CIVE 240 Environmental Noise

rd
Assessment for the 23 Avenue
Interchange

S. A. Craik

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 Topics
• The different areas of environmental
engineering
• Basics of Environmental Impact
Assessment
• Exercise 1: Impact screening matrix for the
23rd Avenue Interchange
• Principles of Noise Assessment
• Exercise 2: Noise assessment for the 23rd
Avenue Interchange
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 References
• Davis, M. L. and S. J. Masten, 2004, Principles of
Environmental Engineering and Science,
McGraw-Hill, NY.
• Canter, L., 1996, Environmental Impact
Assessment, McGraw-Hill, NY.
• Alberta Environment, 1992, Environmental
Protection and Enhancement Act, The Queen’s
Printer, Edmonton (also available at
http://www3.gov.ab.ca/env/)

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City of Edmonton
Gold Bar Wastewater Treatment Plant

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Areas of Environmental Engineering
• Wastewater collection and treatment
– Wastewater treatment plant design and operation
• Municipal
• Industrial
• Agricultural
• Drinking water supply
– Source water protection
– Drinking water treatment plant design and operation
– Distribution

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Areas of Environmental Engineering
• Solid waste management
– Landfill design and operation
– Composting system design and operation
– Recycling
• Air quality management
• Contaminated site remediation
• Hazardous waste management
• Exposure assessment
• Environmental impact assessment
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 Purposes of Environmental Impact
Assessment (EIA)
From Alberta Environmental Enhancement
and Protection Act:

• to support the goals of environmental protection

and sustainable development

• to integrate environmental protection and

economic decisions at the earliest stages of
planning an activity

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 Purposes of Environmental Impact
Assessment (EIA) - Continued

• to predict the environmental, social, economic

and cultural consequences of a proposed activity
and to assess plans to mitigate any adverse
impacts resulting from the proposed activity, and

• to provide for the involvement of the public,

proponents, the Government and Government
agencies in the review of proposed activities

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 Which projects require EIAs?
• In Alberta, the activities that might require
an EIA include:

“The construction, operation or reclamation of

a highway, railway or aircraft landing strip”

• The final decision is made by Alberta

Environment based on a screening study
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 The 10 Basic Steps of an EIA
1. Describe the proposed activity
– Need
– Alternatives

2. Determine legislative requirements

- federal, provincial, municipal

3. Identify potential impacts

- use checklists, screening matrices or other tools
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The 10 Basic Steps of an EIA (cont.)
4. Describe the affected environment
– Physical, biological, cultural, socio-economic aspects
– Use baseline studies
5. Predict the impacts – i.e. the changes that will
result from the activity
- qualitatively and quantitatively
- calculations, models, engineering judgment
6. Assess the significance of the impacts
- compare to baseline, standards or regulations

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The 10 Basic Steps of an EIA (cont.)
7. Identify mitigation measures to minimize impacts
8. Compare and assess alternatives
- Different designs, locations, mitigation measurements
9. Report
– EIA technical report
– Public and expert review
– Recommendation
10. Monitoring impacts

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 Exercise 1: Screening Matrix
• Prepare a simple impact screening matrix
for the 23rd Avenue interchange

• Fill in the potential important impacts in the

matrix.

• Work as groups in class

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 Activities
Environmental
Component Post Construction
Construction
(Operation)
Air quality
Surface Water
Ground Water
Soil
Local Wildlife

Human
Impacts
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Environmental Noise Assessment
• Noise: Defined as “unwanted sound”

• 3 basic elements of noise problems

– Source
– Transmission (propagation)
– A receiver

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 Measurement of Sound and Noise
• Sound pressure variations are measured relative to
atmospheric pressure, PA and are generally very
small relative to PA

P
Sound Pressure Level, L A [dB]  20 log
P0

P = sound pressure generated by source

P0 = reference pressure (2 x 10-5 N/m2 = 20 µPa)
dB = decibels
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The A-Weighted Sound Level (dBA)
• Human ear does not respond equally at all
frequencies
• In most sound meters, high and low frequencies
are weighted against average (A-level) frequencies
of normal speech
• A-weighted sound level is called the “noise”level
and is measured in dBA
• Accounts well for the“annoyance” characteristics
of noise

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 Typical Sound Levels
LA in dBA Example
0 Threshold of hearing
50 Residence
60 Conventional Speech
70 Street Traffic at 100 ft
74 Passing Automobile at 20 ft
80 Light Trucks at 20 ft
120 Loud Rock and Roll Band
140 Jet plane on ground at 20 ft
(Adapted from Cantor,1996)
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Effect of Environmental Noise on People
• Interferes with human activities and psychological
annoyance
– sleep disturbance
– disruption of speech communication
– disruption of tasks requiring concentration or
coordination
– mental and physical health effects
• Effects depend on:
– number of noise events that occur during a time interval
– peak sound pressure levels reached during the events
– degree to which peak levels exceed average noise level
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 Community Reaction to Noise
• Several factors (other than magnitude of exposure)
influence community reaction to intruding noise:
– Duration and frequency of occurrence of noise
– Time of year of noise
– Time of day of noise
– Background noise level
– History of prior exposure to intruding noise
– Attitude toward the noise source

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Reported Thresholds for Noise Nuisance

Reported by World Health Organization:

- at 55 to 60 dBA noise creates annoyance
- At 60 to 65 dBA annoyance increases
considerably
- At > 65 dBA constrained behaviour patterns

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Addition of Noise From Several Sources:
• Noise doesn’t add linearly!

 n Li 10 
LT  10 log 10 
 i 1 
LT = total sound level (dBA)
Li = individual component sound level
resulting from source i (dBA)
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Temporal Aspects
Leq: Equivalent Sound Level
- energy equivalent sound pressure level averaged
over a specific time period (i.e. 24 hrs)
- used to account for temporal variations in sound
n Li 
Leq  10 log  f i 10 10 
 i 1 
Li = individual component sound level during
interval i (dBA)
fi = time fraction of interval i
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Ldn: Day-Night Average Sound Level

- equivalent to a 24 hr Leq except that 10 dBA

weighting penalty is added to noise during
nighttime period (22:00 - 07:00) before
computing average

- Based on studies that have shown people

are more disturbed by night-time sound

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 Typical Day-Night Noise Levels
Typical Range of
Description Average Ldn, dBA
Ldn, dBA
Quiet suburban
48 to 52 50
residential
Normal suburban
53 to 57 55
residential

Urban residential 58 to 62 60

Noisy Urban
63 to 67 65
Residential
Very noisy urban
68 to 72 70
residential
(Adapted from Cantor,1996)
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 Sound Attenuation
• Sound pressure level decreases with increasing
distance from a source as sound waves radiate
outward.
• For a point source:
 r1 
Leq (r2 )  Leq (r1 )  20 log  
r2 
r1 = distance from source to nearer pt. (m)
r2 = distance from source to farther pt. (m)
• Example: Construction equipment
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 Sound Attenuation – Line Source
• Line source can be treated as a series of point
sources:
 l1 
Leq (l2 )  Leq (l1 )  10 log  
l 2 

l1 = distance from source to nearer pt. (m)

l2 = distance from source to farther pt. (m)

• Example: Roadways
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 Estimates of Noise at Construction Sites
for Public Works, Roads and Highways
Construction All Equipment Minimum
Phase at Site Equipment at Site
Ground Clearing 84 84
Excavation 88 78
Foundations 88 88
Erection 79 78
Finishing 84 84
(Adapted from Cantor,1996)
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 Estimating Equivalent Construction
Noise for a Project
1N Li 
Leq  10 log  Ti (10) 10 
T  i 1 
Leq = equivalent noise level at construction site for entire
project (daytime construction only)
Li = Leq for i’th construction phase
Ti = duration of i’th construction phase
T = total time of project
N = number of construction phases

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 Adjustment for Distance
ADJ = -20log(x + 250) + 48

Where x = distance (in ft) from the

construction site boundary

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 Predicting Traffic Noise Prediction
Ontario Ministry of Transport Equation
Ldn = 31.0 + 10.2 log[ADDT + %T x ADDT/20]

– 13.9 logD + 0.13S

Ldn = equivalent sound level during a 24-h period with 10-dBA

weighting applied to nighttime hours (2200 – 0700) (in dBA)
ADDT = annual average daily traffic (vehicles/d)
%T = average percentage of trucks during typical day
D = distance from edge of pavement to receiver (m)
S = average speed of traffic during 1 h (km/h)
(Davis and Masten, 2004)

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Applicable Noise Regulations or Criteria
• Usually obtained from municipal ordinances or
agency licensing proposed project/activity
• WHO Guideline : Leq = 55 dBA
– For average outdoor noise levels applied during
normal daytime
• US EPA Objective: Ldn = 55 dBA
– Maximum desirable noise level in residential
areas

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Three Categories of Noise Abatement Measures:
• Source:
– reduce noise at source (by reducing speed &
traffic volume, equipment use)
– Relocate source
• Path:
– limit transmission of noise by placing barriers
between source and receivers
• Receivers:
– Reduce noise at receiver locations
– Insulate buildings
– Relocate receivers
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 Exercise: Noise Impact Prediction and
Assessment for the 23rd Avenue
Interchange Project
• Carry out noise impact prediction
calculations for project during
– Construction
– Normal Operation
• Consider residential communities on
western side of gateway boulevard as the
primary receptors (see scale drawings)

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 Receptors
• Consider residential communities on western side
of gateway boulevard as the primary receptors
(see scale drawings)
• Estimate noise at three distances from interchange
(100 m, 500 m, 1000 m) direction from centre of
interchange (along SW, NW diagonals).
• Also estimate noise at closest points in SW
community

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• Compare predicted noise to available
standards or regulations
• Determine level of noise reduction required
• Carry out literature review of
construction/traffic noise mitigation
measures
• Make recommendations for mitigation
measures

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 Baseline Information
• Most noise due to current interchange and
activities
• Assume current Ldn = 55 dBA at boundary
of residential area on South West corner

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 Construction Information
• 2 yr construction schedule:
– 2 mo. ground clearing
– 6 mo. excavation
– 6 mo. foundations
– 6 mo. erections
– 4 mo. finishing

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 Special Construction Concern
• Proposal to use 2 pile drivers (simultaneous
operation) for up to 8 hours during the day during
speed up rate of foundation placement

• Add this noise to general construction background

noise (Leq)

• Consider alternatives
– Restricted use of pile drivers
– Use of bored and poured holes (more expensive

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 Post-Construction
• Use long term project peak-hr traffic flows
as basis and assume
– AM peak: 0700 to 0900
– PM peak: 0400 to 0600
- Night time (2200 to 0700): - 30% of peak
- Other hours: 60% of peak
- 20% trucks
- average speed = 80 km/h
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