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IrIl' �J F r 1� Significance Criteria According to CEQA a significant noise impact would result if noise levels increase substantially at residences as a result of the project. The proposed facility is a stationary, land use specific, noise source and also a generator of transportation related noise. Noise generated on the project's property, which resulted in any increase over existing average noise levels at sensitive receptors, would result in a significant impact. This is due to the difference in the character of the noise and is consistent with the way that stationary noise sources are treated in many communities. The following significance criterion will be used. • Hourly average noise levels generated by all equipment and operations on site exceeding 55 dBA at the two mobile homes located 600 feet north of the facility would be a significant impact. An increase in traffic noise resulting from project traffic would have to be perceptible before it would be considered substantial. Any perceptible increase would be considered substantial and would result in a significant noise impact. Traffic noise levels must increase at least 3 dBA before they are perceptible. The County considers a CNEL of up to 65 dB to be compatible with residential development. Where noise levels would be lower than this up to a 5 dBA increase would be acceptable. • A traffic noise level increase of 3 dBA or more will be considered substantial if the resulting CNEL at a residence equals or exceeds 65 dB. An increase in the transportation noise of 5 dBA or more will be considered substantial where the resulting noise level is a CNEL of less than 65 dB. Construction noise levels must be treated somewhat differently in that they are short-term in nature. Construction noise would be considered to cause a significant impact if noise levels are sufficiently high to interfere with speech, sleep or activity on a residential property. Construction noise levels exceeding 60 dBA outside a residence (hourly Leq) would result in a significant short-term noise impact. Impact 4.6.1 Noise generated by on site activities at the proposed facility would not result in a substantial Increase in the noise environment at sensitive receptors in the area and would not result in any significant noise impacts. The proposed facility has been sized to handle a maximum of 800 tons of waste per day, with peaks of 1000 tons per day. Sorting of materials will occur in a main building for both solid waste and separately collected recyclables. Materials which cannot be processed on site will be loaded into trailers with a rubber -tired front-end loader. Recyclable paper, plastic and cardboard will be baled and stored for off-site shipment to markets. Aluminum cans will either be crushed and stored or baled and stored for shipment. Glass will be separated by color and stored in containers or bunkers. Yard waste will be ground up in a tub grinder, placed in a composting operation, and screened. All vehicles will enter and leave the facility from MacArthur Drive. e R-93-1 The San Joaquin North County Sanitary Landfill site is similar to the proposed facility as far as the transfer building and recycling areas are concerned. The North County Facility differs in that it includes a landfill and does not include a wood waste grinding and composting area. Noise levels were monitored at four locations around the transfer building to help estimate future project generated noise levels. During the noise measurements large rolling doors were open and material was dumped from the tipping floor into the appropriate containers. A rubber -tired front loader was operating on the tipping floor. There were public disposal activities during the noise measurements. Typical 'worst case' hourly average noise levels are about 60 dBA at a distance of 250 feet from the facility. Maximum instantaneous noise levels resulting from the dropping of disposal materials and the operation of the front loader reach about 70 dBA at the 250 feet reference distance. -80- (9-27-93)