SBCT Final EIS - Govsupport.us

Chapter 5 – Environmental ConsequencesRoad would be about 72 dBA at a distance of 50 feet from the vehicle trail and about 64 dBA at 200feet from the vehicle trail. Vehicle activity within KTA and KLOA would produce comparably lownoise levels, so noise from military vehicle use at KTA and KLOA would constitute a less thansignificant impact.5.2.12.4 Impacts from Maneuver TrainingLess Than Significant ImpactsNoise from military vehicles. The types of impacts from maneuver training would be similar to thetypes of impacts described for vehicle use in live-fire training. However, because maneuver traininginvolves the movement of vehicles and, in this case, the movement of vehicles over large areas ofwhich a significant portion of which are new acres, the level of impact would likely be moresignificant.Maneuver training would occur at SBMR, DMR, KTA, and PTA. Brigade- and battalion-leveltraining would primarily occur at PTA, and the frequency of maneuver training at PTA is expected toincrease between 10 and 15% above existing levels. Most SBCT training would occur on existingroads and trails. However, the training area would be expanded on the Keamuku Parcel to include23,000 new acres, and would remain a non-live-fire area. Platoon- and company-level training wouldprimarily occur at the other areas, and would increase in frequency. Training at SBMR would occuron existing off-road areas on SBER and at SRAA. Training at DMR would occur in areas currentlyused for off-road maneuvers, so impacts are expected to be less than significant. Some maneuvertraining would occur at KTA.The impacts from military vehicle noise during maneuver training would be similar to those impactsdescribed under live-fire training. Impacts are likely to be less because maneuver training wouldoccur within the boundaries of training areas where sensitive noise receptors are fewer. Noise impactsfrom maneuver training would be a less than significant impact.Noise from aircraft operations. Alternative A would not result in any meaningful changes in flightoperations at WAAF. Improvements to WAAF would improve facilities for C-130 aircraft operations.Increased use of WAAF by C-130 aircraft would increase airfield vicinity noise levels somewhat.However, noise conditions in the vicinity of WAAF would continue to be dominated by helicopterflight operations. The 65-dBA Ldn contour around WAAF extends into Leilehua Golf Course but notinto any residential area (USAEHA 1993; U.S. Army CHPPM 1999). Overall changes in airfieldvicinity noise levels would be less than significant.Current levels of helicopter and fixed-wing aircraft flight operations would continue over SBMR andSBER, and UAV flight operations also would be conducted. Noise level data for the Shadow 200UAV are limited to ground test measurements with the engine either at an idle setting or at a highpower setting. The Shadow 200 UAV produces a noise level of 85 dBA at a distance of about 70 feet(21 meters) when the engine is at an idle power setting, and a noise level of 85 dBA at a distance ofabout 342 feet when the engine is at a high power setting (USARHAW and 25 th ID [L] 2001a) andthis is probably a slight overestimate for typical flight conditions.The addition of UAV flight activity to current patterns of aircraft and helicopter flight operationswould not result in any noticeable change in noise levels from aircraft flight operations. Alternative Awould not result in any meaningful changes in helicopter or fixed-wing aircraft flight operations atDMR. The only added military flight activity would involve UAV flight operations in nearbyrestricted airspace. UAV flights would not be launched from or recovered at DMR, but some UAVFebruary 2008 5-64 2/25th SBCT Final EIS