PHOENIX

Data: Neighborhoods disrupted by new flight-path noise

Brenna Goth
The Republic | azcentral.com
  • The city is holding series of community outreach meetings to explain data and answer questions.
  • The data compares noise levels from passing planes to the average background noise in the area.
  • Noise data validates concerns from residents affected by new flight paths, leaders say.

Thousands of resident complaints were validated Monday when the Phoenix Aviation Department released the results of noise monitoring in communities affected by new Federal Aviation Administration flight paths.

Phoenix resident Brent Kleinman, who lives in the Encanto Palmcroft neighborhood, talks about his flight-path concerns during a meeting Monday at the Phoenix City Council Chambers.

Phoenix leaders explained the data, collected from 37 sites last month, at the first of several community meetings. The study was done in response to complaints that increased noise is lowering residents' quality of life.

The FAA implemented the new paths in September as part of its NextGen program to improve safety and efficiency.

The city monitored noise at 33 short-term sites and four long-term sites chosen based on community input, primarily west of Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. Reports for each site provide the typical background noise level in the area compared to the average and maximum noise from planes overhead.

A site monitored for two hours one afternoon near South 31st Avenue and West Vineyard Road, for instance, had an average background noise level of 57.5 decibels. The average peak noise from passing planes was 67.3 decibels, while the loudest was 71.3 decibels.

"Now we have actual data that backs up what you were telling the city," said Rob Adams, with consulting firm Landrum and Brown, which monitored the sites. "It's a really important piece of data to have available."

Councilman Michael Nowakowski told the crowd at Phoenix City Council Chambers that the data collection is an important step in possible legal action against the FAA.

"I'm mad," Nowakowski said, adding, "What we're going to see today is the noise level has gone up and it's changed our lives."

The Aviation Department will hold several more meetings to share information and answer questions. Meeting details and noise data for each site can be found at skyharbor.com/flightpaths/.