PORT TOWNSEND — Additional people will be disturbed by jet noise under any of the alternatives the Navy is considering for its expansion of EA-18G Growler airfield operations at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island Complex.
Navy personnel will present the alternatives in an open house from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. today at the Fort Worden State Park Conference Center/USO Hall at 200 Battery Way, Port Townsend.
The alternatives are from a draft environmental impact statement which evaluates the potential environmental effects associated with the addition of either 35 or 36 Growler aircraft and the increase of Growler airfield operations at Ault Field and Outlying Landing Field (OLF) Coupeville.
The statement was released Nov. 10, beginning an extended 75-day public comment period that ends Jan. 25, when all comments must be postmarked or received online.
The draft EIS is available for review at www.whidbeyeis.com.
Today’s open house in Port Townsend is the only one that will be held on the North Olympic Peninsula.
Alternatives include one for taking no action, which the Navy rejects as not meeting its needs.
The other three alternatives are:
• Alternative 1 — This would add three aircraft to each of the nine carrier squadrons and augment the Fleet Replacement Squadron (FRS) with eight additional jets for a net total of 35 more Growlers.
It would add 371 Navy personnel and 509 dependents to the region, the Navy said.
• Alternative 2 — This would add a total of 36 jets through establishing two new expeditionary squadrons, adding to aircraft to each of the existing nine carrier squadrons and adding eight jets to the FRS. The alternative would add 664 Navy personnel and 910 dependents to the region.
• Alternative 3 — This alternative also would add a total of 36 jets — three more for the three existing expeditionary squadrons, two more to each of the nine carrier squadrons and nine more for the FRS. It would bring in 377 navy personnel and 894 dependents.
For each of the three alternatives, the Navy analyzed three scenarios.
• Scenario A would have 20 percent of all field carrier landing practice (FCLP) conducted at Ault Field and 80 percent at Outlying Landing Field (OLF) Coupeville.
• Scenario B would divide the field carrier landing practice into 50 percent at Ault Field and 50 percent at OLF Coupeville.
• Scenario C would have 80 percent of the landing practice flights conducted at Ault Field and 20 percent at OLF Coupeville.
Noise has been a primary concern of people living on Whidbey Island and on the North Olympic Peninsula.
The draft EIS looked at noise at 65-decibels (dB) and above and at a day-night average sound level (DNL). The 65-decibel level is considered the low end of noise that would trouble people, the report says.
“There would be new areas impacted by noise that are not currently within the 65 dB DNL noise contour generated by Navy aircraft operations under all alternatives and scenarios,” the draft EIS says.
The number of additional people who are estimated to be within the 65 dB DNL noise contour ranges from a high of 2,514 (Alternative 1, Scenario C) to a low of 1,651 (Alternative 2, Scenario A) for the entire NAS Whidbey Island complex, the report says.
Ault Field would have the largest increase of individuals within the 65 dB DNL noise contour under Scenario C (up to 1,979 people for Alternative 1, Scenario C), while the lowest increase would be 395 individuals under Alternative 2, Scenario A.
For OLF Coupeville, the largest increase of individuals within the 65 dB DNL noise contour would be under Scenario A (up to 1,316 people for Alternative 1, Scenario A), while the lowest increase would be 512 individuals under Alternative 2, Scenario C.
The Navy said that potential impacts from noise exposure could include more indoor and outdoor speech interference, an increase in classroom interference, an increase in the probability of awakening, and an increase in the population that may be vulnerable to a potential hearing loss of 5 dB or more.
“Therefore, the Proposed Action would have a significant impact on the noise environment as it relates to aircraft operations at Ault Field and OLF Coupeville,” the draft EIS says.
Additional open houses will be in Oak Harbor, Lopez Island, Anacortes and Coupeville.
In addition to comments made at the open houses, the public can submit written comments online at www.whidbeyeis.com or via mail to EA-18G EIS Project Manager, Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC), Atlantic, Attn: Code EV21/SS, 6506 Hampton Blvd., Norfolk, VA 23508.
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Executive Editor Leah Leach can be reached at 360-417-3530 or at lleach@peninsuladailynews.com.
