport’s Conference Center from 2:00 to 3:00 PM to discuss aircraft noise connected to the new third runway.  Mark Reis, the Airport’s Managing Director, along with Port staff will provide information and answer questions from the members of the Highline Forum. The public is invited to observe.   At 3 PM, we will adjourn the meeting of the Highline Forum and dedicate the next hour as a Port of Seattle public comment period.  Members of the public will be invited to provide remarks. The public comment period will end at 4 PM.

Questions and Comments from the floor will be welcome.

If you have questions or need directions, call me at 206-824-6589. 

Thanks.

View Larger Map

Not to cause confusion or anything, but there’s a second, very important meeting coming up Thursday, Jan. 8th regarding Sea-Tac Airport’s third runway (another residents meeting is scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 10th):

The Highline Forum will discuss the use of Sea-Tac Airport’s new third runway since its opening, with emphasis on public complaints that the runway is not being used as promised on Thursday, Jan. 8th, from 2pm to 4pm.

This public meeting will take place at the Sea-Tac Airport Conference Center, Mezzanine Level.

Everyone is invited to attend, especially residents who’d have comments or complaints on the third runway.

Here are the details:

WHAT: Final Highline Forum and Port of Seattle Public Comment Period

WHEN: Thursday, Jan. 8th;  2-3pm: Highline Forum; 3-4pm: Port of Seattle Public Comment Period

WHERE: Seattle-Tacoma International Airport Conference Center, Mezzanine Level

AGENDA: 2pm Welcome & Introduction of Topic Co-chairs

Meeting Topic: The Highline Forum will discuss the use of the third runway since its opening. In particular, the Highline Forum will address public complaints that the runway is not being used as promised.

• Data depicting how the runway has operated to date Mark Reis, POS
• EIS assumptions for predicting use and impacts Mark Reis, POS
• Current usage of runway Mark Reis, POS
• 2:30 pm Questions & Answers Highline Forum
• 3:00 pm Forum Adjourns & Opening of Port Public Comment Period
• 4:00 pm Port Public Comment Period Ends

DIRECTIONS: Directions to the Airport Conference Center:

• Park in daily parking (floors 5-8) at the south end of the Airport Garage near the yellow or green elevators (rows N-U).
• Take the elevator to the fourth floor and walk across the skybridge #1, between the yellow elevator bank and the green elevator bank, to the Main Terminal.
• Take the escalator or elevator up to the ticketing level.
• The stairs and elevator to the Mezzanine Level are directly behind the international and Hawaiian Airlines ticket counters.
• Enter the reception area though the double glass doors for the Aviation Division Offices.
• The receptionist will direct you to the right conference room. Ask for parking validation (you never know).

Despite the fading away of the recent snowstorm and hectic holiday season, one thing is not fading away from the psyche of thousands of Burien residents in 2009:

THIRD RUNWAY NOISE

According to neighborhood activist Miriam Bearse, the next “Third Runway Complainers” (our moniker, not hers) meeting will be:

WHEN: Saturday, Jan. 10th, from 3:30pm to 6:30pm

WHERE: SeaTac Community Center Banquet Room, located at 13735 24th Ave. South in SeaTac (see map below)

WHAT: For residents in the area affected by the increased noise caused by the newly-opened third runway. Goals of the meeting include discussing legal options against the Port of Seattle with lawyers, who will be present.

The last residents’ meeting was Friday, Dec. 19th, and here’s what’s went down that night:

• Despite the snow, 35-40 neighbors attended, which was held at a resident’s house just under the flightpath of the new runway.
• Resident activist Miriam Bearse led the meeting, encouraging everyone to introduce themselves and talk about their issues with both the increased noise and dealing with the Port of Seattle.
• Three lawyers were present to discuss the issue. These three have extensive experience in several major class action lawsuits, and all think that residents have a strong legal case. These lawyers will be present at this meeting as well.
• Everyone left knowing that this was only the first meeting and that many more would ensue.

Bearse recently moved into her new home, directly under the third runway flight path, and here’s a quote from a recent email she sent us:

We finally moved all our belongings in on Sunday, and have been enjoying the full experience of living under the third runway flight path, including diminished sleep, increased stress and inability to carry on a conversation of any length in the home.

I’ve been waking up every 45 minutes to an hour during the night…makes everything much more difficult.

You can read our previous coverage here and here, and here’s the scoop on the next meeting directly from Bearse:

If you are receiving this message, you either attended the meeting on the 19th to talk with neighbors about the impact of the third runway on our community, or you emailed me or others on this list to express your concern or interest in this issue.

At the meeting on the 19th, three lawyers attended who discussed possible legal options to address the impact of the flight path. They have scheduled a follow-up meeting on Saturday January 10th at the Seatac community center – located at 13735 24th Ave. S, SeaTac Washington 98168, in the banquet room, from 3:30 to 6:30pm.

This meeting is for all homeowners/renters who live in any community (including but not limited to S. Seattle, Burien, Tukwila, SeaTac and Des Moines), who are concerned about the current and future potential impact of the third runway flight path on their families and communities.

This meeting is not for officials, the press, or other interested parties.

Please RSVP via email to miriambearse@yahoo.com

Also, as an FYI – if you’re affected by noise from the third runway, the best thing you can do is to call the Port of Seattle’s “Noise Hotline” whenever you feel that noise is too high.

The Port monitors the complaints it gets on these hotlines, so it is a vital tool to getting their attention:

View Larger Map

A special Highline Forum public meeting on the newly-opened third runway with Port of Seattle officials will be held this Thursday, Dec. 18th, from 9am to 10am at the conference room on the mezzanine level near the south terminal at Sea-Tac Airport.

The intent of this meeting will be for city officials to discuss whether the newly-opened and controversial third runway is being used as the Port promised it would be – on “severe weather” days only, as well as how many planes are landing on it and subsequent noise complaints from area residents.

According to our source:

This meeting is “public,” so all can attend but NOT participate or speak.

It is imperative we understand this or the meeting will end immediately with nothing accomplished.

We must speak through our local cities’ electeds at this Forum which is fine by me.

Our previous coverage of area residents’ complaints about the third runway include these stories:

• Has The Third Runway Increased Noise In Burien? (Nov. 24th)
• Third Runway Noise Problem Not Fading Away (Dec. 5th)
• Third Runway Noise Complainers Holding Meeting Dec. 19th (Dec. 10th)

The Seattle Times has an article which quotes Bob Sheckler, co-chairman of the Highline Forum, as saying:

“If we don’t like the answers, then we are going to aggressively go after the Port for additional mitigation.”

That full story can be read here.

If you’re an area resident who thinks the noise from the third runway is too loud, our best advice is for you to call the Port of Seattle’s “Noise Hotline,” which operates 24/7, day or night:

206-433-5393

or

1-800-826-1147

Looks like our mainstream media friends are finally catching onto an issue we’ve been covering for weeks now:

Third runway noise complaints from angry residents.

Read today’s story from The Seattle Times here, which includes an interview with neighborhood activist Miriam Bearse.

Here are links to our previous coverage:

• Has The Third Runway Increased Noise In Burien? (Nov. 24th)
• Third Runway Noise Problem Not Fading Away (Dec. 5th)
• Third Runway Noise Complainers Holding Meeting Dec. 19th (Dec. 10th)

If you have thoughts or complaints on the third runway noise, please email us ASAP – we’re working on a major feature on this, including video, and we’re looking for more input.

The B-Town Blog has been covering area residents’ complaints about the newly-opened third runway (previous coverage here and here), and now we have this little tidbit of info to share:

Several residents in the flight path are considering taking legal action, and are holding a “neighbor’s meeting” on Friday, Dec. 19th at 6pm to discuss options.

Here’s copy from a flier we received today from Miriam Bearse, a neighborhood activist:

To all homeowners/renters living under or near the third runway flight path:

If you have concerns about the flight path, come to a neighbor’s meeting in Burien on December 19th at 6pm to share your experiences with others and discuss potential legal avenues to address the impact of the third runway on our homes and families.

For location and more information, contact Miriam at miriambearse@yahoo.com (206.753.8895)

So, if you live in/near the flight path and are experiencing an unacceptable amount of noise, this is your opportunity to bond and meet with neighbors who feel the same.

We certainly plan on attending, and will provide full coverage as this story develops.

12/11/08 UPDATE: We just received word that Reporters will NOT be allowed at this meeting, due to the presence of lawyers.

Coming soon on this topic (stay tuned by subscribing to our RSS Feed):

• Video interviews with upset residents
• Video interviews with Port of Seattle officials
• Video tour of a noise monitoring station

by Scott Schaefer

Since we first posted this story (on Monday, Nov. 24th) regarding area residents complaints about increased noise from Sea-Tac Airports newly-opened third runway, we’ve received numerous emails, comments and even phone calls about it.

We can safely say that the third runway noise problem is not fading away.

In fact, it only seems to be getting LOUDER, which means that we’ll be covering this story for as long as it’s a story.

We will be meeting with a representative of the Port of Seattle next week, so stay tuned for their viewpoint.

We’ll also be interviewing other residents and experts, which will include videotaping, photographing and doing our own decibel level checks as well, then continuing to post new updates as they come in.

And as always, if you have an opinion, complaint, anecdote, factoid or hot tip, please email us directly, call us during business hours at (206) 248-2565, or post a Comment below this story.

In the meantime, here are some letters we received from some of the people being affected first-hand:

We live in South Park and are definitely experiencing increased noise from planes which now pass much closer to our home since the 3rd runway opened. The noise is problematic now in terms of waking us up at times, and in making it difficult to talk on the phone or listen to the radio–and it’s not even windows-open season yet.

What are the implications of particulate and other emissions for those of us now experiencing low-altitude flights directly overhead?

Thanks,
Alan Puckett

I used to live off of 128th and des moines memorial blvd, right under the flight path.  If you were in the yard, you could hear the planes flying over.  If you were watching TV late at night with the volume low so everyone else in the house could sleep, you could hear the planes (and often times, not the TV).  But it was under the flight path.  So we got used to it.

Now, I live just south of Five Corners.  Planes were NEVER audible.  Yesterday we were watching TV at like, six o clock at night, and the planes were loud enough to drown out the sound of regular volume TV, not 2 am volume.  It is ridiculous.  I am not the home owner.  But the home owner is UPSET.  Like, pissed off, upset.

But, I remember a friend of mine saying that back in the day, the Port installed sound proof windows for everyone who lived near the airport (well, flight path, but whatever).  The house off 128th had them.  Are they gonna do that again now?  They need to.  I am sure home values dropped significantly because of the new noise.  That is not good news in an already failing economy.

So, in conclusion, I be like, F the new third runway.

peace
dean p.

Hello,

Thank you for bringing this subject to attention. I live on the 800 block of 143rd St SW and last week I started hearing a heavy amount of airplane noise. In the past it was quiet and I only occasionally heard a plane or two. Now it’s noisy all the time and I don’t like it one bit. The least the airport could have done is notify the community of the flight path changes ahead of time. This will hurt our growing city; in recent Seattle magazine articles Burien has been praised for being conveniently located near the airport but not affected by the noise of flight traffic as it was out of the flight path area. I suppose I will get used to the noise but I am afraid others will decide Burien is too noisy and choose other places to live and conduct business instead.

Thank you,
Jessica Dobson

I live between 128 and 136th on 10th Ave S- The noise is awful.  In fact planes were landing every 5 mins on that 3rd runway last night (Sun. Nov. 30th) until after 12 am. I have no soundproofing as live in a mobile and the Port deems that not worth doing the soundproofing.  ( I have attached the e-mail I received from them) as you can see they have no plans on addressing the problem until the end of 2009.  I had gotten use to the minor noise from runway 1 and 2, but now the planes are less then a mile above my place, and the 3rd runway is almost being used exclusively now, so there is no relief, cannot imagine what it will be like in the summer time.

My question is the approaches on the other 2 runways for the most part go over either property the port purchased and tore down houses or in businesses areas, so why did they not come to us and offer the same or at least tell us how it was going to be so we could make an informed decision in whether to remain living there or sell.  Now you can bet there isn’t going to be anyone wanting to by my piece of property.  Even the neighbors with all their sound proofing and in regular homes are complaining.

The port and/or FAA could care less.  They got what they wanted.

Kathy E Anderson

YES!!!  In early November we found a cute house in north Burien (near 128th and 12th)- we were slightly bothered by the nearby airport noise, but the reason we bought the house was because it was NOT under a flight path.  The house also has a “port package” and we were assured that we could not hear the planes inside the house.  We had heard about the third runway, but had assurances that it would not be over our home, and used rarely.

NOW we closed on the house and are set to move in- and went to the house to do some repairs and found that the airplanes are frequently and daily flying DIRECTLY over our home, and the noise is deafening both outside and INSIDE the home.  We are heartbroken, we can’t back out of the house now, and we anticipate losing money on the house since property values will surely go down due to this.

This situation is untenable, and something needs to be done about  this, fast.

Thanks,
Miriam L. Bearse

Courtesy Reader/Letter Writer Miriam Bearse comes this info:

Airplane noise isn’t just a nuisance!

What do we know about the effects of consistent airplane noise on health?

Airplane noise in a community can lead to:

• Increased stress, including higher levels of cortisol (stress hormone)
• Cardiovascular (heart) problems and hypertension (high blood pressure)
• Sleep disturbances
• A higher rate of premature birth of babies
• Cognitive impairment in children; including lower reading levels, impaired reading comprehension, and impaired recognition memory
• Mental health disorders and negative psychosomatic effects
• Higher levels of psychiatric hospital admissions due to severe mental health disorders
• Asthma and related health problems due to increased levels of airborne pollutants

Partial list of reports and studies on these issues:

• Davies, P. et al (2008) “Project 19: Health Effects of Aircraft Noise,” Massachusetts Institute of Technology, ongoing study: http://www.web.mit.edu/aeroastro/partner/projects/project19.html
• BBC News “Aircraft Noise Affects Learning,” 6/2/05, based on a British and Spanish study of 2,500 children living near airports: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/health/4603189.stm” http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/health/4603189.stm
• Health Canada “Healthy Living: Aircraft Noise in the Vicinity of Airports,” 11/5/07, Health Canada Publications, Ottawa ON
• Black et al “Aircraft noise exposure and resident’s stress and hypertension: A public health perspective for airport environmental management,” 11/07, Journal of Air Transport Management, volume 13, issue 5
• Morrell, S. et al “A review of health effects of aircraft noise,” Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 1997: 21(2): 221-36
• Hiramatsu et al “Population-Based Questionnaire Survey on Health Effects of Aircraft Noise on Residents Living Around US Airfields…” 2/7/02, Journal of Sound and Vibration, Volume 250, issue 1
• Hiramatsu et al “A Survey on Health Effects due to Aircraft Noise on Residents Living Aroudn Kadena Air Base in the Ryukyus” 8/28/97, Journal of Sound and Vibration, Volume 205 issue 4
• Stansfeld et al “Aircraft and road traffic noise and children’s cognition and health: a cross-national study,” 6/4/05, The Lancet, Volume 365, Issue 9475
• Franssen et al “Assessing Health Consequences in an Environmental Impact Assessment: The case of Amsterdam Airport Schiphol” 11/02, Environmental Impact Assessment Review, volume 22, issue 6
• Rehm et al “Aircraft Noise and Premature Birth,” 7/8/78, Journal of Sound and Vibration, volume 59, issue 1
• Wickrama et al “Mental Health Admissions and Aircraft Noise,” 12/13/69, The Lancet, volume 294, issue 7

So…what are your thoughts on the third runway?

• Too noisy?
• No difference?
• Buncha whining?

Please let us know via email, phone (206-248-2565) or if you’re feeling kinda shy, just vote in our unscientific poll on the right sidebar.

From our E-Mailbox comes this query from a Shorewood-area resident named Tony:

Photo of first airplane taking off from third runway courtesy Port of Seattle.

I was just wondering if you or any other readers were noticing an increase in plane noise today.

It seems pretty dramatic to me.

I live near the Shorewood Market and I’ve never really noticed plane traffic before but this morning my windows have already been rattled over a dozen times.

I’m more than a little afraid this might be what life with the third runway is like, but i never heard anything about a change to the flight paths as part of the new runway.

Heard anything?

We forwarded this email on to Perry Cooper, Media Officer for Sea-Tac Airport, who replied:

Yes, the new third runway did open this last weekend, so it’s expected some people will hear more noise than they’ve heard before.

The FAA is using it now.

We have had some people call in about the new runway and that’s expected when something new opens up.

If they have any questions on the runway, I’d direct them to our webpage at
http://www.portseattle.org/community/environment/noise.shtml

Not fully satisfied with his answer, we went out and did our own unscientific testing today, and here are our personal observations:

• The flight paths have definitely changed because of the third runway. If you disagree (or don’t believe us), go out and watch the approaches yourself and you’ll see that every single aircraft using it is now flying further west than ever before so they can line up to land (they have to in order to land!).
• Aircraft flying further west are most certainly closer to areas previously unaffected by airplane noise. These areas were never flown over prior to this because aircraft never had to.
• We watched and listened from numerous vantage points today and noticed a definite increase in sound due to aircraft using the third runway.
• At one point, we even heard loud aircraft sounds in our office in Olde Burien, something we’ve never noticed before.

Sea-Tac Airport also has a website called “WebTrack” that shows, in real time, airplanes approaching to land, and if you watch this live map in action (it’s a pretty cool use of web technology) you can see how every single (animated, red) airplane using the third (western-most) runway are now flying over neighborhoods they didn’t before:

The Port of Seattle has a page devoted to Noise Abatement, but it’s pretty irrelevant because all studies were done before the third runway opened on Thursday, Nov. 20th.

Our thoughts on this are:

• To truly test the third runway’s affect on local residents, a series of test fly-bys should have been conducted prior to its opening.
• These fly-over tests should have been measured using standardized noise monitoring stations, and the average decibel levels should have been part of any environmental impact statement.
• Were these noise tests actually done prior to the third runway’s opening? We don’t know for sure, but we lean towards being very skeptical that any noise studies were done prior to Nov. 20th.

So…have you noticed more noise since the third runway opened? If so, how big a difference? And what can (or should) be done about this?

Please Comment below, vote in our Poll on the right sidebar, or email us.

We promise to forward relevant emails and comments directly to the folks at Sea-Tac Airport, and we have a feeling we’ll be covering this issue for quite a while.

Residents can also contact the Port of Seattle’s Noise Abatement office directly by calling 206-433-5393 or toll-free 1-800-826-1147, day or night.

You can also request information or report aircraft noise through the Port’s online Noise Information Request form.