Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (CLE) is updating its Noise Compatibility Program. This website is intended to keep the public informed about the process and opportunities for involvement for the duration of the project. Please check back for regular updates including dates for public workshops, updated noise maps, data summaries and reports.

The primary purpose of the Noise Compatibility Program is to address noise made by the airport’s operations and to identify land use strategies that can reduce the incompatibilities of excessive noise on surrounding communities.

The update of the Noise Compatibility Program is being conducted by a team of consultants led by Harris Miller Miller & Hanson Inc. (HMMH), one of the country’s leading firms specializing in aviation noise control programs.

What is a Noise Compatibility Program?

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has prescribed a series of procedures and standards for airport operators to follow when assessing noise exposure around airports, and when developing means to mitigate or abate its effects. These procedures are described under Title 14 of the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations, Part 150. The regulation is entitled “Airport Noise Compatibility Planning”, and is usually abbreviated as 14 CFR Part 150, or just Part 150.

Part 150 is a voluntary regulation, in that an airport is not required to undertake such an assessment of its noise, but if it does it must follow the specified procedures in order to qualify for potential federal funding of the noise compatibility measures that are developed during the project. The study, itself, consists of two parts – The Noise Exposure Map (NEM) and The Noise Compatibility Program (NCP).

The NEM is a description of current and projected five-year future noise levels around an airport. Factors such as the airport’s runway and taxiway layout, the number and types of aircraft that operate there each day, the number of flights that occur at night, and the routes aircraft take when arriving at or departing from the airport are all taken into account when describing the airport’s noise environment. The NEM documents these factors and will also include detailed maps of the areas surrounding the airport, complete with land uses and existing and forecast noise levels at noise-sensitive locations such as homes, schools, and places of worship.

The NCP is a summary of the analyses and recommendations for measures to improve the airport’s current noise abatement program. As part of the NCP, existing noise abatement measures are evaluated and new ones are proposed. Measures may include anything from a plan for sound insulating homes near the airport to aircraft flight procedures that reduce noise or redistribute it to less populated areas.

These documents are meant to address the concerns of communities and improve the quality of life for airport neighbors. The study will take roughly 14 months to complete, during which time there will be multiple occasions for public involvement and input. At the end, the finished documents will be submitted to the FAA for review and approval before most new measures can be adopted.

In early March 2010, the Part 150 Working Group (see PUBLIC INPUT tab) received a draft of the first of  these two major documents – the NEM – and discussed key findings at its follow-on meeting on March 12th (Meeting #4 - March 12, 2010). The document is currently under review  by Working Group members and is expected to be finalized and forwarded to the FAA for its review by June  30, 2010. A link to the document is available at Draft Noise Exposure Map.

On June 2, 2010, the Part 150 Working Group received a draft of the second of these two major documents -- the NCP.  Working Group members discussed preliminary findings and general recommendations for the new noise compatibility measures at its fifth meeting on April 23, 2010 (Meeting #5 - April 23, 2010).  Members now will be reviewing specific details of  the draft NCP and submitting comments for final consideration by Cleveland Hopkins International Airport staff.  The NCP is expected to be finalized and forwarded to the FAA for its review by July 31, 2010.  A link to the document is available at Draft Noise Compatibility Program.   

Why does the Noise Compatibility Program need to be updated?

The airport’s business frequently changes, so the study done in 2000 may not accurately reflect what is happening today. And as a result, the current noise mitigation measures in place may not be aligned with today’s airport activities.

This update of the Part 150 program will help make sure the noise is being properly monitored and it will help identify what, if anything, can be changed to reduce the effects of noise generated at the airport. This may include soundproofing individual homes, identifying land use strategies to address current or future incompatibilities with the airport’s noise levels, or it may include changing the ways the runways are used or altering the flight procedures used by pilots as they approach or depart the airport.

When will the study be completed?

The work began in January 2009 and is expected to take about 14 months to complete, following which the FAA will have up to 180 days to review the findings and approve the recommendations. The total study, including FAA review can be expected to take 18-24 months to complete.