VT PSB Noise Rule Presentation Final 2Dec2016

VermontPublicServiceBoardSoundRuleWorkshop

December2,2016MontpelierRoomattheCapitolPlazaHotel

100StateStreet,Montpelier,Vermont

Presenter:StephenE.Ambrose,ASA,INCEBoardCertifiedSEAmbrose&Assoc,Windham,Maine04062Acoustics,EnvironmentalSound&NoiseControl

Experience:Startedin1976;listenfirst,…thensoundmeasurementsLGCopley&Assoc,Stone&WebsterEngineering,ShawGroupDesignGoal;RequireClientstobeGoodAcousticNeighbors,

KnowWhyNeighborsComplain,andHoldParamountPublicHealth,SafetyAndWellbeing

Today;listenfirst,…thensoundmeasurements


Dec2,2016 VermontersforaCleanEnvironment 2

ASimpleConversationAboutWindTurbineNoise



WhyAreNeighbors

Complaining?



TooLoud!



SoundsAwful!(lowfrequency&infrasound)



ShirleyWindresidentstestified thattheyandtheirchildrenhavesufferedsevereadversehealtheffects,forcinghomeabandonment.Theyattributetheirproblemstoarrivalofthewindturbines.

--------Duringthesoundsurvey,GeorgeHessler,INCE notedthatababystartedcryingshortlyafterarrivingattheabandonedhome.

Ref:ACooperativeMeasurementSurveyandAnalysisofLowFrequencyandInfrasoundattheShirleyWindFarminBrownCounty,Wisconsin– 24Dec2012

SoundsAwful!(lowfrequency&infrasound)



Ref:ACooperativeMeasurementSurveyandAnalysisofLowFrequencyandInfrasoundattheShirleyWindFarminBrownCounty,Wisconsin– 24Dec2012)

Dr.PaulShomer,etal,Dec21,2012

I)Observationsfromdiscussionswithresidents: (page46,item5)

Residents of the nearest house reported that their baby son, now 2 years old, would wake up 4 times a night screaming. This totally stopped upon their leaving* the vicinity of the wind turbines, and he now sleeps 8 hours and awakens happy. * abandoned their home

Fix?



Must,…ProtectNeighborsMinimizeAdverseHumanResponses



How?



LowerdBALimit

usePublishedStudies

& Standards



MakeComplianceEasytoAssessandMeasure,…



Long-termAverage?



No,…

AveragesHide!!!(nextchart)





PeopleReacttoChangesInSoundLevels,FrequencyContent,

PureTones,Infrasound,PressureImpulses



AspreviouslyshownwithVermont’s

ACT250Dec2,2016 VermontersforaCleanEnvironment 17


Act250

EnvironmentalBoard(EB)&AgencyofNaturalResources(ANR)



ACT250,ListeningisImportant

Peoplehearinstantaneouspeakvariationsabovebackgroundandrespondaccordingly



VermontSupremeCourt

Ruled:Act250caseinvolvingnoise;

LmaxmoreappropriatethanLeq



Findings;

Whenasoundsourceisvariable,andespeciallywhenhigherthanthenormalbackground,

Thehigherlevelsaffectpeople,

Therefore, Lmaxtheproperprotectivestandard

ACT250,ListeningisImportant



ACT250InstantaneousMaximumRelativetoBackground

LAmax– LA90≤ 10dB(TurbinesON)(NoTurbines)

(AmbientBackground)Dec2,2016 VermontersforaCleanEnvironment 22




BackgroundAmbient?



Easy,…

ISO1996-1971ANSIS12.9,Part4



DistrictTypeDaytimeLimit(7AM– 7PM)

EveningLimit(7-11PM)

Nightlimit(11PM– 7AM)

Rural 35dB(A) 30dB(A) 25dB(A)Suburban 40dB(A) 35dB(A) 30dB(A)

Urbanresidential 45dB(A) 40dB(A) 35dB(A)UrbanMixed 50dB(A) 45dB(A) 40dB(A)

ISO1996-1971Recommendations forCommunityNoiseLimits



DistrictTypeDaytimeLimit(7AM– 7PM)

EveningLimit(7-11PM)

Nightlimit(11PM– 7AM)

Rural 35dB(A) 30dB(A) 25dB(A)Suburban 40dB(A) 35dB(A) 30dB(A)

Urbanresidential 45dB(A) 40dB(A) 35dB(A)UrbanMixed 50dB(A) 45dB(A) 40dB(A)

ISO1996-1971Recommendations forCommunityNoiseLimits



>VermontRidgeLineWindTurbineSite<

ANSIS12.9,Part4Aquietruralareawithnewunfamiliarintrusivenoisesource,outdoorsnightaverageshouldnotexceed;

(F.3.4.1) 30dBAforcompatibility(F.3.4.2) 35dBAformarginalcompatibility

>VermontRidgeLineWindTurbineSites<Dec2,2016 VermontersforaCleanEnvironment 28


ANSIS12.9,Part4Anewunfamiliarindustrialnoisesourceshouldbe

consideredincompatible whensitedinaquietruralarea

Canproduceannoyanceequivalentto15dBincrease abovemeasuredorpredictedlevels



ANSIS12.9,Part4Anewunfamiliarindustrialnoisesourceshouldbe

consideredincompatible whensitedinaquietruralarea

Canproduceannoyanceequivalentto15dBincrease abovemeasuredorpredictedlevels



USEPAprovidedthissameassessmentintheir1973CommunityNoiseand1974LevelsDocument.

WindMasking?



No,…WindDoesNotMask!

supportedby:ANSIS12.9-2005,Part4



Masking;ANSIS12.9-2005,Part4, (A.1.3)

Maskingoccurswhenthethresholdofdetectionofonesoundisraisedbyanothersound



Masking;ANSIS12.9-2005,Part4,A.1.3

Maskingoccurswhenthethresholdofdetectionofonesoundisraisedbyanothersound.Maskinglevelsvary,withcompletemaskingresultingininaudibility.



Masking;ANSIS12.9-2005,Part4,A.1.3Maskingoccurswhenthethresholdofdetectionofonesoundisraisedbyanothersound.Maskinglevelsvary,withcompletemaskingresultingininaudibility. Time

varyingsoundsandspectralcontentmayrequireupto

20dB differencebetweensoundsources



ANSIS12.9(2013),Part3

7.3 On/Off testrequirestheoperatortofullycooperate

andshut-downnoisesources

(AllturbineSCADAinfo at >80% electric-poweroutput)Dec2,2016 VermontersforaCleanEnvironment 36


HowtoEstablishBackgroundAmbientL90

2AMMeasurements

LmaxON>40to45dBA

BackgroundL90=28dBA

NotatFullElec-Pwr Out



ANSIS12.9(2013),Part3

7.4.2.(a) “Proxy”testatalocationwithoutnoisesource

(noneedforshut-down)

HowtoEstablishBackgroundAmbientL90



WhatAboutNoiseandHealth?



Wellresearched,Presentedin

WHO2009Publication

WorldHealthOrganization(WHO)



VermontPublicServiceBoardSoundRuleWorkshopLAeq NightOutside WHO2009ObservedHealthEffects

Upto30dBANOEL Nosubstantialbiologicaleffects,noobservedeffectlevel

30to40dBAAffectssleep,bodymovements,awakening,self-reportedsleepdisturbance,arousals,vulnerablegroups;children,chronicallyill&elderlyaremoresusceptibletoadversehealtheffects;AHEs.

40dBALOAEL Nightnoiseguideline(NNG),lowestobservedadverseeffectlevel forthegeneralpopulation.

40to55dBA AHEsareobservedandmanyhavetoadaptlivestocopewithnoiseatnight.Vulnerablegroupsaremoreseverelyaffected.

Above55dBAIncreasinglydangerousforpublichealth.AHEsoccurfrequently;sizeableproportionofpopulationhighlyannoyedandsleep-disturbed;increasedriskofcardiovasculardisease.



LAeqNightOutside

WHO2009ObservedHealthEffects

Upto30dBANOELNosubstantialbiologicaleffects,noobservedeffectlevel

30 to40

dBA

Affectssleep,bodymovements,awakening,self-reportedsleepdisturbance,arousals,vulnerablegroups;children,chronicallyill&elderlyaremoresusceptibletoadversehealtheffects;AHEs.


WHO2009

NightNoiseGuidelines

forEurope

ISBN9789289041737


Infrasound?



Eachslideisveryconvincing,…

isthereaneasywaytoshow?



Yes,…

USEPA“LevelsDocument”withthecautionaryadvisorybyDr.KenEldred(AppendixD,1974),

& supportedbyotherresearchersandinvestigators



Community Noise Reaction

• USEPA “Levels Document”, 1974

• Pedersen & Waye, 2004

• Hayes McKenzie Group, 2006 (Draft Report Before Wind Advocate Revisions)

• Kemperman/James, 2008

• WHO Health Effects Night, 2009

• Dan Driscoll (Formerly w/NYDEQ), 2009

• Rand/Ambrose, 2010



Theseresearchersandinvestigatorslistened,…

Hear asaneighbor,…(nextchart)




Vermont


Vermont

Suicide?AbandonHome

<<<ARealProblemExists!!!


Whyarewindturbinepredictionnoisemodels

ineffective?



Inthelate1980s*,windbegantoinfluenceprofessionalorganizations,internationalstandards,…putintopracticespecificwindturbineprocedures,protocols,methods,...



Thereby,reducingthenoiselevelrequirementsforprotectingpublichealthandwell-being.

*onlymyopinion

NoisepredictorsuseLeqstohideworst-caseLmax,whichneighborshear



Imaginethispresentation,…a10-minLeqstraightredline,

vs

fluctuations ˃10dBDramaticallyDifferent!!!



NoiseRecommendations?



ThinkAboutNeighbors Whattheyhearandlivewith

Compatibility (ANSI12.9,Part5)

Trustindependentnoisestudies thatdonotfavorwindturbines.

VermontAct250:Lmax– L90≤10Dec2,2016 VermontersforaCleanEnvironment 57


RecommendationsCriticalhours areatnight:

Establishfordesignpurposes;Ambientbaseline:L90<25dBANowindmasking

PredictionsandMeasurementsWindturbineoperationcompliance,

Lmax<35dBA& Leq<32dBADec2,2016 VermontersforaCleanEnvironment 58


ConsistentWith

ACT250

HowAboutSetbackDistance

Recommendations?



Easy,…Europe:Poland,Bavaria

10timestotalheight(tower+bladelength)

Mass:CapeCodCommission10timesbladediameter




December2,2016

AppreciationtoINCEMembers;RichardJames&RobertRand

Thank YouFor

Listening

Time ForYour

Questions

VT PSB Noise Rule Presentation Final 2Dec2016

Documents