Airports today face many significant and challenging issues. Among those issues is the effect that aircraft noise can have on the communities surrounding an airport. Over the past several decades, as communities around airports grew and air travel expanded, aircraft noise surfaced as a community concern. Much has been accomplished by Milwaukee County over the last decade to address the effect of aircraft noise on residents living near General Mitchell International Airport (GMIA). Preserving and improving the neighborhoods near the Airport continues to be an objective for Milwaukee County and General Mitchell International Airport.
Airport noise compatibility planning is focused on reducing existing non-compatible land uses around airports and preventing the introduction of additional non-compatible land uses through the cooperative efforts of all those involved. As part of this effort, the Airport has initiated the process of updating its 1993 Part 150 Noise Compatibility Study. The Update will examine existing aircraft noise levels and assess the current conditions, and will forecast noise levels out to the year 2009 (5 year planning period).
A Federal Aviation Administration (FAR) Part 150 Study is a voluntary noise exposure and land use compatibility study prepared by an airport to identify existing noise exposure, identify potential future noise exposure, to evaluate various alternatives and to make recommendations as to viable noise abatement/mitigation measures.
Generally speaking, the overall purpose of the General Mitchell International Airport FAR Part 150 Noise Compatibility Study Update is to reduce the number of people affected by significant aircraft noise levels within acceptable economic, environmental and legal parameters. This can be achieved through both aircraft operational measures and land use measures.
|
