RESIDENTS URGED TO CONTINUE TO REPORT AIRCRAFT NOISE POLLUTION

The new departure procedure for Runway 33 Left at Logan

began on June 5, 2013, after the FAA determined it would not produce

significant environmental impacts. With this new procedure, aircraft that

previously flew directly over northeastern and middle Somerville during

departures should now instead fly north of the Mystic River. The FAA will

conduct another review of the new departure procedure in six months.

Although this change will benefit only residents of East and

parts of Central Somerville, Logan Airport can still adopt more equitable

runaway patterns that will further mitigate aircraft noise pollution over the

city, which has tripled since the construction of Runway 14/32 at Logan

Airport. The City of Somerville asks residents to continue reporting aircraft

noise to 311 and to Massport to document how the changes are working and

advocate for future changes.

"This is a small yet victorious step for the City of

Somerville and surrounding communities. Any decrease in the frequency of or noise

level of flights over our community is a welcome change, and we will continue

to work with and lobby Massport and the FAA for additional mitigation for the

entire City," Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone said. "In the meantime, we need to make

our case to Massport and the FAA to ensure that these changes happen, but we

cannot do it without our residents help. Residents should continue to report

each incident to both 311 and Massport so the City can make a strong argument

for changes at Logan Airport that will have a direct impact on our residents'

health and quality of life and, as studies have shown, our children's ability

to learn."

The first goal of the Boston Logan Airport Noise Study

(BLANS) is to reduce the number of people exposed to aircraft noise in excess

of 60 decibels. The most recent BLANS report released in December 2012 states

that without any changes to Logan Airport operations, in 2015 Somerville

residents would have been subjected to 34 incidents of aircraft noise pollution

exceeding 60 decibels each day.

That same report identifies alternative Logan Airport

operations that could reduce the number of daily 60-plus decibel incidents over

Somerville by up to 69 percent and the minutes of 60-plus decibel aircraft

noise pollution over the city by up to 76 percent.

Studies have shown that night-time aircraft noise pollution

can increase a person's blood pressure even if it does not wake them,

increasing the risk of hypertension, and that residents in areas with more

aircraft noise are up to 50 percent more likely to have a cardiovascular

impairment.

Another study found that chronic exposure to aircraft noise

pollution is associated with higher levels of poorer reading comprehension and

sustained attention problems in children. Those problems do not fade over time

and children do not adapt the noise, according to the study, but rather persist

as long as the children are subjected to the noise pollution.

Residents

should report aircraft noise to Massport online at http://www.massport.com/environment/environmental_reporting/noise

abatement/noisecomplaints.aspx or by calling the Massport Noise Complaint

Line at (617) 561-3333 from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on business days. Those same

complaints should also be registered with the City of Somerville by calling 311

or online at http://somervillema.qscend.com/request.aspx.