Kawartha Lakes Municipal Airport
Location: Lindsay, Ontario, Canada
Developer: Fieldgate Commercial
Kawartha Lakes Municipal Airport is located 2.0 km northwest of Lindsay, Ontario, Canada. The Airport is home to mostly general aviation aircraft, a Flying Club and is also used by an air ambulance service in emergencies.
HGC Engineering was retained by the developer to undertake an assessment of aircraft traffic noise originating from the Airport potentially iimpacting the area of a proposed retirement home in Lindsay. This study was prepared as part of an application to amend the zoning by-law and the Official Plan Amendment.
Airport Noise Exposure Forecast (NEF) Contour Modeling
There were no current Noise Exposure Forecast (NEF) contours available for the airport to draw from, and because NavCanada does not operate a control tower at the airport, actual aircraft movement data could not be obtained from Transport Canada.
In order to estimate the potential impact of the airport on the subject site, NEF contours were generated, in accordance with Transport Canada’s methodology. The predictive noise contour model took into account yearly aircraft movements, the type of aircraft, the runway used, the flight paths, the flight distance, and the period of day.
This information was obtained from publicly available aerodrome charts and from additional detailed operational information from airport personnel. Occasional helicopter traffic operated by the air ambulance service were excluded from the assessment, as this service is only for medical emergencies. Furthermore, Transport Canada’s NEF calculation does not consider helicopter noise.
To account for possible expanded airport operations, aircraft movements were projected 10 years into the future with a conservative growth rate of 2.5% per year.
The air-craft related sound levels at the proposed retirement home were found to be well below NEF-25, which, according to Transport Canada, is the threshold for the likelihood of some level of annoyance. Thus, even considering a conservative, augmented level of service relative to existing, the impact of the Kawartha Lakes Municipal Airport on the subject development site was anticipated to be acceptable.
Acoustical Consulting Services Included:
- Environmental Noise Study
- Airport Noise Exposure Forecast (NEF) Contour Modeling
