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Draft Environmental Impact Report Page IV.A-15 Forward Inc. Landfill Expansion Impact'A.3. The proposed project could increase bird hazards at the Stockton Metropolitan Airport. For purposes of aircraft safety, Federal Aviation Administration(FAA) regulations establish airport imaginary surfaces,which are three-dimensional boundaries that extend outward and upward from airport runways. The proposed final grades of the expanded landfill would not encroach into the Stockton Municipal Airport imaginary surfaces. (Dershowitz and Moore,2009). Therefore,the proposed expansion project would not have a significant safety effect on the airport imaginary space. As discussed in Surrounding and Nearby Land Uses, above, the existing landfill has not generated significant bird strike hazards for the Stockton Metropolitan Airport in the past. The proposed expanded landfill project would continue to employ current bird control measures including properly compacting and covering wastes at the end of each day, and use of bird flares, whistles, and bombs. The maximum elevation of the expansion area would be approximately 183 feet above mean sea level (MSL), lower than the,permitted maximum height of 210 feet MSL for the existing Forward Landfill. However,the proposed project would extend the landfill footprint westward toward the Airport, and the expansion area would have a higher surface that could increase the hovering altitude of any birds attracted to the landfill, and create a hazard to aircraft. The following procedures are proposed as part of the project: • Existing measures to discourage birds from the landfill will be continued. Surface area of ponds will be limited to the extent feasible. • The project sponsor will continue to monitor bird population after operation of the expanded landfill begins. If follow-up surveys show an increase in bird populations,the project sponsor will increase mitigation measures such as covering the fill areas as soon as possible and using noise-makers and other measures as necessary to discourage birds from the site, until bird population levels return to the level found in pre-project surveys. Use of noise-makers would be limited to daylight hours. • As required by California Code of Regulation Title 27,Section 20270(b),Airport Safety, the owner or operators proposing to site new solid waste facility units and lateral expansions within a five-mile radius of any airport runway end used by turbojet or piston-type aircraft must notify the affected airport and the FAA. • As required by California Code of Regulation Title 27,Section 20270(c), Airport Safety, the owner or operator must place the demonstration in the operating record and notify the CIWMB that it has been placed in the operating record. • The project sponsor will abide by any additional reasonable and feasible measures designated by the Stockton Metropolitan Airport or the FAA to mitigate bird population impacts that could be caused by the proposed project. Implementation of these procedures would reduce bird hazard impacts to a less than significant level. Mitigation Measure A-3. None required. Impact A.4. Night lighting at the proposed project could interfere with airport landing lights. Pilots landing at the Stockton Metropolitan Airport during darkness use airport runway