SBCT Final EIS - Govsupport.us

Chapter 5 – Environmental Consequencesbe less than significant. No mitigation is necessary for impacts from range construction. Impacts fromrange construction would be less than significant.5.5.12.1.2 Impacts from Range ConstructionNo ImpactsRange maintenance activities on existing ranges such as berm maintenance, targetry repair andinstallation, and trail maintenance would be conducted away from human populations and other noisereceptors. Therefore there are no impacts projected under Alternative D.5.5.12.1.3 Impacts from Live-Fire TrainingSignificant ImpactsNoise from ordnance use. Live-fire training would continue under No Action. Much of thecantonment area at SBMR would remain impacted by Zone III and Zone II noise conditions. A largeportion of the family and troop housing and two elementary schools on the Main Post are exposed toundesirable noise levels. Continued exposure of troop housing and family housing areas at SBMR toZone III and Zone II noise conditions would be a significant and unavoidable impact under NoAction.Less Than Significant ImpactsNoise from ordnance use. Noise from live-fire training would continue at levels that are similar tothose occurring currently. As discussed under Alternative A, noise levels from weapons firing andordnance detonations are quite variable, with noise levels at long distances influenced in part byweather conditions. Small arms firing can produce relatively high peak noise levels at localized areasaround the range. As indicated by past estimates of noise contours, firing noise levels do not causenoise levels in off-post residential areas to exceed generally accepted land use compatibility criteria.Noise from weapon firing would constitute a less than significant impact.Noise from military vehicles. Tactical and support vehicles would travel within SBMR during militarytraining exercises. Vehicles would also travel from SBMR to other installations in support of trainingexercises at those installations. Convoys of tactical and support vehicles using public roads on Oahuare limited to no more than 24 vehicles in a group. Vehicles within a convoy group (also calledconvoy serials) typically are spaced about 165 to 330 feet apart and are timed at least 15 to 30minutes apart. These convoy procedures prevent situations where convoy vehicles dominate localtraffic flow for substantial periods. Instead of creating conditions where military vehicle trafficdominates traffic noise conditions for a noticeable amount of time, convoy procedures result in noisefrom convoy traffic occurring as a sequence of multiple individual vehicle pass-by events within abackground of normal traffic noise conditions. Therefore, there would be no significant change intraffic noise levels along public roads.5.5.12.1.4 Impacts from Maneuver TrainingLess Than Significant ImpactsNoise from military vehicles. Maneuver training would continue using existing equipment andtraining methods at current off-road training areas. Impacts are likely to be less because maneuvertraining would occur within the boundaries of training areas where sensitive noise receptors arefewer. Noise impacts from maneuver training would be a less than significant impact.February 2008 5-234 2/25th SBCT Final EIS