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Noise Data Farming for the City of Boston

1. Series1 L90 dBA Figure 1 Average L90 by time of day 4 2 1 Comparing Field Measurements to Environment Impact Report Measurements We compared the 20 minute measurements made in the field to the 20 minute measurements in the EIRs to find any similarities and or differences The daytime noise measurements from the EIRs and the test field measurements made by the team in terms of Lio Lso and Lso are shown in Table 3 The field readings that were taken at each SML location show that overall 55 were within three dBA of measurements contained in the EIR reports That is 28 of the total 51 readings showed no change in the noise environment from when sound measurements were taken in the EIRs Measurements showing a slight change in the noise environment a 4 to 5 dBA difference between measurements comprised 2046 of the total measurements The remaining 25 of readings showed a significant change in the noise environment over 5 dBA 23 Table 3 Daytime Noise Measurements in 2001 2004 Environmental Impact Reports compared to 2007 Test Measurements Project Site Date EIRL10 TestL10 EIRL50 TestL50 EIRL90 Test L90 MGH New Ambulatory Building NML 1 February 12 2001 MGH New Ambulatory Building NML2 February 12 2001 MGH New Ambulatory Building NML3 February 12 2001 MGH New Ambulatory Building NML 4 February 12 2001 Charles River Plaza SML 1 July 27 2001 Charles River Plaza SM
2. O View Modify Noise Data Figure 3 The Main Switchboard Menu 46 After the user selects which mode he or she would like to view the forms in a secondary switchboard menu will appear as shown in Figure 3 The user has the option to choose which form he or she would like to view add APCC Noise Data C Complaint Data g Field Measurements g Source Data G EIR Measurements and Predictions g Go Back Figure 4 The Secondary Switchboard Menu 2 Definition of Fields for Each Form This section provides figures of all five forms as they would appear in the Add Noise Data mode For each form a description of the fields will be provided 2 1 Complaint Log The APCC already had forms for the complaint log shown below in Figure 4 We added fields for entering longitude latitude and parcel number The definition for each field is shown below Switchboard Find Record Add Record Save Record Delete Record Neighborhood Complaint Type Zip Location Phone Complainant Name Brief Description Location Address Complainant Phone Complainant Address Add IFollow up Follow up Violation Sent Location Response Longitude Latitude Parcel Record 14 4 1 gt er of 1 Figure 5 Complaint Log Form 47 Neighborhood Name of Neighborhood i e West End Complaint Type Name of type of complaint i
3. Noise Data Farming for the City of Boston An Interdisciplinary Qualifying Project Submitted to the faculty of Worcester Polytechnic Institute in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Bachelor of Science Submitted By Brandon Finzel Shannon O Toole Justin Perron Jacob Russell Sponsoring Agency The Air Pollution Control Commission Division of the City of Boston Environment Department Submitted To Project Advisors Kevin Clements Chrysanthe Demetry Project Liaisons Carl Spector Bryan Glascock Boston Environment Department One City Hall Plaza Boston MA 02201 Date April 27 2007 Abstract This project completed for the City of Boston s Air Pollution Control Commission initiated a process for the farming of noise data contained in noise impact assessments for new projects and noise complaint investigations We created a protocol for these data to be submitted electronically organized in one database and mapped in Geographical Information Systems We developed recommendations for conducting noise impact assessments and methods for analyzing the noise map to gain a comprehensive understanding of the noise environment in the city II Acknowledgements Our team would like to recognize the following individuals for their assistance in the completion of this project e The entire staff of the Boston Environment Department e Lugardy Raymond Inspector for the Air Pollution Control Commission
4. 26 44 32 44 50 Single Number Equivalent 60 dBA 50 dBA 65 dBA 55 dBA 65 dBA 70 dBA The regulation for noise during the day in a residential area is 60 dBA and is 50 dBA at night This means that the noise during the day can actually be twice as loud as the noise at night in a residential area of Boston In addition to the specific decibel levels specified above the law also defines noise pollution as anything loud enough to cause a nuisance be injurious to human or animal life and to unreasonably interfere with the comfortable enjoyment of life and property or the conduct of business Boston Environment Department 2007 Regulating noise especially construction noise is an ongoing issue for Boston s government With all of the attention Boston received from the Big Dig and its many implications including an increase in construction noise Boston developed several noise mitigation policies to limit the noise pollution and avoid negative political attention Erich Thalheimer the Big Dig s noise control manager commented to the Boston Globe This project is fully committed to dealing with noise as they spent over 4 million on noise curtains only used jackhammers during the day disabled the alarms from trucks backing up and did their night construction in mostly commercial areas Palmer 1996 Even though the Big Dig is coming to an end construction noise is still an issue in Boston This is especial
5. EIRs from projects in West End the differences between EIRs from projects in the South End and common differences between EIRs from the West End versus EIRs from the South End We also analyzed how the ambient noise levels changed over the course of a typical day by studying measurements in the Columbus Center EIR which was submitted in 2002 by Epsilon 4 1 1 West End Environmental Impact Reports The format for the ambient noise data was very similar for each of the West End EIRs Each had four SMLs except for the Charles River Plaza report which had five Each report had both day and night measurements for each SML measurements were taken at roughly noon and midnight and the measurement periods were 20 minutes The measurements for each report included the Lio Lso and Lo9in dBA All but one report had Leg in dBA and Loo for each octave 20 band Each report contained a detailed description of the weather traffic and wind conditions during the reading All of these factors can have an effect on the measurements so it is important to include them in the report Additionally each report specified on a map or satellite picture the exact location of each SML The data for the predicted noise impacts of these projects were also very similar Each report contained a list of noise sources and either the sound power level or the sound pressure level for each source The sound power level of a noise source does not vary with distance from the
6. Measurements 2510320 ense abuse ca uu Re uper Pur A E dep DA e MEDI V QUU A UE 24 Table 4 Nighttime Noise Measurements in 2001 2004 Environmental Impact Reports compared to 2007 Test Freld Nleasuretnents oot ennt qai esed na pA M rep MIU PONE 25 XII 1 Introduction Noise is a form of air pollution that can affect an individual s quality of life especially if one lives in an urban setting The United States already has a large percentage of its population living in urban areas and that number is expected to rise steadily According to the World Resources Institute 79 1 of the United States population was living in an urban or suburban setting as of 2005 This percentage is expected to be over 85 by the year 2030 These statistics are relatively large when compared to other developed countries such as Japan whose urban population was 65 7 as of 2005 and is expected to be 73 1 in 2030 EarthTrends 2007 Increased urbanization means more public transportation more industries and factories and of course more thickly settled residential areas with their own heating and cooling units private vehicles and home maintenance equipment these factors all have the potential to greatly increase the noise levels Noise pollution is a type of pollution that does not affect the environment as much as it affects the quality of life of the people living in these polluted areas According to the British Medical Bulletin noise pollution has been
7. barely noticeable an increase of 10 dB means that the sound is twice as loud as it was before and an increase in 20 dB means that the sound is four times as loud Thalheimer 2007 Depending on one s location the noise level exposure can vary greatly Ambient noise levels can reach a low of 30 GB in rural areas Urban areas often reach high ambient levels of 70 dB and it s not unusual for the noise level to reach maximum values of 90 to 100 dB Liu D H F amp Roberts 1999 Table 1 lists the noise levels that are emitted from various everyday sources Table 1 Noise Levels from Various Areas from the Environmental Engineer s Handbook Noise Sources Noise Levels dB Industrial Near large gas regulator as high as 150 Foundry shake out floor as high as 128 Automobile assembly line as high as 125 Large cooling tower 600 listening distance 120 130 Construction Bulldozer 10 listening distance 90 105 Oxygen jet drill in quarry 20 listening distance 128 Rock drill Gumbo 122 Transportation Jet takeoff 100 listening distance 130 140 Diesel Truck 200 listening distance 85 110 Passenger Car 25 listening distance 70 80 Subway heard from in car or on platform as high as 110 Community Heavy Traffic business area as high as 110 Pneumatic pavement breaker 25 listening distance 92 98 Power lawn mower 5 listening distance a
8. complaints from these pilot areas We discovered a large variance amongst the methods used and the data provided in the noise impact assessments from our two pilot areas This included differences between the duration of the measurements taken the time of day the measurements were taken the number of SMLs for each EIR and the description of the location By conducting field measurements in the West End at the same locations as in the EIRs our team was able to determine the accuracy and dependability of the EIRs 1 Appropriate duration for a field measurement By conducting 20 minute and hour long readings at different SMLs we discovered that there was no significant difference between the two measurements and the 20 minute measurements that were conducted in the EIRs is a sufficient length of time for conducting field measurements 2 Time of day for conducting a field measurement By analyzing measurements taken over a 24 hour period at different SMLs from the Columbus Center project we were able to determine the quietest times and therefore the best times for conducting field measurement to prove a new project will not have an impact on the noise environment 3 Usefulness of EIR predictions for representing the current ambient noise levels We compared the measurements that we made in the field in 2007 to the day and night EIR predictions The daytime predictions and measurements were very similar with 82 of the ambient levels bein
9. contained in EIRs and complaint investigation information By creating a process for these data to be organized in one database and to be visualized on maps the APCC will have maps representing both the ambient noise levels in the city and the density of noise related complaints throughout the city The database and maps will aid the APCC in developing a comprehensive understanding of noise conditions within the city 2 Background As the population and economy of a city grows so do the noise people and commerce bring their noise with them The city of Boston is no different From the Big Dig to the smaller construction projects in South Boston to the traffic and rail noise that is ubiquitous in a city Boston has its fair share of noise problems In this background chapter we will first give an introduction to noise pollution in general and in Boston Next we will describe how noise pollution is regulated from the federal to the municipal level We will also discuss particular regulations regarding construction in Boston followed by a review of the Air Pollution Control Commission APCC and the roles it plays in noise regulation and abatement Finally we will discuss the sources of noise data available to the APCC and the creation of a map to visualize these data This section will talk about the potential benefits of a noise map the advantage of using Geographic Information Systems GIS methods of noise mapping and ultimately how those met
10. database for the organization of noise data and making recommendations for policy and process Objective 1 Identifying Existing Noise Data for Pilot Areas Mapping the data for the entire city of Boston was beyond the scope of our seven week project Instead we decided to analyze existing noise data from two pilot areas and take our own measurements out in the field to develop a feasible process for analyzing and mapping the data The most important criterion for selecting the locations of these pilot areas was the availability of current noise data that the APCC has in their records this noise data was found in both Environmental Impact Reports EIRs and records of measurements obtained in the course of enforcement actions The first pilot area was Boston s West End The West End is a mixed use commercial and residential area The Massachusetts General Hospital Government Center and the TD Banknorth Garden are all notable landmarks of the West End Construction and new development are common in this area The director of the APCC recommended the West End because as a mixed use area and a frequent site of new development this area has a significant amount of noise data associated with it Our group used data from four EIRs related to projects within the West End the new ambulatory building for Massachusetts General Hospital MGH the Charles River Plaza the West End at Emerson Place and the Nashua Street Residences Since all of the EIRs f
11. e Carolyn Bennett Boston Redevelopment Authority e Rolf Goetze Boston Redevelopment Authority e Erich Thalheimer Senior Noise amp Vibration Engineer of PB Americas Inc e Fabio Carrera Worcester Polytechnic Institute Our on site project liaisons e Bryan Glascock Director of the Boston Environment Department e Carl Spector Director of the Air Pollution Control Commission Our project advisors e Kevin Clements Worcester Polytechnic Institute e Chrysanthe Demetry Worcester Polytechnic Institute III Executive Summary Noise pollution can affect the quality of life through a variety of ways One of the health side effects can include increased stress blood pressure and even sleep deprivation Today with almost 80 of Americans living in an urban setting controlling noise pollution is an even more pressing issue The Boston Environment Department BED addresses various issues regarding the health of the city and its inhabitants The Air Pollution Control Commission APCC a division of the BED addresses issues concerning noise pollution One such issue is the amount of noise various sources are outputting These noise sources include large mechanical systems such as heating and cooling units fans and generators The APCC has two methods for collecting the noise data for these sources The first method is through noise impact assessments contained in Environmental Impact Reports EIRs written by consultants The second method is in
12. first area for analysis is the comparison between the contents of different Environment Impact Reports EIRs Analyzing EIRs provided us with insight into the EIR process and the differences and commonalities that exist between each report from projects in the West End and the South End It also provided us with insight on how the noise levels fluctuated throughout the day The second is our field measurements The field measurements were conducted to provide a comprehensive view of the current noise conditions in the West End and to provide insight on how duration affects measurements The final area for analysis is the Geographic Information Systems GIS mapping that was done of the given data Mapping information gives a good visualization of data and the trends that emerge 4 1 Analysis of Content in Environmental Impact Reports We compared the similarities and differences between the methods used and data provided in all of the EIRs from our two pilot areas the West End and the South End We analyzed four EIRs from the West End one from 2004 one from 2003 and two from 2001 All of these reports were submitted by the consulting company Epsilon We also analyzed six EIRs from the South End the earliest was from 1998 and the latest was from 2004 Four of these reports were submitted by the Daylor Consulting Group one was submitted by Epsilon and one was from Fort Point Associates The following sections will discuss the commonalities between
13. interact and impact the overall level of noise The APCC could try to look at multiple locations and noise interactions by digging out several reports but it is impractical By synthesizing all the data into one cohesive database or noise map the APCC will gain a better understanding of the ambient noise level and noise pollution at locations all over Boston A noise map will provide useful information to the APCC and be a useful tool for its noise abatement activities such as reviewing EIRs and investigating noise violations A noise map may aid legislators in determining whether stricter noise regulations or ordinances are appropriate for areas particularly affected by noise pollution A noise map could also prompt the APCC to propose measures to reduce noise pollution or noise annoyance such as insulating the doors and windows of affected homes schools or building a sound wall A noise map may yield useful information for a cost benefit analysis on those measures or provide a way to check whether those measures have been as effective as desired A noise map could also be helpful to people who are living or planning to live in Boston the map can assist them in deciding where to live if they are particularly sensitive to noise Using Geographic Information Systems GIS is a way of capturing and managing all forms of data that are geographically referenced Information can be organized by exact position on earth and then analyzed and viewed accordin
14. linked to poor reading comprehension and poor long term memory in children It has been noted as a cause for stress and has even been linked to high blood pressure Stansfeld amp Matheson 68 For these reasons many urban areas including Boston have developed their own regulations for noise levels in their cities Boston s residents are affected on a daily basis by noise pollution as they are exposed to noise from airplanes construction factories traffic and people Boston is home to Logan International Airport one of the top 20 busiest airports in the nation Massport 2007 In addition Boston was the site for the Central Artery and Tunnel Project also known as the Big Dig and one of the grandest scale construction project ever undertaken in the United States Thalheimer 2000 With Boston residents experiencing so much noise from a variety of different sources there are three separate organizations that regulate noise each with its own jurisdiction depending on the noise source The Air Pollution Control Commission APCC the Boston Police Department and The Massachusetts Port Authority The APCC is a division of the Boston Environment Department BED that is responsible for monitoring and enforcing the established noise regulations in Boston The APCC has in general jurisdiction regarding environmental noise from construction sites industrial sites ventilation and air conditioning equipment The APCC responds to noise compl
15. predictions can be inaccurate such as the laboratory tests used to determine the sound power levels of the noise sources not accounting for outdoor conditions 33 6 Recommendations This chapter will discuss our recommendations concerning the preferred content and protocol for the noise assessments contained in EIRs We go on to describe the protocol we recommend for submission of noise data as well as the conclusions we made from analyzing all of the layers of the map Finally we discuss our recommendations regarding the noise regulations in Boston 6 1 Contact Consultants We recommend that the APCC share the findings of our project with noise consultants in Boston The predictions contained in past reports have not been checked and therefore with feedback the consulting companies can produce more accurate predictions Realizing that predicting noise impacts is quite complicated the use of further information contained in the noise maps should be useful in reaching a common goal of minimizing noise pollution 6 2 Standards for Environmental Impact Report Methods and Procedures Environmental Impact Reports contain information on the ambient noise levels in the area of the proposed project and the impact that the project will have on the noise environment after completion The method used by the consultants to collect and present this information varies from one report to the next as no standards for these methods exist By analyzing th
16. the different sources This brings us to the next layer the Source layer With each EIR a list of sources is given i e Fans HVAC generators Cooling Towers etc along with the various sound measurements attributed to those sources Attached to each parcel is this source data When the user using the info tool clicks on the parcel all the sources will be listed This will allow 59 ownership to be discovered in a much quicker efficient way in addition to whether or not the various sources can actually generate the level of noise that is being detected To assist the inspector even more we have taken her Complaint database the database that we originally started with and built off of and added an additional layer to base map This complaint layer has the origin of the complaints for the West End mapped using red flags Once again these points can be selected using the Info Tool and the information about the complaint will be displayed Adding this layer allows the Inspector to view the density of complaints and hopefully work more from her office If a person calls in with a complaint she can log that and looking at the map view the sources in the immediate area This helps the BED because now the Inspector knows the ownership and location of each source so she can simply go directly to the problem and serve a notice to the owner Before she would have to take initial readings and then walk around until she found the problem B
17. the fluctuating noise levels recorded Even though the Leg isa time average of the measured decibel levels decibels are on a logarithmic scale and the average is computed using a linear mean therefore the Lgo is largely determined by the occasional loud intrusive noises This is why the Legis not regarded as the best choice for the representation of the ambient noise levels when compared to the Loo All of the noise metrics can be reported in dBA which as mentioned above weights the frequencies to which the human an ear is more sensitive These noise metrics can also be provided for each octave band which specifies the decibel level of each frequency In Environmental Impact Reports the consultants also identify the sources of noise that will be part of the completed project such as generators and Heating Ventilation and Air Conditions HVAC units They determine what levels of noise these sources will generate and what impact they will have on the ambient noise levels at the SMLs The consultants compare the projected impact at each SML with the current data they already have to ensure that the project will not increase the level of ambient noise in the vicinity or violate the regulations for daytime and nighttime noise levels There is little if any discussion of mitigation measurements due to the fact that most reports state that the project will not result in a violation of noise levels The other form of noise data that the APCC has is data
18. 07 nighttime measurements Figure 4 tell a slightly different story than the EIR nighttime measurements Most of the nighttime measurements we made in 2007 fell in the 55 to 60 dBA range indicating that the ambient noise in the West End is generally close to yet above the nighttime regulatory limit E Fie Edit Tools Objects Query Table Options Map Window Help 8x oel se ael e Bes cae lt TD 1 QI electing None Figure 3 EIR Nighttime Layer West End 20 E rie Edit Tools Objects Query Table Options Map Window Help 5 x olem e ols el aaam v2 wr c ge E29 Ag x Em lp le ale lole a s A AY 8 e Zoom 0 8665 mi Editing None Selecting Boston Buildings 2007 Figure 4 2007 Nighttime Field Measurements Layer West End 4 3 2 Environmental Impact Report Predictions The predictions in each EIR make an estimate of the sound level impact that the building will have on the environment at each SML The predictions are an estimate of the sources alone without factoring for the ambient noise We mapped the predictions in MapInfo and compared them to the corresponding ambient measurements that we made in the field Figure 5 shows the layer containing predicted noise level contribut
19. 1 The other entry spaces should then turn Gray Click OK Enter details for the phone number that you want to dial Country region Area code sls Phone number This will bring you to the COM port Properties and needs to be set as follows Bits per second 2400 Make sure to set the baud rate on the Quest meter to 2400 This can be done behind the battery Consult your user manual for further instruction Data bits 8 COM1 Properties Port Settings Parity None Stop bits 2 2 Bits per second 2400 Flow control Hardware Data bits 8 x Parity None v After setting everything click Apply and then MUN m OK Stop bits 2 iv Flow control Hardware a Canca Ay _ 64 Now all the settings are correct and the connection is ready To start the capture select Transfer gt Capture text View Call Transfer Help B a SendFi Send Text File Capture to Printer rar n The Capture Text selection box will come up Select a destination for your download file to go by using the Browse tab Once you have selected a destination click Start The program is now able to accept data from the com port On the Quest devise press the Print button 65 The display on the Quest device should now read Prn and the HyperTerminal program will show the data as it is downloaded Once the download is complete the Quest d
20. Hz octave band in integer form L90 4000 Hz L90 exceedance level for 4000 Hz octave band in integer form L90 8000 Hz L90 exceedance level for 8000 Hz octave band in integer form 50 2 3 3 Night Measurements Data Tab The fields displayed when the user selects the night measurement tab in the EIR measurements and predictions form are shown below in Figure 8 The definitions of each field are described below Day Measurements Night Measurements Predictions Date SS Temperature F g StartTime ENDE RelativeHumidity i ol Conditions Windspeed MPH WindDirection L30 31 5Hz o L10 n L30 63 Hz ol L50 mcm L30 125 Hz 0 L90 Lr 3 L30 250 He 0 LEO L90 500 Hz o i L90 1000 Hz 0 L30 2000 Hz o L90 4000 Hz o L30 8000 Hz 0 Figure 9 Night Measurements Tab in the EIR Measurements and Predictions Form Date Date of reading i e 04 28 2007 Start Time Time of reading i e 12 00 AM Conditions Memo describing conditions i e traffic pedestrians roads Temperature Degrees Fahrenheit in integer form Relative Humidity Humidity in integer form Wind Speed Wind speed MPH in integer form Wind Direction Name of direction i e north L10 A weighted L10 exceedance level in integer form L50 A weighted L50 exceedance level in integer form L90 A weighted L90 exceedance level in integer form LEQ A weighted LEQ in integer form L90 31 5Hz L90 exceedanc
21. L 2 July 27 2001 Charles River Plaza SML 3 July 27 2001 Charles River Plaza SML 4 July 27 2001 Charles River Plaza SML 5 July 27 2001 Nashua Street Residences Loc 1 September 13 2004 Nashua Street Residences Loc 2 September 13 2004 Nashua Street Residences Loc 3 September 13 2004 Nashua Street Residences Loc 4 September 13 2004 Emerson Place SML 1 January 13 2003 Emerson Place SML 2 January 13 2003 Emerson Place SML 3 January 13 2003 Emerson Place SML 4 January 13 2003 Notes e Current construction influenced 2007 Field Measurements e difference between EIR measurement and test measurement 3dBA or less e difference between EIR measurement and test measurement 4 or 5 dBA difference between EIR measurement and test measurement greater then 5 dBA 24 Table 4 Nighttime Noise Measurements in 2001 2004 Environmental Impact Reports compared to 2007 Test Field Measurements Project Site Date MGH New Ambulatory Building NML 1 February 12 2001 MGH New Ambulatory Building NML2 February 12 2001 MGH New Ambulatory Building NML3 February 12 2001 MGH New Ambulatory Building NML 4 February 12 2001 EIRL10 TestL10 EIRL50 TestL50 EIRL90 Test L90 Charles River Plaza SML 1 July 27 2001 Charles River Plaza SML 2 July 27 2001 Charles River Plaza SML 3 July 27 2001 Charles River Plaza SML 4 July 27 2001 Charles River Plaza SML 5 July 27 2001 Nashua Street Residences Loc 1 September 14 2004 Na
22. N Nortel N T Ej Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 G amp Remote Deskto fr Multimedia 2 enuy Ef Nero 7 Ultra Edition L G Nero Express Gm scrinder Scholar 2006 gt 2 BD Notepad fF Snagit s Hyperterminal e Startup e Accessibility gt Windows Media Play Utiities Entertainment 4B Internet Explorer IE Games B B Pu Fi Mouse Ware 8 Fax gt p gt Remote Assistance IE System Tools Bluetooth File Transfer Wizard Teraterm 3 Calculator e HyperTerminal E TextPad y Paint e Network Connections X WPI VPN Nortel NetDirect Client g Remote Desktop Connection 9 Network Setup Wizard Outlook Express a Windows Movie Maker 5 New Connection Wizard WordPad 3 Wireless Network Setup Wizard o Windows Media Player iA os DEESSET TENE Logoff 9 shut Down start Oro o E Microsoft PowerPoint E quest download doc b EN Q 2 21PM The first screen encountered in HyperTerminal will be Connection Description and it will ask for a name as well as an icon for the connection This does not Connection Description have an effect on the download process and can be named anything Name it something arbitrary such as RUN and click OK 63 The next screen will be Connect To with four different places for entry Under Connect Using select the COM port that the device is connected to on the computer This is usually COM
23. PE Ree EUER ey a ORE Ei Eoaea 55 Thematic Mapping ien peRELU Rm OR ELDER PEERS 56 Altering information that is displayed sessi enne nennen nennen nein nre nnne 57 Using th Info T60l n eret ER RE RE REIES 57 Appendix D usse sector Nae eise ete sans thon eo enu POE QA EUR de one tp Eee Fa vp dS PTS LETS CE NER SUE TEN BEEN ANNE NoNe RS RESES eooo To Eoo Roo soosse CNET EET S Idae 58 MapInfo Layers epe ed eerie tbe ea yd et bee tede bre ei at os Dee oe eb Ree SD ete ashore N an 58 fundit d DEL E M MM 62 Quest Model 2800 Downloading Using HyperTerminal eese eene eee eene enne 62 Table of Figures Figure 1 Average L90 by time Of day eoo ei tee ae Poi de eve ae 23 Figure 2 EIR Daytime Layer West End oou d nei eee sehe Aes 28 Figure 3 EIR Nighttime Layer West Bnd iu ue otf px der ade fe OH neha egies 29 Figure 4 2007 Nighttime Field Measurements Layer West End eee 30 Figure 5 Predictions Layer West End eee ied ex e p EA Ex EFE TEAM anaes 3l Pig re 6 Source Dy Parcel Eayels asse it isto ie Pee Wu eo ete e dba a er te teu tastuaceavogtel nen 32 XI Table of Tables Table 1 Noise Levels from Various Areas from the Environmental Engineer s Handbook 4 Table 2 Acceptable decibel levels m Boston eran eee eee ee eee 7 Table 3 Daytime Noise Measurements in 2001 2004 Environmental Impact Reports compared to 2007 Test
24. Query Table Options Map Window Help x amp alal ela H aeaniee 3 amp j gt xix la Se 11 y Info Tool ie cai P a ID 9 Talaaeint MAs ales x Seo Company Epsilon Project MGH New Ambulator Type Draft PIR SubmittalDate 05 31 2001 DayDate 02 12 2001 DayStartTime 12 30 1899 Latitude 42362114 Longitude 71 056775 DL10 DLSO DL90 DLEG DL90 315HZ DL90 B53HZ DL9O 125HZ DayNight by DL90 Et DL90_250HZ 90 o DL90 500HZ DL90 1000HZ DL90_2000HZ DL90_4000HZ DL90 8000HZ Day Temperature 65to 70 2 60to 65 11 55to 60 7 50to 55 1 Oto 50 3 f cu Day RelativeHumidity Day Windspeed Day WindDirection Varia NightDate 2 12 2001 NightStartTime 42 05 00 AM Daylight Zoom 1 268 mi Editing None Selecting None Figure 1 Base Map with Day SML s Layer The legend in the preceding layer shows the division of the different point in dBA Additionally by using the 1 tool in the toolbar the user can click on any point and the box Info Tool will be displayed showing all the information contained within the table from that point This box is showing the data for Point 9 which is the largest red point on the map By looking at the Info Tool one can see that the DL90 Day L90 is 77 dBA This kind of information can assist the BED with enforcement Obviously there is something that is generating a lot of noise at this point and the Inspector can go out and investigate
25. Ranges Solid Y ellow Blue Dark Paint Rannas Sennential Red HGY Cancel Help gt Step 2 of 3 Select which table and field you want to visually map data from For the sake of this tutorial we will select the Table Create Thematic Map Step 2 of 3 EIR_Measurements_and_Predictions and Field Tute eem Mee Pe ihe ou Table gt Leave the box Ignore Zeroes or Blanks blank gt Click Next Field Parcel X Ignore Zeroes or Blanks lt Back Cancel Help gt In Step 3 of 3 you can change the color coding size ranges and legend gt Click OK gt The map should display the new data Crente Thematic Map Step dof 3 Preview Customize EIR Measurements and Predi Q 556 90 o Styles Sto 65 11 Legend Q 5t 50to a 45to a oto 2 Number of Columns 1 ee oe Legend Label Order C Small C Ascending Descending C Large ELT mm Template Associate Theme With Table EREA I Save As Default Theme View _Saveds _ Remove Default Theme View M 5 6 lt Back OK Cancel Help Altering information that is displayed You can easily change which layers are displayed which are on top and even the coloring of base layers gt In the toolbar gt Map gt Layer Control gt A box titled Layer Control will appear Within this box you can select a layer and by using the Up Down buttons move it to the foreground or the background Additionally by checking unchecking the column o
26. Tunnel project Noise Control Engineering Journal 48 5 January 28 2007 Retrieved January 28 2007 from http www massturnpike com pdf big_dig noise pdf Thalheimer E 2007 Interview on March 28 2007 U S Department of Labor Occupational Safety amp Health Administration 2007 Retrieved January 31 2007 Yilmaz G amp Hocanli Y 2006 Mapping of noise by using GIS in Sanliurfa Electronic version Environmental monitoring and assessment 121 1 3 103 108 2007 from http www osha gov pls oshaweb searchresults relevance p_text noise 20regulation amp p_tit le amp p_osha_filter STANDARDS amp p_status CURRENT amp p_logger 1 Wolfe J 2006 What is a decibel Retrieved March 30 2007 from http www phys unsw edu au jw dB html 42 Appendix A General Overview Boston Environment Department BED The overall mission of the Boston Environment Department BED is to protect Boston s environment and heritage First founded in 1982 via Chapter 772 s 1 10 the BED has expanded to include six different sub departments that handle myriad of issues within Boston These sub departments are the Boston Conservation Commission Historic District Commissions Boston Landmarks Commission Central Artery Environment Oversight City Archeology Program and Air Pollution Control Commission This division of labor assists in improving efficiency and responsiveness to issues This appendix will briefly discuss each sub department and th
27. VIII jn IX Melde PE XI j XII nnnn 1 yeu seoseis no 3 2 1 Noise Pollution and its Effects iieiaeie asane eaaa aaria REA eE aA tentent eene 3 2 2 Noise Regulations oan e er t toe td E oh needs e e tese e sterio eis 6 2 3 Noise Data Collected By the Air Pollution Control Commission eene 8 2 4 Noise Mapping with Global Information System eese enne enne nre 10 KNIE M 13 Objective 1 Identifying Existing Noise Data for Pilot Areas esee eene 13 Objective 2 Conducting Field Measurements in Pilot Areas eee 14 Objective 3 Comparing Field Measurements to Environmental Impact Reports sss 15 Objective 4 Creating a Database for the Organization of Noise Data sse 16 Objective 5 Making Recommendations for Policy and Process seen 18 4 NCSIUAENUB SIENTES 20 4 1 Analysis of Content in Environmental Impact Reports eese eerte nennen ennt 20 4 1 1 West End Environmental Impact Reports sess eene
28. a very powerful tool and one which can be developed further to the point where one day the EIR Consultants can view the data online and populate the map with noise data on their own Using the Create thematic map command any type of information can be displayed Information can by shown by L10 L50 Leq or any octave band that is desired The key is maintaining the Access tables and loading them into MapInfo Once there any new data that has been added to the Access table will be automatically displayed 61 Appendix E Quest Model 2800 Downloading Using HyperTerminal The following is a guide for using the print feature on the Quest Model 2800 Integrating Sound Level Meter Using the print function with a computer provides a direct download of the following information QUEST MODEL 2800 IMPULSE INTEGRATING SOUND LEVEL METER DATE SERIAL NO CALIBRATED A WEIGHTING SLOW RESPONSE LEQ dB MAX dB MIN dB SEL dB RUN TIME OL TIME 66 7 81 2 59 8 97 4 2 20 00 EXCEEDANCE LEVELS dB 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 LOO 81 75 74 73 72 72 71 TE 71 70 69 69 69 69 69 69 68 68 68 L20 68 68 68 68 67 67 67 67 67 67 L30 67 67 66 66 66 66 66 66 66 66 L40 66 66 66 66 66 66 66 66 66 66 65 65 65 65 65 65 65 65 65 L60 65 65 65 65 65 65 65 65 64 64 L70 64 64 64 64 64 64 64 64 63 63 L80 63 63 63 63 63 63 63 63 63 63 63 63 62 62 62 62 62 62 61 There are three parts needed for the download process The first is the Model 2800 meter The second is a c
29. aints and conducts investigations to determine if there is a violation of the city s noise regulations which were established as a result of a noise study of the city of Boston made in the 1970 s The APCC must also review all Environmental Impact Reports EIRs for major projects Each EIR measures the ambient noise levels before the project and makes estimates of the ambient noise levels after the project As such the Air Pollution Control Commission has two typical sources of noise data The first is measurements taken to investigate violations or during enforcement actions The second source of data is submitted by project proponents as part of their EIR Currently the APCC cannot determine how sources of noise assessed in different EIRs from different projects interact and impact the overall level of ambient noise as well as the density of complaints in a particular area Reviewing each EIR separately gives the APCC only a limited understanding of the ambient noise level at locations across the city of Boston Farming the available noise data by creating a process for electronic submission and visualization of EIR measurements and predictions as well as complaints could allow for insight regarding the city s noise environment and its affects on the city s inhabitants Our mission was to initiate the farming and mapping of noise data the APCC currently receives by developing a protocol for the electronic submission of noise impact assessments
30. ant by double clicking on the layer in the Info Tool box The new window will show all the information contained within the various files that are E Ei econ VVVV 57 Appendix D MapInfo Layers There are many different ways to visually display databases and in particular noise databases The team decided to make good use of MapInfo v8 5 because it can easily be interfaced with Microsoft Access As Access was already being used by the Noise Inspector for the BED to log noise complaints it was a logical progression of thought to use her databases as a stepping stone and developing it to include noise data from SML s projected noise and source data This improved more inclusive database can then be opened in MapInfo to display a large variety of different data MapInfo is based on using information contained within tables When an Access table is first opened MapInfo creates a TAB file extension which converts the Access table into a table that MapInfo can understand This TAB file also tells MapInfo what to do with the information and how to visually display it A browser window can then be opened to display the table and the information contained within it or a map window can be opened to illustrate the data within the table Each TAB file creates a layer in the map window This layer can then be put on top or underneath other layers colored labeled and a large variety of other things These layers are what ultimately creates the
31. as possible By including the 16 option of entering longitude and latitude of the complaint s location and the parcel number of the source of the violation we were able to visualize complaint density for our two pilot areas on a map in Geographical Information Systems GIS We added this option of entering latitude longitude and parcel numbers by simply adding these extra columns to the table of complaints We then modified the APCC s form used to enter and view data in the database to include these text boxes Environmental Impact Report Measurements and Predictions We wanted to create a database that would accommodate manual entry of data that is contained in existing EIRs and electronic entry of data contained in EIRs that will be submitted in the future By analyzing existing EIRs we were able to create a table of noise metrics and measurement conditions that appear to be common in approximately 80 of the reports This table includes fields for entering all day and night conditions wind speed wind direction Lio dBA Lso dBA Loo dBA Leg dBA and Loo octave band measurements at each SML in addition to projections of Loo dBA and Loo octave band measurements at each SML after completion of the project We also added columns for the latitude and longitude of each SML which is not common in EIR reports but aided in mapping the data in GIS To view all of the data for each SML in a manner that would be easier to follow than reading acr
32. at SML 4 had Loo levels of 53 dBA for both the one hour reading and the 20 minute readings The measurements at SML 1 had Lop levels of 64 dBA for both the 20 minute and hour long readings 26 This shows that increasing the duration of the measurements from 20 minutes to an hour does not affect the measured Loo 4 3 Maps in Geographic Information Systems As we explained in our methodology section we composed six layers over our base layer map of Boston A layer is an overlay of information on top of the base map of Boston It can be visually displayed through shapes colors shading or even data from a database The six layers include day measurements night measurements noise predictions source data field measurements and complaint density In this section we will discuss our findings as a result of analyzing layers of the day and night measurements contained in Environmental Impact Reports the layer of predictions made in EIRs and the layer of complaints called into the Air Pollution Control Commission 4 3 1 Day and Night Environmental Impact Report Measurements Because EIR data will eventually populate the ambient noise map for the city we studied how a map of these data could be interpreted As a result of mapping the data for each sound measurement location contained in the EIRs for the West End we discovered that the noise data are dispersed evenly throughout the area This allowed us to make a rough estimate of the ambient
33. captured on a computer using the program HyperTerminal see appendix E for tutorial The printout provides all viewable data including parameters such as the weighting scale and response time and a complete chart of exceedance levels from L to Los The meter was mounted on a tripod as a means of keeping testing condition the same at all 17 measurement locations A wind screen was used on the microphone to alleviate any interference from wind For our first field measurement objective of determining the feasibility of using the EIR data for starting the map of the current ambient noise levels we attempted to limit the variability between the measurements made for the EIRs and the measurements made by the team There are many variables that need to be accounted for when taking readings such as the time of day day of the week and season of the year that the measurements were taken measurement location wind speed reading duration and even road conditions All readings made by the team were taken during normal business days around 12pm and 12am on days when wind speed was measured at comparable levels 5 10 miles per hour maximum and when road conditions were dry as stated in the reports The readings were taken at all 17 SMLs for durations of 20 minutes For our second field measurement objective of obtaining an in depth view into the process used by EIR consulting companies for obtaining noise data out in the field and determine appropriate practic
34. clusion Many areas of our research point to the Loo as being a good measure of ambient noise Boston s regulations are quite clear on what the maximum limit is for noise levels However they do not state how the noise environment should be described in technical terms It is possible for measurements made in a given noise environment to have an Log that is compliant with the regulations and an Lo that is not The regulations should also specify that the Loo be computed from at least 1000 individual readings Current sound meters are able to take readings at a minimum rate of one per second this should be easily achievable to anyone with access to current sound metering technology As the map continues to be populated the APCC will be able to determine how closely the ambient noise levels throughout the city correspond to the regulations that limit the ambient noise It may be that the current limits are still reasonable However the map may reveal areas with ambient noise levels higher than the current limit The APCC may consider whether or not enforcing that limit is still practical for the area We recommend the APCC use the map our team has developed to see if the ambient noise in these areas corresponds to a high complaint density or other health and safety factors and use this information to inform their decision on whether to relax the regulations in those areas or pursue more aggressive noise abatement measures Conversely the map may show
35. day and night measurements were already made enabling the noise levels that the project will generate to be directly compared with the measurements already made at those locations 10 Take into account the acoustical and mechanical conditions when computing the impact at the sound measurement locations The projected sound power levels for each piece of equipment are usually measured in a lab with near perfect conditions That is necessary to ensure an accurate measurement by eliminating all variables However the conditions in which the equipment will be operating when the project is completed may be far from perfect Surfaces around the equipment may reflect sound waves and amplify them Also the vibrations of a machine in operation may be transferred to the roof or whatever surface it is bolted to which in turn could cause nearby 36 objects to vibrate It is important to take these factors into consideration and compute the impacts using a worst case scenario of how the sound could be reflected or amplified due to the acoustical and mechanical environment 6 3 Protocol for Electronic Submission We recommend that the APCC request the information submitted by consultants for noise impact assessments within EIRs to be in electronic format Consultants will aid in populating the database by submitting their EIR data including day and night measurements made at each SML predicted noise levels at each SML and a list of noise sources t
36. describe health effects of noise in greater detail Being exposed to loud and harmful sounds can cause damage to the sensitive hair cells of the inner ear and the hearing nerve Liu D H F amp Roberts 1999 These structures can be injured by two kinds of noise loud impulse noise such as an explosion or loud continuous noise such as that generated in a woodworking shop NIDCD 2002 Two injuries associated with noise exposure are Noise Induced Hearing Loss NIHL and acoustic trauma NIHL is generally progressive as it is caused by exposure to the continuous type of noise over a long period of time whereas acoustic trauma results in immediate hearing loss as it is generally caused by exposure to the impulse type of noise Vincoli 2000 Over 30 million Americans are exposed to hazardous sound levels on a regular basis resulting in NIHL being one of the most common occupational related illnesses Safety and health topics Noise and hearing conservation 2005 While there are many noises that are not loud enough to cause us any physical harm noises can certainly be a nuisance and interfere with our daily lives Annoyance is a common response to undesired noises The level of annoyance a listener experiences depends on many factors such as the characteristic of the noise the source of the noise the state of the mind of the listener the surroundings of the listener and even possible implications of the noise For example a sound heard at nig
37. e Noise Construction Tracking Number Number assigned by APCC Location Name Name of building causing disturbance i e 7 Eleven Location Address Street name and number of building causing disturbance Zip Zip Code of neighborhood Location Phone XXX XXX XXXX Complainant Phone XXX XXX XXXX Complainant Address Street name and number Brief Description Memo describing complaint Add l Follow up Memo describing steps APCC took Follow up Enter Yes No Violation Sent Enter Yes No Location Response Enter Yes No Longitude Longitude of complainant address in decimal form Latitude Latitude of complainant address in decimal form Parcel Parcel ID of location causing disturbance 2 2 Field Measurements The form we created for entering field measurements as a way to organize the readings the team took in 2007 is shown in Figure 5 The APCC may decide to use this database in the future as a way to organize their readings taken in the course of enforcement actions and link it to their complaint log form The definitions for each of the fields are shown below Switchboard Find Record Add Record Delete Record Figure 6 Field Measurements Form IDNumber AutoNumber Location ID Description of reading i e MGH SML 1 Date Date of reading i e 04 28 2007 Time Time of reading i e 12 00 AM 48 Readings Cut and paste text file downloaded from the sound meter to the computer Description Conditions during time
38. e EIRs from our two pilot areas and our field measurements we have determined which procedures and methods are necessary for providing the APCC with an understanding of the noise environment before and after construction We recommend that the APCC require the following set of standards for noise impact assessments in EIRs 1 Measure noise levels at a minimum of four different locations Noise levels can vary significantly from point to point therefore data from too few locations may not represent the noise environment in the immediate area around the proposed project accurately 2 Provide the latitude and longitude of each location Once again the noise can vary significantly from point to point Noise measurements are only useful if one knows exactly where the measurements were 34 taken Providing latitude and longitude will also be helpful to the APCC as it allows the data to be plotted on a map These coordinates must be in decimal form so that the data can be integrated into MapInfo 3 Provide the conditions during each measurement Weather road and traffic conditions and time of year can all affect the level of ambient noise A detailed description of these conditions should accompany each measurement 4 Take two measurements at each location one for day and one for night The noise environment and the regulations are different for day and night Measuring only during the day is not sufficient to ensure compliance with Boston
39. e and latitude of the origin of the complaint in their log they may begin to see multiple complaints clustered around small areas We recommend that it may be beneficial for the APCC to invest in a continuous sound level meter in the near future This type of device can be placed outside and left for extended periods of time to take continuous readings The meter could be placed in these hot spots This would save the APCC time as they will not have to send out their inspector multiple times to find a violation in noise regulations 38 The map that we have created as a result of this project is an extremely useful and versatile tool It has the ability to grow with the electronic submission of noise data and therefore has great potential In the future these layers can also be overlaid with other layers that the City of Boston may have to discover correlations that were never thought to have existed For example the daytime ambient noise layer can be overlaid with layers reflecting the health safety education and lifestyles of the city s residents to make important discoveries 6 5 Changing the Regulations We recommend that the Boston regulations define maximum decibel limits in terms of the Loo computed for a measurement of at least 20 minutes The current process for EIR data collection used by many leading consultants in the noise measuring field advice from experts on the subject and our own field measurements all lead us to this con
40. e data extracted from new EIRs is factored into the map it would help to update and sustain the map This way the City of Boston could farm data from new EIRS as opposed to investing time and money for its own studies Measurements taken by the APCC to investigate alleged violations may be able to support a map based on method one as well Using both of these data sources 11 our team set out to begin the construction of a noise map that the APCC will be able to maintain long term 12 3 Methodology Our mission was to initiate the farming and mapping of noise data the Air Pollution Control Commission APCC currently receives by developing a protocol for the electronic submission of noise impact assessments contained in Environmental Impact Reports EIRs and complaint investigation information By our team creating a process for these data to be viewed on maps the APCC will gain a visualization of the ambient noise levels the density of noise related complaints and the sources of noise throughout the city as the database continues to populate These tools are intended to help the APCC in developing a comprehensive understanding of noise conditions within the city In this chapter we will describe in detail the steps that we took in order to meet our goal Our objectives included identifying existing noise data for pilot areas conducting field measurements in the pilot areas comparing the field measurements with EIR data creating a
41. e level for 31 5 Hz octave band in integer form L90 63Hz L90 exceedance level for 63 Hz octave band in integer form L90 125 Hz L90 exceedance level for 125 Hz octave band in integer form L90 250 Hz L90 exceedance level for 250 Hz octave band in integer form L90 500 Hz L90 exceedance level for 500 Hz octave band in integer form L90 1000 Hz L90 exceedance level for 1000 Hz octave band in integer form L90 2000 Hz L90 exceedance level for 2000 Hz octave band in integer form L90 4000 Hz L90 exceedance level for 4000 Hz octave band in integer form L90 8000 Hz L90 exceedance level for 8000 Hz octave band in integer form 51 2 3 4 Predictions Data Tab The fields displayed when the user selects the predictions tab in the EIR measurements and predictions Form are shown below in Figure 9 The definitions of each field are described below Day Measurements Night Measurements Predictions L30 L30 315 Hz L30 53 Hz L90 125 Hz L90 250Hz L30 500Hz L90 1000Hz L90 2000Hz L30 4000Hz L90 8000Hz ollolloll o w Lollollollolle Figure 10 Predictions Tab in the EIR Measurements and Predictions Form L90 A weighted L90 exceedance level in integer form L90 31 5Hz L90 exceedance level for 31 5 Hz octave band in integer form L90 63Hz L90 exceedance level for 63 Hz octave band in integer form L90 125 Hz L90 exceedance level for 125 Hz octave band in intege
42. e project would impact the ambient noise levels 4 1 4 Analyses of the 24 hour measurements from the Columbus Center EIR The Columbus Center EIR contained continuous measurements taken from September 9n though 12 2002 at four different SMLs The Loo Lso and Loin dBA were reported for each hour of each day We analyzed the Loo measurements from the 5 and 6 as well as the 10 through the 12 because they were workdays We averaged the Loo for each hour from all five days at all four sites as shown in figure 5 We found that during the daytime hours 7am to 6pm the Loois fairly constant except for a peak at 7am and 8am During the nighttime the Loo varies much more but it is at its lowest between lam and 4am 4 2 Field Measurements in Pilot Areas In this section we will discuss our findings from comparing the 20 minute measurements made by the team at each sound measurement location SML to the existing 20 minute measurements contained in all of the EIRs for the West End We will also discuss our findings from taking both 20 minute and one hour long and measurements at Massachusetts General Hospital MGH SMLs one and four 22 Average L90 dBA by time of day 72 00 71 00 70 00 69 00 68 00 67 00 66 00 65 00 64 00 63 00 I 62 00 61 00 60 00 4 59 00 58 00 57 00 56 00 55 00 54 00 53 00 52 00 51 00 50 00 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 Time of day
43. eir role in the BED Boston Conservation Commission The Boston Conservation Commission BCC enforces the Massachusetts Wetland Protection Act M G L c131 s 40 the Massachusetts Rivers Protection Act HB s 18 26 and the Conservation Commission Act HB s 18 9 Employing seven commissioners the BCC more specifically determines wetland boundaries reviews proposed projects and places conditions on projects that are in or near wetland areas This includes any work within 100 feet of a wetland boundary resource area or flood plain Hearings are regularly held twice a month to allow abutters and the public voice their concerns Historic Districts Commissions The Historic Districts Commissions HDC is comprised of volunteers who have been nominated by local neighborhoods and were then appointed by the mayor There are eight historical districts which include Aberdeen Beacon Hill Back Bay South End Bay State Road Back Bay West Bay Village Mission Hill Triangle and St Botolph Each of these districts reviews and approves proposed exterior design modifications within their respective neighborhoods If approved they will issue a Certificate of Appropriateness which is valid in most districts for two years from the date of issuance They do not have jurisdiction over use occupancy issues or other zoning matters These issues must first be heard by the Zoning Board of Appeals before the historic district commission can make a rulin
44. enne nennen tree 20 4 1 2 South End Environmental Impact Reports eseessssesseseeeeeeee ener nennen trennen 21 4 1 3 Comparison of West End EIRs and South End EIRS eene eere eene 21 4 1 4 Analyses of the 24 hour measurements from the Columbus Center EIR eee 22 4 2 Field Measurements in Pilot Areas sees eene ennt nre nennen enne ener inneren enn 22 4 2 1 Comparing Field Measurements to Environment Impact Report Measurements eee 23 4 2 2 Comparing One Hour Long Measurements to 20 Minute Measuremennts esee 26 4 3 Maps in Geographic Information Systems eese eene tnit nete te ennenre nennen nennen nennen 27 4 3 1 Day and Night Environmental Impact Report Measurements sese 27 4 3 2 Environmental Impact Report Predictions essen ener tenete teen nennen 30 Onn 33 6 2 Standards for Environmental Impact Report Methods and Procedures esse 34 6 3 Protocol for Electronic Submission renerne atena nnet enne nenne trennen enne nne 37 IX 6 4 Utilize Noise Maps in MapInfo oscene na R a a a a E e aae a aeaa e a a 37 6 5 Changing the Regulations asc edat e a eR RO R ce ER E A E EAE 39 RefOPene RE H 41 Appendix A cun eese detto stan SER VIP MEN guess sespseve
45. es some additional readings were required To determine whether 20 minute readings are too easily influenced by short term loud events we took hour long readings and compared the Loo of the first 20 minutes with the Loo of the whole hour We took these readings around noontime at the first and fourth sound measurement location in the Massachusetts General Hospital s New Ambulatory Wing EIR Objective 3 Comparing Field Measurements to Environmental Impact Reports Our goal in comparing the EIR data to our own measurements was to gauge how much the ambient noise levels had changed since the EIR measurements were taken To gain 15 knowledge on how to compare noise data we spoke with Erich Thalheimer an acoustic engineer who worked on noise mitigation for the Big Dig in Boston We learned that humans can recognize a change in the noise environment if it increases or decreases by 3 decibels or more a change of 5 decibels or more is considered a noticeable difference Therefore for the purpose of our analysis we decided that noise measurements within 3 dBA of the original noise measurement can be considered to be the same noise environment Noise measurements with a change of 4 or 5 dBA from the original noise measurement can be considered to have a slight change in the noise environment Noise measurements that differed from the EIR measurements by more than five decibels were then considered to indicate a significant change in the noise enviro
46. ess and visually mapping it gt On the toolbar Select File gt Open Look in E Database mee gt Change the Files of type to m APCC Noise Data fll Microsoft Access Database mdb gt Choose the Access file and Click Open gt Choose the Access Table and Click OK if the definition already exists you can overwrite it but you will lose any data previously used Fienme AP0CNoseDa o d gt Anew browser will appear Files of type Microsoft Access Database mdo with the data from your PrefenedView Automatic o v Access Table Maplnfo Places Create copy in Maplnfo format for read write Standard Places gt To map this have the Browser as your current window and in the toolbar Select Table gt Create Points A epai gt Select the table from the dropdown gt Choose the symbo 1 you ics Create Points for T able EIR Measurements and Predictio v gt Input the column Longitude for the X wea A RM Coordinates and Latitude for the Y Gtx Coordinates fom Column Longitude z Proecion C oor d i nates Get Y Coordinates from Column Latitude LI NHEENNNT Help Multiply the X Coordinates by Mo Multiply the Y Coordinates by 1 Display non numeric fields gt MapInfo is based on a quadrant system This means that the Longitude must be negative If it is not negative in your Access table you can make it negative by multiplying the X Coordinates by 1 otherwise leave the nex
47. etest 35 time was between the hours of lam and 4am During the day we found that ambient noise levels were relatively constant from 10am through 6pm but consultants should avoid taking measurements from 6am to 9am when the noise levels are typically higher 8 Provide the sound power level of each predicted noise source Each piece of equipment for the proposed project that will contribute to the ambient noise level should be identified and the parcel number must be included so that these sources can be placed on the map In addition the sound power level of each piece of equipment should be provided in terms of the total A weighted sound power level and the unweighted sound power level for each octave band The current practice is to provide either the sound power level or sound pressure level However the sound pressure level is dependant on the distance from the piece of equipment It is difficult to compare the sound pressure levels for different pieces of equipment if the reference distance used is different each time therefore the sound power level should be used to enable an easy comparison 9 Compute the noise impact of the project at the measurement locations The sound power levels of each of the noise sources to be included in the new project are used to calculate the total impact that the new project will have on the noise levels at a particular modeling location The modeling location should be the exact same location as where the
48. evice will no longer display Prn To finish the process click Transfer gt Capture gt Stop ATING SOUND LEVEL METER CALIBRATED A WEIGHTING SLOW RESPONSE LEQ dB MAX dB MIN dB SEL dB RUN TIME OL TIME 98 2 62 4 93 4 63 8 00 03 LEVELS dB 1 2 3 66 The download is now complete Close the window It will ask if you are sure you want to disconnect now Select YES It will then ask if you would like to save the connection Select NO The file is now saved wherever you chose to save it in the earlier step 67
49. f boxes under the eye you will make the layers visible invisible The third column under the picture of the arrow will make a layer selectable when viewing the map This is important if when using the information tool you only want to click on one specific layer and ignore any others Layers that are indented and start with Ranges by are the layers that correspond to the thematic mapping These layers correspond to the tables below the indented range To alter the coloring of layers click the Display button Check the Style Override box Click the button under the checkbox Within this box you can change the pattern foreground style color Click OK three times Any changes you made will be displayed on the map Layer Control x Region Style Fill Pattern mm Foreground Ee Border VVVVVV WV Boston Buildings 2007 Display Ed Cosmetic Layer Ranges by NL Ranges by DL IV Style Override Display Mode Display Zoom Layering a Style Colo Display within Zoom Range Label Width Pixels Points Sample Cancel Help EE HotLink Help Show Line Direction Show Nodes Show Centroids Cancel Help Layers Add Remove Up Down Using the Info Tool This will guide you through how to display all information about a specific point In the main toolbar click on the i Click any point on the map Select the information you w
50. fic hours Measurements taken at these times could easily be influenced by the noise from traffic Also the conditions during the measurement were not always noted in great detail 4 1 3 Comparison of West End EIRs and South End EIRs One significant difference between the South End EIRs and the West End EIRs is that only half of the reports in the South End had a map that showed exactly where each SML was 21 The others contained just brief descriptions of the location It is essential to know the exact location a measurement was taken because noise levels can vary over a short distance For instance two measurements for the EIRs in the West End SML 1 from Massachusetts General Hospital and SML 3 from Charles River Plaza were taken roughly a block away from each other on Blossom Street and differed by 17 dBA The data would have seemed very inaccurate if they both simply said measurements were taken on Blossom Street Another significant difference was among the predicted noise impacts Instead of describing the noise impacts the project would have at the SMLs some EIRs from the South End described the impacts at a different set of locations called modeling receptors The reports did not specify the location of the modeling receptors In addition since the ambient noise level had not been established at the modeling receptors as it had for the SMLs describing the projected noise impacts at the receptors does not reveal as much about how th
51. four different locations 2 Provide the latitude and longitude of each location 3 Provide the conditions during each measurement 4 Take two measurements taken at each location one for day and one for night 5 Compute the Lio L5o Loo and Lego and the Loo for each octave band 6 Take each measurement over a 20 minute duration 7 Take measurements at the quietest time of the day and night 8 Provide the sound power level of each predicted noise source 9 Compute the noise impact of the development at the measurement locations 10 Take into account the acoustical and mechanical conditions when computing the impact at the sound measurement locations As previously stated the APCC s other major task involves enforcing noise regulations through complaint investigation One problem the APCC has is discovering who owns what piece of malfunctioning equipment We tried to make this process easier by mapping the noise sources identified in the EIRs by parcel This will allow the inspector from his or her desk to access all the sources in the area of the complaint identify the owner and call directly from the office Additionally we have mapped the origin of the complaints from the West End and the South End in MapInfo However to make this layer work two new fields had to be added to the VI already existing complaint log These fields were Latitude and Longitude The latitude and longitude are used for the origin of the complaint and wil
52. from complaints and complaint investigations These data can be found in three forms First when a complaint is called in it is logged by the inspector in a database This database contains information regarding the name and address of the complainant the location name and address of the alleged violation a brief description and any follow up that was made including measurements made if there is a violation As the inspector handles these complaints on a case by case basis she will generally contact the owner of the noise source and request that the issue be resolved If the issue still isn t resolved such as in the event that the source is unknown the inspector will take much more extensive measurements by measuring each octave band These measurements are the second form of complaint data In some cases the APCC may suggest that the owner of the source hire a contractor to take measurements and determine the cause of the noise and a solution to the problem The measurements taken by the contractors are the third form of noise data 2 4 Noise Mapping with Global Information System APCC has useful data on noise pollution however this information is fragmented and difficult to access Each EIR is in a hardcopy form and is buried in one of the shelves in the APCC s library Looking at each measurement or EIR separately only yields information about a single source or a single location The APCC cannot determine how separate sources of noise
53. g 43 Boston Landmarks Commission Boston has many cultural resources These range from buildings to different sites where people lived and worked Protecting these landmarks is equivalent to protecting history itself The Boston Landmarks Commission BLC does just this Created in 1975 via state legislation Chapter 772 M G L 1975 as amended the BLC identifies and preserves historic properties as well as overseeing development and demolition activities To have a property designated as a historic landmark one must first petition the BLC for further study into the historic social cultural architectural or aesthetic implications of the site The mayor 10 registered voters or a commission member can file a petition at any time For the site to receive protective designation it must meet four criteria These are Inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places Relevance to the economic social or political history of the city Involvement with people of historic importance Representative of distinct architectural design from a historical period Central Artery Oversight The Central Artery Oversight CAO was initially created so that the BED could focus more attention on the central artery project because if it s unusually large size and scope The BED states that the CAO s responsibilities are oversight of environmental mitigation measures administering issuance of permits review of CA T documents re
54. g within 5 dBA A change of 4 5 dBA is just starting to be noticeable to the human ear and so that was the limit that we set We interpreted a change of more than 5 dBA to indicate a noticeable change in the noise environment When viewing the data from night predictions and night field measurements it was the opposite With 7046 of the field measurements having a difference of more than 5 dBA than the EIR night measurements it can be concluded that the mechanical systems of the new projects affect the ambient noise level at night more This may be due to the fact that at night there is not as much traffic people or other noise to overpower the source s noise output This is also an indication that the sources are not generating the same noise level that was stated in the EIR as they claimed that the ambient level of noise would not be affected during the day or night Standards for EIR Methods and Procedures By analyzing the EIRs from our two pilot areas and our field measurements we have determined which methods and procedures are necessary for providing the APCC with an understanding of the noise environment before and after construction To eliminate any discrepancies between reports and to make it easier for the APCC to accurately assess the EIRs we recommend a standard for the methods used in collecting and the data provided for noise impact assessments contained in EIRs These standards are 1 Measure noise levels at a minimum of
55. gly This software is a crucial part of the creation of Boston s noise map Because of the geo referencing of all elements of data within GIS the data in the map will be more useful to officials who are analyzing the map European Commission Working Group Assessment of Exposure to Noise 2006 GIS can be interfaced with other noise mapping software to provide a fast and accurate assessment of the environmental impact of noise Also GIS is an effective medium for a noise map as information and images in GIS can be displayed on an internet web page for presenting data to the public 10 GIS has been used for noise maps and related tasks many times before in fact software packages have already been developed such as TNoiseGIS which is used for the calculation and visualization of traffic noise Pamanikabud amp Tansatcha 2003 There are two widely used methods for mapping noise The first method is the simplest and most straight forward it involves interfacing a sound measuring device such as a microphone or a decibel meter with a GPS device Measurements taken from both these devices are simultaneously uploaded to a database which then exports the data to a noise mapping program Cho amp Kim 2006 These data are then exported to GIS to process the final map Although this method has been used before it was limited to small areas For instance it was used to map noise in a 3x4 km area in Sanliurfa Turkey Yilmaz amp Hocanli 2006 C
56. h06 pdf Massport 2006 About Logan Retrieved March 30 2007 from http www massport com logan about asp McConville C 2006 Growing Pains in Southie Building boom brings an earful of complaints about noise Electronic version The Boston Globe Retrieved January 28 2007 from boston com Local News database NIDCD 2002 Noise induced hearing loss Retrieved February 3 2007 from http www nidcd nih gov health hearing noise asp Palmer Thomas C 1996 Keeping It To A Dull Roar On the Big Dig Electronic version The Boston Globe Retrieved April 3 2007 from http www boston com beyond_ bigdig news artery_041402 htm Pamanikabud P amp Tansatcha M 2003 Geographical information system for traffic noise analysis and forecasting with the appearance of barriers Environmental Modeling amp Software 18 10 959 973 41 Safety and health topics Noise and hearing conservation 2005 Retrieved January 24 2007 from http www osha gov SLTC noisehearingconservation index html Stansfeld S amp Matheson M Noise pollution Non auditory effects on health British Medical Bulletin 68 243 257 Vincoli J W Ed 2000 Lewis dictionary of occupational and environmental safety and health Boca Raton CRC Press LLC Retrieved January 24 2007 from http www environetbase com books 83 1399fm pdf Thalheimer E 2000 Construction noise control program and mitigation strategy at the Central Artery
57. hat will be included in the project The APCC can place the forms as seen in Appendix B on a website Consultants can then submit data over the internet or the consultants can submit the forms or tables as an attachment on the CD containing the electronic copy of the EIR that they submit along with their hardcopy In the latter case the consultants should be given a sample of our Access forms and tables that they can use as templates Their tables can be easily appended to the APCC s database We also recommend the APCC continue to populate the database They already use the complaint log on a regular basis and now they have the ability to visualize these data Additionally prior to this project the APCC was unable to download data from the noise meter directly to the computer Now that they have the ability to do so they will be able to utilize the database to organize their data 6 4 Utilize Noise Maps in MapInfo If the APCC continues to populate the layers we created by updating the database they will have an extremely useful tool for enforcing regulations The following paragraphs will describe the recommendations for using each of the layers 1 Daytime EIR Measurements Daytime EIR measurements from 2000 and on are likely to be reasonably accurate for describing the ambient noise levels of an environment Currently with data from 17 locations mapped in the West End it is possible to develop a gross estimate of the ambient noise t
58. hods might be applied for the City of Boston 2 1 Noise Pollution and its Effects Lewis Dictionary of Occupational and Environmental Safety and Health defines noise pollution as an amount of noise in the environment considered to be excessive by the majority of the population Vincoli 2000 Given that the perception of noise is subjective the effect it has on individuals varies from one person to the next This section will qualitatively define noise and how individuals are impacted by it In order to control noise pollution countries states cities and neighborhoods have developed their own regulations and restrictions on the allowable noise levels To define these regulations it is important to establish standards on what makes noise intolerable Factors that are important to take into consideration when setting standards are the time of day type of area i e residential or commercial and noise level The noise level or loudness is measured in decibels Decibels are defined by a logarithmic scale which is nonlinear In terms of sound power an increase of 3 dB means sound has twice as much power as before an increase in 10 dB means that the sound has ten times as much power as before and an increase in 60 dB means that the sound is a million times more powerful than before Wolfe 2006 In terms of sound pressure which is how sound is perceived by the human ear an increase of a sound by 3 dB means that the sound increase is
59. hroughout the entire West End By utilizing 37 the map the ambient noise level in the West End can be described as being between 60 and 65 dBA 2 Nighttime EIR Measurements Due to the fact that the nighttime EIR measurements were generally different from the field measurements that we took the nighttime layer of the noise map can be useful in illustrating whether the EIR predictions were accurate or not If the ambient noise levels change after the project is completed it will be most apparent in the nighttime layer after post construction field measurements are taken 3 Predictions of Noise Level in EIRs We recommend that the APCC monitor this layer to determine if the consultants develop more accurate predictions This can be determined by overlying the predictions layer with the EIR nighttime layer After post construction measurements are taken if there are fewer changes in the ambient layer then the predictions are more accurate 4 Noise Sources contained in EIRs The map of Sources by Parcel will be useful to the APCC in the course of complaint investigation Once this map is populated we recommend that the inspector look at the source layer whenever she or he receives a mechanically related noise complaint and view all of the possible sources in the area this information will certainly aid the complaint investigation process 5 Complaint Data As the APCC continues to populate the complaint density map by including the longitud
60. ht can be more annoying than one heard by day just as one that fluctuates can be more annoying than one that does not Sounds that resemble other unpleasant sounds and are perhaps threatening can be especially annoying A sound that is mindlessly inflicted and will not be removed soon can be more annoying than one that is temporarily and regretfully inflicted Sounds with a visible source can be more annoying than sounds with invisible sources A sound that is locally a political issue can have a particularly high or low annoyance Liu D H F amp Roberts 1999 Sleep interference is one particular category of annoyance that results from noises For someone who is in a light sleep a sound that is 30 40 dB above the level of what they detect when they are awake can wake them up from their sleep Liu D H F amp Roberts 1999 Depending on the level of annoyance noises can prevent one from falling back asleep While it is possible to become used to a sound and sleep through it and some sounds even help induce sleep generally the more unfamiliar a sound is the more it can interfere with one s sleep Liu D H F amp Roberts 1999 In addition to affecting one s sleep at night noise can have an effect on one s performance during the day Many tasks may require using auditory signals either speech or non speech Noise loud enough to interfere with the perception of these auditory signals can certainly impede the performance of these tas
61. ion at each SML We found that this map simply showed that all of the predictions were well below regulations The predictions for the noise level that will be produced by the new project were at or below 45 dBA and all were at least 5 dBA below the lowest measurement for their corresponding SML indicating that the new project will not contribute to the ambient noise level However the nighttime measurements taken in 2007 showed that the ambient noise levels are significantly higher than those predicted in the EIRs from 2001 2004 30 Figure 5 Predictions Layer West End The EIR reports identify all the mechanical systems or sources that are being installed in or on the new building We attached the source data to the parcel layer in MapInfo allowing a user to click on any parcel and find the source information By compiling data from all ten of the EIRs for the West End and South End neighborhoods and visually displaying the data on the map we concluded that there wasn t enough data to populate the map in order to determine any correlations between the sources layer and the complaint and field measurement layers While this map didn t provide any significant insight in regards to our project we think that over time this map will be a useful tool for enforcement actions made by the APCC Ideally in the future when the inspector receives a noise co
62. ks Liu D H F amp Roberts 1999 It is much more difficult to assess the effects of noise on tasks that require the use of one s mental or motor skills Noise doesn t necessarily influence the overall rate of work but high levels of noise can increase the variability of the rate of work Liu D H F amp Roberts 1999 For instance noise from a stereo might increase the productivity of some workers if they perceive that noise as pleasant while it might slow others down who do not appreciate the noise as much Sound can have a negative effect on the body when it excites a fear reflex Our fear reflex serves the purpose of heeding a warning of danger If a noise excites the fear reflex in the event when there is no danger it can cause physiological harm Liu D H F amp Roberts 1999 2 2 Noise Regulations While noise may be one of the lesser recognized pollutants by the public it is regulated by the local and federal governments The negative effect noise has on people s quality of life creates a need for regulation Only certain aspects of noise pollution are regulated by the federal government The first area is occupational noise pollution or noise that threatens the health and safety of workers The U S Department of Labors Occupational Safety and Health Administration OSHA is the agency that deals with regulations associated with occupational noise pollution U S Department of Labor Occupational Safety amp Health Administra
63. l display a red flag on the map This map illustrates complaint density in the pilot areas and in the future may provide valuable insight regarding ideal locations for continuous noise meters Electronic Database and MapInfo We developed a single database using Microsoft Access for both of the APCC noise sources As mentioned above the APCC already had a database for complaint data that only needed a few minor yet essential changes We also developed two tables for the EIR data one table for the SMLs that would include the daytime and nighttime measurements as well as the predicted impacts at each SML and one for the noise sources that contained each source identified in the EIR and its sound power level The SMLs were mapped using the latitude and longitude just like the complaint data and were displayed as colored dots The color and size of the dot was determined by the Loo and the source data was mapped by parcel While EIRs generally display ambient noise levels complaint data highlights trouble areas For the SML layer we have three layers one layer for day measurements one layer for night measurements and a third for predicted impacts We also created a field measurement layer by utilizing the data obtained as a result of conducting a series of measurements in our West End pilot area We recommend that the APCC continue to use the processes that we have developed over the course of our project to populate their database and the multi
64. level for 500 Hz octave band in integer form L90 1000 Hz L90 exceedance level for 1000 Hz octave band in integer form L90 2000 Hz L90 exceedance level for 2000 Hz octave band in integer form L90 4000 Hz L90 exceedance level for 4000 Hz octave band in integer form L90 8000 Hz L90 exceedance level for 8000 Hz octave band in integer form 53 Appendix C Using MapInfo v8 5 with Boston Noise Data Layers Open MapInfo In the Quick Start menu Select Open a Workspace Look in Work Space Click Open m Select the Boston toisel CD gt Maps gt Work_Space Tables Directory Select Boston_Noise wor AS Click Open Remote Tables Directory Import Files Directory a r Workspaces i Directory File name Boston N oise Files of type Workspace wor Preferred View Automatic ic MapInfo Places Create copy in M apinfa format for read write C Standard Places At this point a map of Boston should be displayed with additional layers These layers include EIR_Measurements_and_Predictions illustrated by daytime L90 nighttime L90 Complaints Field Measurements and Parcels MapInfo Professional Field_Measurements B0s_City Blocks 2007 Map E File Edi Tools Objects Query Table Options Map Window Help 0X Diem E B S el aeae e 54 Loading a New Table into MapInfo This section will guide you through loading a new table from Microsoft Acc
65. llows a time for input from the public The APCC addresses Air Pollution Parking Abrasive Blasting and Noise Air Pollution comes from vehicles dust generators and smoke from industrial sites The noise that is specifically addressed by the APCC is from ventilation equipment HV AC systems generators and other sources They do not have authority over airplane noise or any noise originating from Logan Airport 45 Appendix B Microsoft Access Database 1 The Switchboard The switchboard allows easy navigation from one form to the next When you open the database we created the window shown in Figure 1 will appear Select Forms under the Objects menu on the left side of the window and double click on Switchboard if APCC Noise Data Database Access 2000 file format RE Open BL Design New X 20 SEE Objects Create form in Design view Tables Create form by using wizard 3 Queries ES Complaints CS EIR Measurements and Predictions CS Field Measurements ig Reports 7E Sources 3 Pages I2 Macros A Modules Groups Ga Favorites Figure 2 The Main Database Window When the user first opens the switchboard the menu shown in Figure 2 appears The user has the option to select Add Noise Data or View Modify Noise Data The add mode allows the user to open up a blank form to add new records to the database The view modify mode allows the user to open up all existing records currently in the database
66. ly true for residents in South Boston where it is expected that over 5 500 condominiums will be built over the next couple of years McConville 2006 While there are still regulations for construction noise regulated by the Boston Environment Department these smaller projects are not looked upon with nearly as much scrutiny as the Big Dig Christine McConville of the Boston Globe comments Morning noon and night on workdays holidays and weekends the whir and grind of buzz saws echo through South Boston McConville 2006 It is important to note that whether it is a small renovation or the largest project undertaken in the country noise from construction affects people on a daily basis It is important that all projects big or small are monitored so that their noise levels can be managed to avoid lowering the quality of life of the neighboring inhabitants 2 3 Noise Data Collected By the Air Pollution Control Commission Much of the noise data that the APCC has comes from the noise impact assessments contained in Environment Impact Reports EIRs which are submitted for major construction projects These assessments involve measuring the existing ambient noise level in the area and estimating the noise levels that the project will generate once it is completed The consulting firms who submit the EIRs for the contractors of a major project conduct their noise analysis by determining the ambient level of noise at several locations in the i
67. map and displays the information that the user wants to know We first obtained base layers of the City of Boston from the BRA these layers are what generate the map of Boston populated by streets buildings and parcels It took six layers to create the base map of Boston These layers included Parcels Streets City Blocks Buildings City Limits and Hydro Upon loading these various layers into MapInfo we were ready to begin importing our data into the map The first thing we did was import the Access tables for the day and night SML s Using the command Create thematic map we created points on the map that showed each SML for the West End color coded and sized by the L90 The range was set at 5 dBA because less than this much of a difference the human ear does not recognize any difference in the noise level This division also allows the user to know what points are over 65 dBA the daytime noise limit and which points are safe or below that maximum noise level Over time with the population of more SML s and thus having a greater density of points the user can then begin to understand the ambient noise level for the area instead of just in the immediate vicinity of the 58 SML Figure 1 illustrates the division for the thematic map and the points created as an additional layer on top of the base map MapInfo Professional Complaints Boston Street Names 2007 Map DES a E3 rie Edit Tools Objects
68. ments Night Measurements Predictions Date Start Time Temperature F Relative Humidity Conditions Windspeed MPH Wind Direction L90 31 5 Hz L10 L30 63 Hz ed L90 125H2 O L90 250Hz L90 500Hz L90 1000Hz L30 2000Hz L30 4000Hz L30 8000Hz Figure 8 Day Measurements Tab in the EIR Measurements and Predictions Form L30 LEQ S Date Date of reading i e 04 28 2007 Start Time Time of reading i e 12 00 AM Conditions Memo describing conditions i e traffic pedestrians roads Temperature Degrees Fahrenheit in integer form Relative Humidity Humidity in integer form Wind Speed Wind speed MPH in integer form Wind Direction Name of direction i e north L10 A weighted L10 exceedance level in integer form L50 A weighted L50 exceedance level in integer form L90 A weighted L90 exceedance level in integer form LEQ A weighted LEQ in integer form L90 31 5Hz L90 exceedance level for 31 5 Hz octave band in integer form L90 63Hz L90 exceedance level for 63 Hz octave band in integer form L90 125 Hz L90 exceedance level for 125 Hz octave band in integer form L90 250 Hz L90 exceedance level for 250 Hz octave band in integer form L90 500 Hz L90 exceedance level for 500 Hz octave band in integer form L90 1000 Hz L90 exceedance level for 1000 Hz octave band in integer form L90 2000 Hz L90 exceedance level for 2000
69. mmediate vicinity of the project as well as the surrounding neighborhoods The sites called sound measurement locations or SMLs are chosen to gauge the ambient noise level in the immediate area or residential areas close to a project that is planned for an industrial area This is done to ensure that noise that reaches these areas does not violate the stricter regulations for residential areas Two series of measurements are taken at each SML over a 20 minute duration one during the night and one during the day Charles River Limited Partnership 2001 The metrics that noise engineers use to describe the noise at each SML are the Lio Lso Loo Leg in dBA and the Loo for each octave band Lio Lso Loo are exceedance levels An exceedance level Ln is the level of noise that n percent of the measurements are at or above For example to the find the Lj one looks at the highest 10 of the measurements and finds the lowest measurement from within the highest 10 The lowest measurement from the highest 50 is the Ls and the lowest measurement from the highest 90 of measurements is the Loo The Lio is usually determined by occasional louder noises such as motor vehicles passing or planes overhead Loo is minimally affected by intrusive noise sources making Loo the ideal metric for describing the ambient noise level Thalheimer 2007 Another noise metric is the Lgo which is the level of hypothetical steady sound that would have the same energy as
70. mplaint in a certain area he or she can look at the map to view all of the possible noise sources The can also use the parcel number to determine who owns and maintains each of mapped sources Figure 6 shows the four parcels that the EIRs for the West End were contained in Attached to the parcel data is the source data as illustrated on the right of the map with the Info Tool 31 MapInfo Professional d Measurements al E Fie Edit Tools Objects Query Table Options Map Window Help lela mulum en em x ojee lal alej W g 5 a cx es T Objectid 43 038 Ward 3 Parcel 660 Pid_long 03006600 Wpd 03 05 08 Batch 0 Shape area 147 326 3 Shape len 2 048 611 ID 2 Company Epsilon Project Charles Ri Report Draft Proj Date 09 01 200 D Location Source Air Handli Description 300 000 c Quantity 2 Pid long 03006600 Sound Power Level dBA L90 97 Sound Power Level 315 Hz L90 0 Sound Power Level 3 Hz L90 105 Sound Power Level 125 Hz L90 101 Sound Power Level 250 Hz L90 99 Sound Power Level 500 Hz L90 94 Sound Power Level 1000 Hz L90 91 Sound Power Level 2000 Hz L90 88 Sound Power Level 4000 Hz L90 81 Sound Power Level 8000 Hz L90 78 Emm ATS et source ty Paco Zoom 0 8665 mi Editing None Figure 6 Source by Parcel Layer Selecting Boston_Buildings_2007 32 5 Conclusions After conducting our own field measu
71. nment We compared the Lio Lso Loo and Leg measurements for both day and night for all of the SMLs in our EIRs for the West End We determined the percentage of measurements that could be considered the same or a slight change in the noise environment In turn we also found where the noise environments had changed Both measurements that were the same and measurements that were different gave sufficient insight into the way the sound changes in the city of Boston Objective 4 Creating a Database for the Organization of Noise Data Prior to our project the APCC had all the EIR noise data in hardcopy forms There was no database to organize and view the data The APCC s complaint log did contain some noise data organized electronically but only for a small percentage of noise related complaints There was also no database for organizing any extensive field measurements made by the APCC in the course of investigations We decided to organize our database into four sub databases complaints EIR measurements and predictions sources and field measurements In the following section we will describe in detail the organization and execution of each sub database in Microsoft Access Complaint Data The APCC s complaint database is used by the inspector for all air quality related complaints including idling from cars and dust and debris from construction sites This database is a useful tool for the APCC and we wanted to modify it as little
72. noise levels in this neighborhood In Figure 2 and 3 the pink shaded areas are the projects that each point on the map corresponds to Additionally each point is color and size coded by the L90 The pink and red points illustrate measurements over day regulations of 65 dBA for Figure 2 and night regulations of 55 dBA for Figure 3 The green and blue points represent measurements that are below the respective regulations By studying Figure 2 it was discovered that more daytime Loo measurements fell within the 60 dBA and 65 dBA range than any other five decibel range This is illustrated by the light green points on the map This shows that most measurements are close to yet below the 65 dBA limit for industrial residential areas As described above our own daytime measurements corroborate this finding The trends found in the layer of daytime measurements made by the team were similar to those in the daytime EIR layer 27 E File Edt Tools Objects Query Table Options Map Window Help 3x olse lE ala ela o aam e SNN Figure 2 EIR Daytime Layer West End There were reasonable explanations for the two outliers that were above 65 dBA For example an EIR for the Nashua Street Residences had an SML near North Station that had an Loo measurement of 69 dBA illustrated with a pink point Although it exceeds the regulatory limit the measurement for this location is unsurprising as there are trains heavy traffic and
73. ntial for describing the noise environment and what in their opinion is the best method for taking and reporting measurements Based upon a comparison of the Lio Lso Loo and Leg measurements obtained from the first 20 minutes of our one hour readings to the Lio L5o Loo and Leg measurements obtained from the entire one hour reading we determined what length of time is sufficient for determining the ambient noise level so that it is unlikely to be overly influenced by short term loud events We also analyzed the EIR measurements to determine how the ambient noise levels 18 fluctuated throughout the 24 hours of a typical day We made recommendations on the length of measurement and the time of day the measurement should be taken based upon our findings We also considered ways in which the city of Boston s noise regulations could be updated We looked at EIRs from both the West End and the South End to determine the current standard for measuring the ambient noise level Based on this and the opinion of noise experts like Erich Thalheimer we considered how the regulations could specify ambient noise in terms of specific noise metrics such as Loo and Leggo In addition we considered how noise measurement technology has improved since the regulations were written and whether that might warrant updating the regulations 19 4 Results and Analysis There were three different areas of our project that yielded results for analysis The
74. of reading i e weather roads pedestrians Longitude Longitude of reading location in decibels Latitude Latitude of reading location in decibels 2 3 EIR Measurements and Predictions The consulting companies can fill out one form for each sound measurement location The consultants can enter general data regarding the project then by selecting each tab they can enter information regarding daytime measurements nighttime measurements and predictions 2 3 1 General EIR Measurements and Predictions Data The form for EIR daytime measurements nighttime measurements and predictions is shown below in Figure 6 The general fields that are not included in the tabs are described below Switchboard Find Record Add Record Delete Record Date Temperature F Start Time SSS Relative Humidity Conditions Windspeed MPH Wind Direction Figure 7 EIR Measurements and Predictions Form Company Consultants submitting report 1 e Epsilon Project Name of project i e MGH New Ambulatory Wing Type Select from list Final EIR Draft EIR SubmittalDate Date of submission i e 04 28 2007 Longitude Longitude of SML in decimal form Latitude Longitude of SML in decimal form 49 2 3 2 Day Measurements Data Tab The fields displayed when the user selects the day measurement tab in the EIR measurements and predictions form are shown below in Figure 7 The definitions of each field are described below Day Measure
75. or the 13 West End were submitted within the past six years by Epsilon consultants the methods used for obtaining noise measurements and estimates of noise were consistent The APCC also had data from thirteen noise complaints within the West End The data contained the names and locations of both the complainant and the alleged violator in addition to any follow up that was made including noise measurements made by the inspector The second pilot area which was also recommended by the director of the APCC is the South End The South End is one of Boston s major restaurant districts making it a popular destination for both Bostonians and tourists The South End is home to the Boston Ballet the Boston Center for the Arts Boston University Medical Center and many art galleries and artists studios This neighborhood was chosen because there have been a great deal of construction projects over the past decade and there is more development expected to take place in this area in the near future The team used noise data from six EIRs for projects in the South End Boston s Center for the Arts The Dover Residences Biosquare Phase II Wilkes Passage Lofts The Columbus Avenue Residences and South End Place on Washington St There were also approximately forty noise related complaints for the South End contained in the APCC s complaint log Objective 2 Conducting Field Measurements in Pilot Areas Unlike the noise data in the EIRs for
76. ord to connect the meter to a computer s serial port The third and final piece is a computer with the communication program HyperTerminal This program comes standard i with the Windows operating system The first step is to connect the Quest meter with the computer The meter comes with a cord having a 1 8 jack on one end headphone plug and a DB25 connector on the other end You must connect the DB25 end to a DB9 serial port on a computer Utilizing a DB25 to DB9 converter and then a DB9 extension cord enables connection to the computer To connect first plug the 1 8 end into the Quest meter output labeled Print Fig A Then connect the DB9 cord to the Figure B computer s serial port Fig B Once the meter is connected to the computer you must open the HyperTerminal Program Go to Start gt All Programs gt Accessories model 2800 Print jack Figure A DB9 female cord into port 62 gt Communications gt HyperTerminal i This system is managed by the YE FOF assistance Use the following Fi ECELEDL ELL email ate help wpi edu Readings 24 e 54 3 e Adobe Acrobat 7 gt ALCNOSIN e Camtasia Studio 3 f ces Instant Messenger Clients Li Internet Explorer 1 Interwise Microsoft Office W 3 em fr Maple 10 gt E Microsoft Office P If MATLAB R2006a it Microsoft Office Ej ms rj Microsoft Office SF WPI VP
77. oss a table with over fifty columns we created a form that has tabs for day measurements night measurements and predictions For the electronic submission of these data the consultants who produce the data have the option of filling out one form for each SML or they can fill out one row for each SML in a spreadsheet following the same format of our existing table either way allows for the data to be easily appended as it is sent in Noise Sources A database of projected noise sources described in EIRs will be helpful for the inspector of the APCC in the course of investigating noise complaints Each project generally includes around six noise sources that could potentially have an impact on the noise environment including chillers air handling units cooling towers generators exhaust fans and more Most of the EIRs contain the projected Loo dBA and Loo octave band measurements in addition to the parcel ID for each source We created this database by composing a table that contained all of the 17 above data for each source We also created a form containing all of the same fields The consultants who submit EIRs have the option to fill out one form for each source or fill out a row for each source on a spreadsheet that follows the exact same format as our existing table Field Measurements Now that the APCC has the ability to download data from the Quest sound level meter to a computer in the form of a text file we believed that i
78. pedestrians in this area The MGH New Ambulatory building had an Loo of 77 dBA illustrated with a red point which was likely due to the truck deliveries sirens and Massachusetts General Hospital mechanical units that were described in the EIR to be present during the time of the measurement Mapping the nighttime noise also provided a rough estimate of the nighttime ambient noise levels For night measurements in the West End the regulations state that the ambient noise cannot exceed 55 decibels As shown in Figure 3 there were only three out of the 17 Loo measurements from each SML contained in the EIRs for the West End that exceeded the 55 decibel limit More nighttime Lo measurements fell between 50 dBA and 55 dBA than any other five decibel range Similar to our findings for the daytime measurements this shows that the ambient noise levels in the West End were generally close to but below the 55 dBA limit The highest Loo was once again at the SML that is nearest to North Station with the same noise level as recorded during the daytime 69 dBA Another outlying measurement was from the EIR for 28 the new MGH Ambulatory Building near Blossom Street which measured 55 dBA The EIR listed various variables that occurred during the measurement that could have driven the reading higher than expected These variables were traffic pedestrians sirens and mechanical equipment at Mass General Hospital Unlike our 2007 daytime measurements our 20
79. ple layers representing the noise environment Over time as the database and map expands so will the APCC s understanding of the noise environment and its effects on the City of Boston and its residents VII Authorship Init QUOD nire urba oti Epi de dele pique m Everyone B ckerourg s sci eo tA BO OE EIAS Everyone Methliodolog y onse SH ES Ye ER PEE EE SANE REPERTA CERIS Everyone Results and Analysis rere tee Ren Everyone Conclusions and Recommendations Everyone Appendix A 5 ies te tv E a ari i a Everyone Appendix Baes er EHE eb REP ee Shannon O Toole Appendix Cierra eno an ERE en TAARE T EEE 3 Jacob Russell Appendix Doea ies EEA EET ket Jacob Russell Appendix Bites otic cc cttahicave caste aedaacautcekandemeuschees Brandon Finzel Our writing process involved the participation of all group members Each section within the chapters had its own original author These sections were then rewritten and revised by every member in the group VIII Table of Contents j I Acknowledgemnients eerie essers soseo ees oseere oaos YE Ro ERNST UY orse Ve SEES or ed vM Te TRE SUL roes VET VE ERU DER Yee REUS EUN red III Executive nr IV Authorship s eese eis teoo oe Co ehe pa suas ET ENS o i Te Do ELS PHASE NR cece CRUCE SERRE VIE cons Saessuascuadewaesaes UY STR tU PE SP a a CRUS CE REUS Son
80. r form L90 250 Hz L90 exceedance level for 250 Hz octave band in integer form L90 500 Hz L90 exceedance level for 500 Hz octave band in integer form L90 1000 Hz L90 exceedance level for 1000 Hz octave band in integer form L90 2000 Hz L90 exceedance level for 2000 Hz octave band in integer form L90 4000 Hz L90 exceedance level for 4000 Hz octave band in integer form L90 8000 Hz L90 exceedance level for 8000 Hz octave band in integer form 2 4 Sources The consulting companies can fill out one form for each source to be included in the new project The form they use for this task is shown below in Figure 10 The definitions for each of the fields are shown below 52 Figure 11 Form for Source Data Contained in EIRs ID AutoNumber Company Name of company i e Epsilon Project Name of project i e MGH New Ambulatory Wing Report Name of type of report i e Final EIR Date Date of submission i e 04 28 2007 Source Name of type of source i e cooling tower Description Size of unit i e 400 tons Quantity Integer L90 A weighted L90 exceedance level in integer form L90 31 5Hz L90 exceedance level for 31 5 Hz octave band in integer form L90 63Hz L90 exceedance level for 63 Hz octave band in integer form L90 125 Hz L90 exceedance level for 125 Hz octave band in integer form L90 250 Hz L90 exceedance level for 250 Hz octave band in integer form L90 500 Hz L90 exceedance
81. reased and for the third SML only the Loo increased while the Lio and Ls59 remained unchanged This is most likely due to the fact that with new buildings the acoustics of the area had changed as well as the paths of the ambulances A similar analysis was done for the night time readings with much different results As shown in Table 4 36 of the 51 comparisons had more than a 5dBA difference which accounted for 70 of the total Test measurements that were four or five dBA different from the EIRs comprised 12 of the readings Finally the last 18 or nine readings were within three dBA and were considered to have no change in the noise environment All but one of the 15 nighttime Loo measurements that demonstrated a change in the noise environment showed an increase in ambient noise levels from the time that the EIR measurements were taken between 2001 and 2004 and the time that we made our measurements in 2007 Note that many of the daytime and nighttime noise readings shown in Tables 3 and 4 exceed the city s regulations for maximum allowable limit for a residential industrial area This result will be discussed further later in the chapter 4 2 2 Comparing One Hour Long Measurements to 20 Minute Measurements We compared the one hour long measurements to the 20 minute measurements to determine the whether measurement duration might influence the measured ambient noise level These measurements were taken at the MGH SMLs 1 and 4 The measurements
82. rements in 2007 and comparing them to the measurements taken by the EIR consultants we arrived at some conclusions The conclusions that we arrived at are targeted toward the EIRs These insights proved invaluable and led to several recommendations which we will discuss in the next section As aresult of conducting extensive field measurements in the West End we have come to the conclusion that nighttime ambient noise is affected more than daytime noise by new construction projects The noise environment during the day has generally remained constant from the time the EIR readings were taken in 2001 2004 the time our field data was collected in 2007 The nighttime data on the other hand showed us that the nighttime noise environment has drastically changed There is a logical explanation for this finding which is shown in our results chapter Daytime ambient noise levels are higher than nighttime ambient noise levels As a result when a new source of noise is introduced into the environment such as an HVAC unit on a new building it is going to have a greater impact on the lower ambient noise level at night Another conclusion made as a result of our field measurements made in 2007 is that most predictions contained in the EIRs for the West End which stated the new project would have no impact on the noise environment are incorrect In most cases the noise environment had greatly increased after completion of the project There are many reasons these
83. ritics of this method point out that it would be expensive to place the devices over a large area and the accuracy of the map would be compromised if any of the devices were improperly placed tampered with or simply malfunctioned The second method is much more involved It relies on collecting data on the sources of noise and acoustical data on each location in the map These data are used to calculate a noise estimate which is then represented on a map The accuracy of the estimate depends on the accuracy of all the measurements and data obtained The final calculation is only as accurate as the least accurate datum used so effort spent obtaining very accurate measurements of one aspect are wasted if the same accuracy cannot be obtained for all measurements This method is more useful when trying to calculate precise noise data in a specific area and is overly complex for viewing general conditions This is the method used by the European Union s IMAGINE Improved Methods for the Assessment of Generic Impacts on the Noise Environment and HARMINOISE Harmonized Accurate and Reliable Methods for the EU directives on the Assessment and Management of Environmental Noise projects These projects aim to map the traffic railway airline and industrial noise in European cities The data contained in EIRs lends themselves to a method that is similar to method one This seems like a good starting point for creating a noise map for Boston In addition if th
84. s high as 95 Barking dog 250 listening distance as high as 65 Household Hi fi in living room as high as 125 Kitchen blender 90 95 Electric shaver in use 75 90 Loud noises can certainly be annoying but frequency and uniformity also play a role in how irritating a sound can be The human ear is more sensitive to the middle range of frequencies in the sound spectrum and we cannot perceive sounds of very high or very low frequencies There is a scale called the A scale that weights the frequencies accordingly to the sensitivity of the human ear A weighted decibel values are abbreviated dBA and most regulations are based on this scale Noises that vary in loudness and or frequency are referred to as being non uniform These non uniform noises tend to be much more of a nuisance as the variations in loudness and frequency make the sounds more annoying and fatiguing than steady noises Liu D H F amp Roberts 1999 It is also important to note that to the human ear short noise pulses do not sound as loud as continuous noises having the same sound pressure level A short pulse with a sound pressure level of 155 to 160 dB seems only as loud as a continuous noise with a sound pressure level of 130 to 135 dB Liu D H F amp Roberts 1999 While brief noises may not seem as loud as continuous noises a momentary pressure of 160dB is dangerously near the level at which eardrum rupture or middle ear damage can occur The following paragraphs
85. s regulations 5 Compute the Lio Lso Loo and Leg in dBA and the Loo for each octave band The A weighted Loo is the best noise metric to describe the ambient noise it is not affected by occasional intrusive noises The EIR should include the Login dBA and the Log in dB for each octave band because Boston has different regulations for each While the L o Lso and Leq may not be good indicators of the ambient noise levels each can provide information on a different aspect of the noise environment and may be helpful to people studying the noise environment in the future 6 Take each measurement over 20 minute durations Comparison of our 20 minute to our hour long readings showed little difference suggesting that 20 minutes is a sufficient length of time for conducting field measurements The Loo is minimally affected by loud intrusive events and will generally be the same whether the reading is 20 minutes or one hour 7 Take measurements at a quiet time of the day and night The measurements should be taken at the quietest time of the day and the night to ensure that measurements are not influenced by intrusive short term noises that may be more common during the times of day that are typically noisier This would also prevent the consultants from over estimating the ambient noise levels ensuring that the project does not impact the noise environment even when ambient noise levels are at their lowest Our results show that at night the qui
86. shua Street Residences Loc 2 September 14 2004 Nashua Street Residences Loc 3 September 14 2004 Nashua Street Residences Loc 4 September 14 2004 Emerson Place SML 1 January 13 2003 Emerson Place SML 2 January 13 2003 Emerson Place SML 3 January 13 2003 Emerson Place SML 4 13 Jan 03 Notes Current construction influenced 2007 Field Measurements difference between EIR measurement and test measurement 3dBA or less difference between EIR measurement and test measurement 4 or 5 dBA difference between EIR measurement and test measurement greater then 5 dBA 25 However four of the SMLs were highly affected by current daytime construction Construction has different requirements for sound mitigation and therefore results in louder than normal ambient noise levels After removing these readings there were 39 measurements to be used for comparison Test measurements that were within 3 dBA of EIR measurements comprise 72 of the total Another 10 of the test measurements were considered to have just a slight change in the noise environment at a four or five dBA change The final 18 of readings were then considered to have a significant change in the noise environment Aside from the measurements affected by construction seven measurements had changed by more than 5 dBA These measurements were all from three SMLs from the MGH new ambulatory wing project For one SML all of the three readings had increased for another all three had dec
87. solution of environmental complaints enforcement of applicable environmental laws regulations and ordinances in addition to any environmental coordination outreach and monitoring necessary throughout all phases of the Project s planning design and construction stages In addition to those listed responsibilities the CAO is also involved in developing the open spaces to compensate for the construction impacts They are also transforming Spectacle Island from a dump into a multi use recreation area City Archeology Program Staffed entirely by volunteers the City Archeology Program CAP is involved in public outreach programs for both schoolchildren and the general public CAP maintains all 44 archeological findings located on public land as well as 27 collections from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts that the City currently holds Air Pollution Control Commission The Air Pollution Control Commission APCC is currently overseen by five commissioners three who are appointed by the mayor and two who are serving ex officio These commissioners operate the APCC which writes and enforces regulations grants permits advises other City Hall departments holds public hearings and cooperates with other local regional state and federal agencies in the pursuit of common goals Boston Environment Department 2007 The public hearings are held every three months and provide a means for which the APCC s work to be known and a
88. source but the sound pressure level does The reference distance was specified if the sound pressure level was used It was difficult to compare sound pressure levels because often times a different reference distance was given for each piece of equipment For example the EIR for the Massachusetts General Hospital MGH New Ambulatory Building gave the sound pressure level for a set of garage fans and a cooling tower as 90 dBA and 78 dBA respectively which would cause one to think that garage fans would contribute more to the ambient noise However reference given for the garage fans was only 5ft while the reference given for the cooling tower was 50ft Each report also specified the predicted Loo in dBA at each SML and three include the predicted Loo for each octave band 4 1 2 South End Environmental Impact Reports The format for the ambient noise data contained within the EIRs for the South End was much more varied The number of SMLs varied from one as seen in Wilkes Passage Lofts and South End Place Washington Street EIRs to four as seen in Boston Center for the Arts EIR In general the noise metrics were similar to the West End EIRs and every report contained measurements of the Lop However the time that the measurements were taken at and the duration of the measurement varied greatly One EIR had two 20 minute measurements for day and night but others had measurements that were an hour or longer and were also taken during peak traf
89. suasenwsanaososenoaisnacendesesssnstoncdagcens Segssuassuasduasseasgusscbis evessonsgusesudoanceussosssnsees 43 General Overview Boston Environment Department BED sss 43 Boston Conservation Commission eese etes enr ettnee nhe et nentes rente se eese ntes ete sr eere e nene en rn senes 43 Historic Districts Commissions esses eene entente et rester entes ene sr erre s nne sr er rn senes erts senes enne 43 Boston Landmarks Commission eese eese eese a nnne tnn et nene trn s enn sr erre ERKE rr eres 44 Central Artery Oversight nos date dae teta ee a m ee T pe e HE Rode b pd 44 City Archeology Prograf 2 gaudet eoe de Red ie Lr Pe RE ted Med ene ege rto E De Dee e RR e En 44 Air Pollution Control Commission esses eee entente nennen tentent eene sete e ntes ener e nnns e nennen rennen nnn 45 E NQUSi dier 46 1 The diiviboarin mr noe nis ors 46 2 Definition of Fields for Each Form eese eene nennen eene teen ener enne teen trennen enne 47 2 1 Complaint E68 connecte pic tree toten eatem mere fon AAE el eme efto A 2 2 Field Measurements 24 SOUTEOS s cac av nO SU Dh be ante Pe ee Pa ed gai dei 52 A PPONGIX te M TG 54 Using MapInfo v8 5 with Boston Noise Data Layers esee eene enne nre 54 Loading New Table into M plnfo iiic tee ER He
90. t two boxes as they are gt Click OK IV Overwrite existing points d Add Layers d Copy Layer Settings from Map gt The points are still not displayed on the map you must first add a new layer To do so Bos Cy inte 2007 Bos_Hydro_2007 Select Map gt Layer Control Land Parcel 2007 Boston Street Names 2007 In the Layers Box Click Add Choose your table and click add Click OK VNN Layers r Reorder EET 55 gt Your Map should display the new information Thematic Mapping gt In the toolbar select Map gt Create Thematic Map gt Step 1 of 3 Select your t Create Thematic Map Step 1 of 3 desired theme i e The L90 for Daytime EIR Type Template C SortbyName SortbyTime Preview R Template Name S Title Datum is mapped using Ka Subtitle the template Noise Day M Pee omm i Noise_db gt Click Next Exin lik Point Ranges Sequential Red RGB nnn to nnn e Pw Region Ranges Transparent Dots oan OIA Pie Charts K Region Ranges Transparent Rotated Lines Region Ranges Solid Yellow Blue Light nnn to nnn Region Ranges Transparent Diagonal Line nnn to nnn Graduated K Region Ranges Solid Red Blue Light nnn to nnn K Line Ranges Varying Width nnn to nnn PERS Mk Point Ranges Five Cities Dot Density Pw Point Ranges Five Diverging Point Ranges Five Sequential Spectral Point Ranges Rotated Individual Pw Point Ranges Sequential Blue HSY K Region
91. t would be beneficial to have a database to organize these files We took advantage of this database that we created in order to organize our own field measurements To create this database we created a table that included columns for the latitude and longitude of the location of the measurement in addition to columns for entering descriptions of conditions and pasting in the text file that the Quest meter produces We created a form that included all of these fields that can be used for entering and viewing the data To connect all four of these sub databases and make one large database for viewing all noise data we created a switchboard that allows a user to switch from one form to the next in order to view and enter new data By importing the four tables into MapInfo and using the latitude and longitude or parcel number of the data points we mapped data points onto a base layer of the City of Boston The map has the following six layers for noise data day measurements night measurements noise predictions source data field measurements and complaint density Objective 5 Making Recommendations for Policy and Process Through analyzing EIRs in both the West End and South End and conducting our own measurements we gained a great deal of insight regarding methods for obtaining and organizing noise data We also spoke with Carl Spector director of the APCC and Erich Thalheimer a noise mitigation engineer to determine what noise data are esse
92. that due to improved noise mitigation measures the ambient noise levels may be significantly lower than the current limits If this is the case it may 39 be worthwhile for the APCC to tighten regulations in these areas to ensure that these quiet oases are preserved 40 References Boston Environment Department 2007 Air Pollution Control Commission Retrieved February 3 2007 from http www cityofboston gov environment pollution asp Charles River Limited Partnership 2001 Charles River Plaza Draft Project Impact Report EIR Epsilon Cho D S amp Kim J H 2006 Noise mapping using noise and GPS data Applied Acoustics 9 EarthTrends 2007 Population health and human well being urban and rural areas Urban population as a percent of total population Retrieved March 30 2007 from http earthtrends wri org text population health variable 448 html European Commission Working Group Assessment of Exposure to Noise Jan 13 2006 Good practice guide for strategic noise mapping and the production of associated data on noise exposure Version 2 Hart A LeRay D Hetrick T amp LoPresti E May 2004 Applying e government principles to the Boston Environment Department WPI Liu D H F amp Roberts H C 1999 Noise Pollution In S Fox Ed The Environmental Engineer s Handbook 2nd ed pp 1 Boca Raton CRC Press LLC Retrieved January 24 2007 from http www engnetbase com books 78 C
93. the West End the South End had noise data that was inconsistently measured and estimated and didn t provide details of the exact measurement locations The South End was not ideal for taking measurements in the field due to the fact that it is essential to know the exact location of sound measurement locations in order to make a comparison Field measurements were therefore taken in the West End in the same locations as the SMLs contained in the EIRs There were two major reasons for us to take our own field measurements The first was to compare the team s field measurements made in 2007 to the EIR data noise data taken between 2001 and 2004 This was to provide the APCC with a view of the changing noise environment and to determine the feasibility of using the EIR data for starting the map of the current ambient noise levels The second reason for taking our own sound level measurements was to obtain an in depth view into the process used by EIR consulting companies for obtaining noise data out in the 14 field and determine appropriate practices This gave us information and evidence which was used to provide recommendations for improving the current process used by both the consultants as well as the APCC When taking field measurements we used a Quest model 2800 Integrating Sound Level Meter The meter displays Sound Pressure Level Max Level Min Level Sound Equivalency Level SEL Run Time and Lgo The printout from the device can be
94. tion 2007 The Environmental Protection Agency writes and enforces regulations dealing with vehicular noise This type of noise pollution is regulated by a federal agency because of the fact that state lines do not bound motor vehicles The Air Pollution Control Commission has regulations for noise levels within the city Boston has different noise regulations for each zoning district residential residential industrial and business These regulations were developed as a result of a study of the noise environment in Boston conducted in 1971 by Bolt Beranek and Newman Inc Bolt Beranek and Newman Inc conducted surveys to determine how the public felt about Boston s noise environment in addition to taking measurements of noise levels around the city Based on their findings the city developed regulations for each zoning district Table 2 shows acceptable decibel levels for the different zones Table 2 Acceptable decibel levels in Boston TABLE OF ZONING DISTRICT NOISE STANDARDS Maximum Allowable Octave Band Sound Pressure Levels Octave Band Center Residential Residential Industrial Business Industrial Frequency of Measurement Hz Daytime All Other Times Daytime All Other Times Anytime Anytime 315 76 68 79 72 79 83 63 75 67 78 7 78 82 125 69 61 73 65 73 77 250 62 52 68 57 68 73 500 56 46 62 51 62 67 1000 50 40 56 45 56 61 2000 45 33 51 39 51 57 4000 40 28 47 34 47 53 8000 38
95. vestigating noise complaints Data Collection EIRs are written for any major new construction project within the City of Boston Within the noise impact assessment section the consultants demonstrate that the new project once it is complete will be compliant with noise level regulations The consultants accomplish this task by taking noise measurements at sound measurement locations SMLs before construction starts They then predict what the noise level will be at each SML after the project is complete This prediction is based upon the summation of the lab tested sound power levels of each noise source to be included in the project Noise complaints and investigations can provide valuable information about problem areas in the city Currently when the noise inspector receives a noise complaint he or she will go to the complainant s residence and after taking several measurements try to find the party responsible for the offensive noise EIR data and noise investigations contain valuable information about the city and its current noise environment however this information is difficult to interpret and use because it is buried in reports One major task of the project was to take various sources of data and visually display them in a manner that is easy for the user to understand IV EIR Measurements Compared to Field Data We closely analyzed two pilot areas the West End and the South End of Boston We looked at 10 EIRs and 53 noise
96. y using MapInfo to view complaint density she has already cut down on travel time and time spent looking for a source MapInfo Professional Complaints Boston Street Names 2007 Map E3 File Edit Tools Objects Query Table Options Map Window Help 8 X FEREN Alo ebd xia J ajala i 141s soles Ble 71 Sea RS Cm Info Tool TrackingNumber File 06 031 4 01 ComplaintType Noise Deliveries 71 04 00 21 V 42 21 49 29 N Parcel 0 Longitude Latitude LocationName Mass General Hospital LocationAddress Neighborhood ZipCode Blossom Street West End LocationPhone ComplainantName Anthony Tavilla ComplainantPhone 6175236044 Complainant amp ddress 33 Blossom Street Follow up ViolationSent LocationResponse F 4 f A n MM Complaints n cil D d purs f hi SSD Wve c am a me m3 E Us s eae e emt atl Zoom 1 268 mi Editing None Selecting None Figure 2 Base Map with Complaint Layer 60 We also incorporated our field measurements into the map and they can be used to further populate the map Unfortunately they were taken at the same point as the SML s so we cannot show them both at the same time but it is an additional layer that shows more recent measurements and gives the BED a better idea of the noise levels in the West End today MapInfo is

Noise Data Farming for the City of Boston

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