JULIO / DICIEMBRE 2020 - VOLUMEN 30 (2)

/ ISSN electrónico: 2215-2652

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DOI 10.15517/ri.v30i2.37436

Ingeniería 30 (2): 14-31, julio-diciembre, 2020. ISSN: 2215-2652. San José, Costa Rica

Aircraft Noise and Land Use Zoning Compatibility around the Juan

Santamaría Airport, Costa Rica

Compatibilidad del ruido aeronáutico y zonicación del uso de suelo

alrededor del aeropuerto Juan Santa María, Costa Rica

Ing. José M. Rivera Acevedo,

Civil Engineer,

University of Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica

josemra7@gmail.com

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6327-2132

Ing. Jonathan Agüero Valverde, Ph.D.,

School of Civil Engineering,

University of Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica

jonathan.aguero@ucr.ac.cr

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9096-9274

Recibido: 21 de junio 2019 Aceptado: 14 de febrero 2020

_________________________________________________________

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the noise generated by aeronautical operations around Juan

Santamaría Airport and its compatibility with the land use and the proposed zoning around the airport.

Aircraft noise can produce discomfort, interference with daily activities, and excessive vibrations; hence,

land use planning around airports is of importance. Maps were prepared through computational models

representing the noise levels generated by the operations of the airport. The operations were analyzed by

aircraft type, schedules, and ight tracks for 2013 and projections for 2016, 2026, and 2036. Noise level

data were collected with a sound level meter at 28 points surrounding the airport. Comparing the annual

maps of 2013 and 2036, it was determined that 41,24 % of the analyzed area will present clear perceivable

increases (5 dB to 10 dB), and 1,36 % of the area will have double loudness increases (10 dB to 14 dB). The

2016 maps show locations where it is recommended to incorporate solutions in the construction regulation

that reduce noise between 25 dB and 30 dB in the residential and scholar areas located within 65 dB and

70 dB, such as Coco, Rincón Monge, Rincón Herrera, and Bajo Sorda. This nding is supported by eld

measurements. The proposed zoning was contrasted against the yearly day-night average sound level of

2036. The biggest issue of excessive aircraft noise is located near the west runway where a range above the

75 dB is expected. Any edication of permanent residence here must be banned.

Keywords:

Noise contours; development; maps; planning; urban

Esta obra está bajo una Licencia de Creative Commons. Reconocimiento - No Comercial - Compartir Igual 4.0 Internacional

DOI 10.15517/ri.v30i2.37436

Ingeniería 30 (2): 14-31, julio-diciembre, 2020. ISSN: 2215-2652. San José, Costa Rica

Resumen

El propósito del estudio es evaluar el ruido generado por las operaciones aeronáuticas alrededor del

Aeropuerto Juan Santamaría y su compatibilidad con el uso del suelo y zonicación propuesta alrededor

del mismo. El ruido de aeronaves puede producir incomodidad, interferencia con actividades cotidianas

y vibraciones excesivas, razón por la cual la planicación del uso del suelo alrededor de los aeropuertos

es importante. Los mapas se elaboraron con modelos computacionales, representando niveles de ruido

generados por las operaciones. Estas se analizaron por tipo de aeronave, horario y patrones de vuelo para

2013 y proyecciones para 2016, 2026 y 2036. Se recopilaron datos de nivel de ruido con un sonómetro en

28 puntos alrededor del aeropuerto. Comparando los mapas anuales de 2013 y 2036, se determinó que el

41,24 % del área analizada presentará aumentos claramente perceptibles (5 dB a 10 dB) y el 1,36 % tendrá

aumentos de sonoridad duplicada (10 dB a 14 dB). Los mapas de 2016 muestran ubicaciones donde se

recomienda incorporar soluciones al reglamento de construcción que reduzcan (25 a 30) dB en las áreas

residenciales y escolares ubicadas entre (65 y 70) dB como Coco, Rincón Monge, Rincón Herrera, y Bajo

Sorda. Este hallazgo está respaldado por mediciones en campo. La zonicación propuesta se contrastó con

el nivel de sonido promedio anual de día-noche de 2036. El mayor problema del ruido de las aeronaves se

encuentra cerca de la cabecera oeste, donde se esperan valores superiores a los 75 dB. Cualquier edicación

residencial permanente debe ser prohibida aquí.

Palabras clave:

Contornos de ruido; desarrollo; mapas; planicación; urbana

RIVERA Y AGÜERO: Aircraft Noise and Land Use Zoning Compatibility...

1. INTRODUCTION

Among the most important effects of aircraft noise, one can include discomfort, interference with

activities (conversations and sleep interference) and learning (especially in children), and vibrations

induced by noise (Eagan, 2007). In residential areas, it is reported that sound levels greater than 55

dB cause interference in daily activities (Berglund, Lindvall & Schwela, 1999), and at night, sleep

can be interrupted by sound levels higher than 40 dB (World Health Organization, 2009). Studies

also show that long-term exposure to aircraft noise is signicantly associated with chronic noise

stress, which causes the prevalence of hypertension (Black et al., 2007).

The impact generated by aeronautical noise goes beyond the health aspect and is also reflected

in the lower value of the property costs (Hsu & Lin, 2005). For example, Püschel and Evangelinos

(2012) estimated that around the International Airport of Düsseldorf there was a decrease of

1.04 % in the rent for each decibel of increased noise because of aeronautical operations. The

Transportation Research Board (2008) stated that for the lands located in the proximity of airports,

sleep interruption is also a factor that determines its cost among other factors such as the number of

rooms, the scholastic facilities, and crime rates. Analyses such as the one performed in the highly

urbanized vicinity of the Amsterdam airport determined that a reduction in 1 dB could provide a

marginal benet of 1,459 euros per house, equivalent to a total benet of 574 million euros for all

the study area (Dekkers & van der Straaten, 2009). This study gives an idea, in monetary terms,

of the negative effect that high noise levels from airport operations could generate.

According to Xie, Li and Kang (2014), the adverse effects of being exposed for long periods

to the sound inuence of aircrafts makes evident the need for developing the expansion of airports

together with an adequate planning of residential areas. In the case of Costa Rica, the lack of eld

verications of the noise levels generated by aeronautical operations reects the scarce treatment

given to this problem despite being a country where the development of the aviation is important,

counting with four international airports and more than 100 aerodromes of mainly local use (Minis-

try of Public Works and Transportation from Costa Rica- General Civil Aviation Authority, 2014).

The Juan Santamaría International Airport (JSIA) concentrates the highest number of international

operations with an 87 % of the flights (INECO, 2010).

As mentioned by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO, 2019), studies made

with 55 dB contours of 315 airports worldwide demonstrate that if the aircraft technology and ope-

rational improvements implemented in the aircrafts delivered after 2015 are advanced (in a scale

of low, moderate, and advanced), it is expected that after 2030 this contour area may no longer

expand with the increase of the aircraft trafc. Even though the noise pollution occasioned by the

aircraft operations is increasingly reduced with the new technological advances, it is still a pheno-

menon that needs to be analyzed before the and after construction of the airports so that corrective

measures can be taken since the environment is dynamic.

The exposure to aircraft noise has effects in several areas such as human behavior, animal

behavior, price of properties, and territorial planning. Noise contour maps enable not only the

development of the present scenarios, but also medium and long term plans, testing different track

Ingeniería 30 (2): 14-31, julio-diciembre, 2020. ISSN: 2215-2652. San José, Costa Rica DOI 10.15517/ri.v30i2.37436

orientations and congurations (Sadr et al., 2014). This allows to predict the effects necessary for

planning future land use.

The ICAO (2008a) denes in its Doc 9829 Guidance on the Balanced Approach to Aircraft

Noise Management four areas that must be considered when a complete analysis of the noise pollu-

tion around an airport is performed and before applying any correction that reduces the noise levels.

It must consider the reduction of noise at source, the land-use planning and management, the noise

abatement operational procedure, and the operating restrictions.

For those decisions, the strategic noise maps, generated from computer models, are the basis

for the development of future assessments of the distribution of noise in residential areas and for

the preparation of action plans (Probst & Huber, 2007), which should be of local and global action

(Klaeboe, Engelien & Steinnes, 2006; European Commission Working Group Assessment of

Exposure to Noise, 2007). As an example, in the European Union it is mandatory since 2002 that

member states evaluate and reduce noise from roads, railways, airports, and urban agglomerations

through noise maps use (Garai & Fattori, 2009).

The Transportation Research Board (2009) mentions that, thanks to maps of noise levels, pro-

grams can be developed to modify ight patterns, so they can y over sites with compatible land

uses (especially at low altitude), establish voluntary programs that maximize the use of runway

headers that have approach or takeoff patterns more compatible with the land use, or change ights

from airports in areas with a high concentration of population to airports in areas with lower popu-

lation density. In addition, they are a tool to inform the population of existing conditions, so when

someone acquires a property or shows interest in it, they cannot claim the right to compensation

for damages caused by aeronautical noise (Federal Aviation Administration, 2014).

The Part 150 - Airport Noise Compatibility Planning (Federal Aviation Administration, 2014)

is a document that sets the procedures for the development of noise exposure maps as well as ways

to determine the exposure to noise that individuals have in terms of air operations. This takes into

consideration the land usage present or to be developed in the surrounding area, summarizing in

a table the data of which levels of exposure to noise are compatible and obtaining the noise levels

of the maps from the noise contours. Airport noise compatibility planning has important effects in

urban planning.

Throughout the world, aeronautical noise exposure analysis studies have been developed. In

some countries such as Spain, the strategic noise maps are used for evaluating the existing noise

exposure around airports. They are also easily available to public access for the main airports and

are reviewed every ve years (Aena, 2014). In Panama, the noise exposure studies were used to

analyze the actual and future effect of the aircraft operations of the Tocumen International Airport

noise levels over urbanized and non-urbanized areas (Rodríguez, 2008).

Since noise is a variable that diminishes the quality of life, the analysis of exposed areas by

noise contour maps and eld data also allows to determine which areas are more critical. For exam-

ple, Cano (2009) developed maps for the area of inuence of the Olaya Herrera International Air-

port in Colombia using Geographic Information Systems and the sound pressure of 26 points. This

RIVERA Y AGÜERO: Aircraft Noise and Land Use Zoning Compatibility...

study allowed to identify the importance of placing at least ve xed sound level meter stations

for continuous monitoring of sound pressure levels, which helped the responsibility of the airport

administration of maintaining the noise levels within a range considered acceptable for health.

In the case of Costa Rica, the studies conducted in the eld of aeronautical noise are scarce, and

most of the information is concentrated in the airport master plans. For the JSIA, a noise contours

map was created by TAMS Consultants, Inc. (1997), which compares the noise levels of 1995 and

those predicted for 2010. The most recent antecedent that is presented in the master plans corres-

ponds to the noise footprints created in 2011 for several locations of the future airport of San Jose

(INECO, 2011), including the current location of the JSIA.

The projected operations in the master plan of 2010 elaborated by SH&E y ICF International

Company were adjusted in the present work since the projected operations were higher than the real

data from 2011 to 2014. The plan corresponded to a study of 2010 in which the merge of different

airlines on a later period as well as the world economic crisis of 2008 severely affected internatio-

nal tourism (Brent, Amaya Molinar & Frechtling, 2009), inuencing the number of ights to and

from Costa Rica. This effect was not clearly understood and not incorporated in the study of 2010;

hence, an adjustment had to be made.

This study aims to evaluate the noise generated by future aeronautical operations around the

Juan Santamaría International Airport and its compatibility with the land use and the proposed

zoning around the airport. This work is organized as follows: rst the methodology is presented,

then results and discussion are shown, and nally, conclusions and recommendations are presented.

2. METHODOLOGY

The noise contour maps are used to indicate the amplitude and the magnitude of the impact

of noise produced by airplanes around airports (ICAO, 2008b) and are the basis for the develop-

ment of future assessments of the distribution of noise in residential areas and the preparation of

action plans (Probst & Huber, 2007). Their use should also be of local and global action (Klaeboe,

Engelien & Steinnes, 2006; European Commission Working Group Assessment of Exposure to

Noise, 2007). This kind of map includes data of noise contours in decibels and city milestones that

allows for geographical location. In addition, it should be considered that the data of the aircraft

operations most be composed of 365 days (a year)- register so that the contours will be the result

of a yearly day-night average sound level (YDNL).

For this study, the contours were developed using the software BaseOps 7.358 of the develo-

per Wasmer Consulting with backup of the United States Air Force. The software BaseOps 7.358

uses Nmap, which is a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approved model for detailed noise

analysis (Federal Aviation Administration, 2015). Several authors have used BaseOps for noise

modelling, including North Wind (2010), Morris et al. (2011), Christian (2013), and Waiters (2018).

As inputs, data of the aeronautical charts (arrivals, departures, and approaches) included in

Costa Rican Aeronautical Information Publication (AIP) and the 2013 data base of the General Civil

Ingeniería 30 (2): 14-31, julio-diciembre, 2020. ISSN: 2215-2652. San José, Costa Rica DOI 10.15517/ri.v30i2.37436

Aviation Authority (DGAC for its name in Spanish) were used, which includes detailed information

for each operation such as operating company, type of service, registration and model of the aircraft,

ight code, time of arrival, departure time, airport of origin, airport of destination, number of pass-

engers, weight, type of ight (national or international), type of operation (regular or non-regular),

day, month, and the exact time of the event. This study does not consider the effect of possible air-

craft technology and operational improvements that may be implemented in aircrafts in future years.

Table 1. Distribution of ights by schedule during annual season

Schedule Arrivals Departures

Day 78,3% 82,6%

Evening 12,6% 2,7%

Night 9,1% 14,7%

The operations in the database were classied for the annual season (all year) and distributed

according to three variables. First, its schedule (Table 1) with a category that includes the period

between 07:00 and 19:00 hours called “day”; another category called “evening” from 19:00 to

22:00 hours, and the period between 22:00 and 07:00 hours for the “night” category. In the case

of “night” category, a penalization of 10 dB over the sound level were applied, which means that

for the same event a difference of 10 dB exists if occurs during the day or evening than if occurs

during the night period (General Accounting Ofce, 2000).

According to ICAO´s Recommended Method for Computing Noise Contours around Airports,

the day-evening-night average sound level and day-night average sound level measurements are the

result of equivalent weighted acoustic levels. The global representation of all the acoustic energies

with temporary weighting depends on the time of day (day, evening or night), and arriving to the

receiver can be expressed through the formulas (ICAO, 2008b):

(1)

(2)

where:

RIVERA Y AGÜERO: Aircraft Noise and Land Use Zoning Compatibility...

eq,W

is the equivalent weighted noise level

is the reference time for the integrated acoustic level

is the time interval

N are all the all acoustic events

is the multiplier of the number of flights involved given by (2)

is the level of exposure to noise of an individual event

C is the constant that can be standardization, seasonal adjustment or other

is the weighting in decibels for period i

Second, each operation was classied by the category of ICAO Doc 8643 Aircraft Type

Designers (2012) as shown in Table 2, which considers the category of wake turbulence (H: heavy,

M: medium or L: light) , the type of aircraft (L: landplane, S: seaplane, A: amphibian, H: helicopter,

G: gyrocopter or T: tilt-wing aircraft), the number of engines and its type (P: piston, T: turboprop/

turboshaft, J: jet or E: electric). Finally, the operations were classied according to 13 flight patterns

for arrivals and 31 flight patterns for departures identied in the AIP.

Table 2. Distribution of ights by aircraft type during annual season

Aircraft group Arrivals and Departures

HL2J 2,7%

HL3J 0,0%

HL4J 1,2%

LH1P 0,1%

LH1T 0,1%

LH2T 0,1%

LL1P 1,1%

LL1T 23,4%

LL2J 0,3%

LL2P 2,1%

Ingeniería 30 (2): 14-31, julio-diciembre, 2020. ISSN: 2215-2652. San José, Costa Rica DOI 10.15517/ri.v30i2.37436

LL2T 2,8%

MH2T 0,0%

ML2J 60,9%

ML2T 4,8%

ML3J 0,2%

ML4J 0,0%

ML4T 0,0%

Figure 1. Estimated noise variation during annual season. A) 2013, B) 2016, C) 2026, and D) 2036

To dene the number of projected operations in each of the years in study, the data from the

Master Plan Update (SH&E and ICF International Company, 2010) of the Juan Santamaría airport

in 2010 was used as a basis, which included methodologies that contemplated three growth rates

during the period, a constant growth rate for 19 years and different rate every ve years. Then, the

data of the master plan between 2002 and 2009 and the real data for the period between 2010 and

2014 were taken, and two new projections were created: one potential and one adjusted potential

with a factor that consists of the division between master plan operations (2003 to 2009), real data

(2010 to 2014), and operations calculated with the potential projection (2003 to 2014) in order to

RIVERA Y AGÜERO: Aircraft Noise and Land Use Zoning Compatibility...

avoid overestimating the actual operations as a result of starting the potential projection at 2003.

Finally, a review was made of all projections to determine the minimum, average, and maximum

rate for each of the years between 2014 and 2029. Then, this was projected for each year based on

each average rate, starting from the real operations in 2014 (76 343) and continuing from 2030 to

2036 with the rate of 2029 at a constant rate. From the previous analysis, it was obtained that the

projected operations for the three years of analysis of study are 82 659 in 2016, 113 533 in 2026,

and 149 097 in 2036.

With the indicated data, four scenarios were modeled for the annual estimate years: 2013 (data

base), 2016, 2026, and 2036. With the information of the noise contours every 1 dB, the theoretical

distribution of the models was obtained for each scenario drawing ranges of 10 dB between the

minimum and maximum values. Figure 1 graphically shows the variation of the noise level for the

annual season within the analysis period (2013 to 2036).

3. RESULTS

3.1 Computational models

Based on the models dened for each annual season (2013, 2016, 2026, and 2036), which

does not consider the effect of possible aircraft technology and operational improvements that

may be implemented in the aircrafts during the future years, it was determined some parameters

that reect on how the noise pollution changed from one season to the other. Table 3 includes a

comparison for the seasons 2016, 2026, and 2036 with the 2013, so the average increase in decibels

and the percentage increase of the clearly perceivable (5 dB to 10 dB) and double loudness (10 dB

to 14 dB) areas can be observed. This analysis was performed to determine how perceptible the

sound variations could be between years of analysis in the studied area. The ranges of variations

(Araya, 2002) of +5 dB (clearly perceivable) and +10 dB (double loudness) were taken as reference

parameters, and comparisons were made with respect to 2013 and to the annual season, overlaying

the maps of the four created scenarios.

Table 3. Summary of estimated changes between seasons

Changes compared with 2013 annual season data

Season

2016 2026

2036

Average increase (dB) +1.69 +4.37 +6.05

Clearly perceivable (5 dB to 10 dB) areas (%) +0.20 +13.81 +41.24

Double loudness (10 dB to 14 dB) areas (%) +0.00 +0.59 +1.36

Ingeniería 30 (2): 14-31, julio-diciembre, 2020. ISSN: 2215-2652. San José, Costa Rica DOI 10.15517/ri.v30i2.37436

Comparing the estimation between the years, the average increase between 2013 and 2016 is

1,69 dB, between 2013 and 2026 round to a total of 4,37 dB (+2,68 dB from 2016), and for 2036

the increase is 6,05 dB compared to 2013 (+1,68 dB compared to 2026). Comparing 2026 data of

how perceptible the sound variations could be with 2013 data, the clear perceivable areas (5 dB to

10 dB) cover a 13,81 % whereas the increases in clear perceivable areas (5 dB to 10 dB) for 2036

reaches a 41,24 %. For double loudness areas (10 dB to 14 dB), these are practically negligible up to

2026, being a 1,36 % for 2036 and equivalent to 2,74 km

. While analyzing the most critical scenario

(annual 2036), it was intended to determine geographically (Figure 2) which places could require

special attention within the 20 years of the projection period regarding the estimated conditions

of 2016 as base. This could be obtained by dening as areas of special attention those with clear

perceivable increases (5 dB to 10 dB) and those with double loudness (10 dB to 14 dB).

Figure 2. Most critical areas for changes between 2016 annual season and 2036 annual season

For 2036 in comparison with 2016, it is projected that the special attention areas will cover 14,49

% of the study area, being 14,20 % part of the clear perceivable range (5 dB to 10 dB) and located

mainly around the towns of San Antonio del Tejar, Roble, Ciruelas, Rincón Chiquito, Bajo Tejar,

Lindora, Pozos, Coco, Bajo Sorda, Ribera, Pueblo Nuevo, Vueltas, Pavas, San Rafael, Pitahaya,

Cariari, Rincón de Monge, and San Roque.

The limitations stated by the Part 150 of the FAA are compared with the land use in Figure 3.

This Figure shows the noise contours between 65 dB and 85 dB and the corresponding map of land

uses. Similarly, Figure 4 compares the noise contours of 2036 against the zoning established in the

RIVERA Y AGÜERO: Aircraft Noise and Land Use Zoning Compatibility...

proposed regulatory plan for the area. Table 4 summarizes how the area affected by 65 dB or more

is distributed depending on each type of zoning and the noise projections for 2036.

Table 4. Surface by zoning according to the estimated noise for the 2036 annual season*

Zoning/ Surface

(65 to 70) dB

(70 to 75) dB (75 to 80) dB (80 to 83) dB

(km

) % (km

) %

Consolidated nucleus 0,13 2% 0,01 0% - 0% - 0%

Unconsolidated nucleus 0,19 3% 0,19 3% 0,02 0% - 0%

Expansion 1,10 17% 0,27 4% - 0% - 0%

Urban restriction 0,28 4% 0,05 1% - 0% - 0%

Logistics services, ofces and

warehouses

0,61 9% 0,48 7% 0,06 1% - 0%

Commerce, logistics services,

ofces, warehouse

0,24 4% - 0% - 0% - 0%

Commercial 0,08 1% - 0% - 0% - 0%

Agricultural 0,90 14% 0,44 7% 0,11 2% - 0%

Airport 0,28 4% 0,78 12% 0,33 5% 0,05 1%

TOTAL 3,82 58% 2,22 34% 0,52 8% 0,05 1%

*Areas smaller than 1 000 m

are not shown

Comparing the 2016 conditions against the Part 150 of the FAA limits, it is recommended

to incorporate solutions in the construction regulations to reduce between 25 dB and 30 dB in the

residential areas and schools located within the range of 65 dB to 70 dB. In this case, it refers to the

vicinity of the airport, Coco, southeast of Rincón de Monge, Rincón de Herrera (nearby El Roble

and Ciruelas), and Bajo Sorda. For hospitals, nursing homes, churches, auditoriums, and concert

halls within these same neighborhoods, they must incorporate solutions that reduce 25 dB.

For the areas near the airport such as El Coco, southeast of Rincón de Monge, and Rincón de

Herrera (near El Roble) located within the range of 70 dB to 75 dB, the noise level reduction (NLR)

Ingeniería 30 (2): 14-31, julio-diciembre, 2020. ISSN: 2215-2652. San José, Costa Rica DOI 10.15517/ri.v30i2.37436

should be increased to 30 dB in hospitals, nursing homes, churches, auditoriums, and concert halls.

In addition, 25 dB of NLR are required for governmental services and buildings where the public is

received and ofce areas located near transportation and parking land use. The most critical case,

the west runway (near Coco) within a range of 75 dB to 80 dB, is not compatible with the uses for

residential, schools, hospitals, nursing homes, churches, auditoriums, and concert halls. In addition,

the reduction requested should increase to 30 dB for governmental services and buildings where

the public is received and ofce areas located near transportation and parking land use.

Analyzing the 2036 contour map with the zoning map, the agricultural areas near Cañas are

in the range of 65 dB to 70 dB while the areas west of Bajo Sorda, east of Rincón de Herrera (near

Ciruelas), and south of Rincon de Monge are also in the range of 70 dB to 75 dB, representing

1,34 km

. In both ranges, the usage for agriculture, forestry, livestock farming and breeding are

compatible, but if residential buildings in the range of 65 dB to 70 dB are built, the construction

regulations should include NLR of 25 dB and 30 dB if the range is 70 dB to 75 dB. For the 0,11

within the range of 75 dB to 80 dB, south of Rincón de Monge, residential building, livestock

farming and breeding are not allowed while agriculture and forestry are permitted.

The areas of logistics services, ofces, and warehouses (equivalent to the land use of ofces,

businesses, and professional of the Part 150 of the FAA) nearby Bajo Sorda and Rincón de Monge

includes ranges of 65 dB to 70 dB and 70 dB to 75 dB while for the vicinity of Coco the variation

is between 65 dB and 80 dB, including three ranges. For areas between 65 dB and 70 dB (0,61

), the land use is compatible without restrictions; however, when the range increases to 70 dB

to 75 dB (0,48 km

), measures that reduce 25 dB must be incorporated into the design or construc-

tion stages of buildings, and for the 0,06 km

in the vicinity of Coco (75 dB to 80 dB), it will be

required a NLR of even 30 dB.

For the commercial areas north of Guácima and south of El Roble and the commerce, logistics

services, ofces, and warehouse areas between Cañas and Río Segundo are projected to be in the

range of 65 dB to 70 dB, representing a 0,32 km

and implying that the land use of ofces, business,

professional, wholesale and retail (building materials, hardware, and farm equipment), retail trade

(general), utilities, and communication can continue developing without restrictions.

With the expansion urban areas, the land uses are dened and could be developed for 2036

conditions. For the 1,10 km

, areas within the range of 65 dB to 70 dB (south of the airport, nearby

Rincón de Herrera by Ciruelas and south Sánchez) should be limited to governmental services,

transportation and parking. Hospitals, nursing homes, churches, auditoriums, and concert halls are

compatible if they incorporate in the design measures NLR of 25 dB. For the 0,27 km

between

70 dB and 75 dB south of El Roble, compatible uses are the same as in the previous range but with

NLR of 30 dB in hospitals, nursing homes, churches, auditoriums, and concert halls, of 25 dB in

governmental services, and 25 dB in the ofce areas located near transportation and parking land use.

Finally, with the consolidated nucleus of Río Segundo and Rincón de Herrera (near Ciruelas)

and the unconsolidated nucleus in Coco where the range is 65 dB to 70 dB and the one south of El

Roble where the ranges of 65 dB to 70 dB and 70 dB to 75 dB are present (representing a total of

RIVERA Y AGÜERO: Aircraft Noise and Land Use Zoning Compatibility...

0,52 km

), the residential areas are not compatible; nevertheless, when the community determines

that residential or school areas must be allowed, constructions regulations must include NLR between

25 dB and 30 dB. For the 0,02 km

of unconsolidated nucleus in Rincón de Herrera (near El Roble),

the noise level range is of 75 dB to 80 dB, which under no circumstances residential buildings should

exist; however, as showed on Figure 3, this is already an area of urban use.

Summarizing the considerations established with the computational models and the criteria of

compatibility according to the DNL, the most critical areas for territorial planning are the urban

zones of Coco and the south of Rincón de Monge, which require incorporating constructive measures

that reduce in 25 dB to 30 dB the noise levels produced by aircrafts and even ban new residential

and public use buildings in the areas of sound ranges from 75 dB to 80 dB. Moreover, a small area

of Rincón de Herrera (near El Roble) is in the 75 dB to 80 dB range, but it is already urbanized

and the possibilities to incorporate constructive solutions that reduce the perceived sound level of

the aircraft are less.

The other critical areas are logistics services, ofces, and warehouses nearby of Bajo Sorda

and Rincón de Monge where NLR of 25 dB could be required and those near Coco with 30 dB of

NLR. The nucleus in Río Segundo and Rincón de Herrera (near Ciruelas) also required these cri-

tical areas where the new constructive permits must be granted only with the analysis of specic

cases and approved noise mitigation measures.

Figure 3. 2016 annual season noise contours and land use nearby JSIA

Source: Civil Engineer School - Sustainable Urban Development Research Program, (2017)

Ingeniería 30 (2): 14-31, julio-diciembre, 2020. ISSN: 2215-2652. San José, Costa Rica DOI 10.15517/ri.v30i2.37436

Figure 4. 2036 annual season noise contours and zoning nearby JSIA

Source: Civil Engineer School - Sustainable Urban Development Research Program, (2017)

3.2 Sound level measurements

For the eld measurements, 28 points were selected in which 20 of them were based in the studies

Sonic Pollution Impact in the Neighborhood of the International Airport Juan Santamaria, Costa

Rica by Vargas, Álvarez and Asch in 1996 and Evaluation of the sonic contamination produced by

airplanes in the areas surrounding the Juan Santamaría Airport by Álvarez in 1999. The remaining

eight points were selected for extending the measurements in areas further away from the airport

with four of them to the north and four to the south since the 20 points were located near it. The

sound level meter used was an Extech Instruments model 407750 with a range of 30 dB to 130 dB

and an accuracy of ± 1,5 dB (FLIR Commercial Systems Inc, 2013), which collects information

every second in a recording system. It meets the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and

International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) Type 2 standards of the “ANSI S1.4: Specications

for Sound Level Meters”, which is the minimum requirement by the Occupational Safety and Health

Administration (OSHA) for noise measurements and is usually sufcient for general purpose noise

surveys (Occupational Safety & Health Training, n.d.).

The measurements were at different times mainly between 10:12 and 17:24 with some additional

records at certain points between 18:30 and 21:15. The length of the measurement at each point

varied between 11 and 59 minutes with the objective of registering at least three aircraft operations

per point where each operation was measured during periods of ve seconds. For the measurement

points, a verication was made of how much the sound level of the environment varied with aircraft

operations. For them, differentials were estimated between average environmental noise and average

aircrafts noise, nding out that the variation was between -2,1 dB and 19,5 dB. These differences

RIVERA Y AGÜERO: Aircraft Noise and Land Use Zoning Compatibility...

were classied in Figure 5 with the categories of how perceptible a variation in a sound can be for

humans where ± 3 dB are barely perceptible outside of laboratory conditions, ± 5 dB are clearly

perceivable, and ± 10 dB are of doubled or half loudness.

Only one of the 28 points shows a decrease in the sound level, and the increase cannot be

considered as perceivable in four of them; however, in 57 % of the measurements (16 points), the

increase in sound level can be cataloged as clearly perceivable (5 dB to 10 dB) while the other 25

% (seven points) were of doubled loudness (10 dB to 14 dB). From the measure points, the seven

with doubled loudness (10 dB to 14 dB) are located mainly near the airport’s runway and towns

of Río Segundo and Aurora. From the 16 points with a clear perceivable increase (5 dB to 10 dB),

some of these are located near towns where the modeling determined increased sound conditions

such as in San Antonio del Tejar, Asunción, Ciruelas, Roble, Desamparados, Bajo Tejar, Coco,

Cañada, and Ribera.

Figure 5. Distribution of the difference between the average environmental noise and the average aircrafts

noise at the measurement points

From the results of the eld data collection, it can be considered that the most critical areas

for development and territorial planning would be point eight (industrial area) located near Río

Segundo, the points in urban-residential areas which are number four near Rincón de Monge,

number ve near Coco, six and seven near Bajo Sorda, ten in Río Segundo, 14 in San Antonio de

Tejar, and 28 in Aurora.

4. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS

From 2016 to 2036, the increase for the annual average noise in clear perceivable areas (5 dB

to 10 dB) reaches over a 40 % of the area and for double loudness areas (10 dB to 14 dB) reaches

a 1,36 % for 2036 which is equivalent to 2,74 km

. It is necessary to control the future growth of

zones with urban, logistics, ofces, and warehouses land use in the nearby of the JSIA to mitigate

the noise effects that future operations can produce. It is necessary to focus the efforts for planning

Ingeniería 30 (2): 14-31, julio-diciembre, 2020. ISSN: 2215-2652. San José, Costa Rica DOI 10.15517/ri.v30i2.37436

and limiting into the expansion zones and unconsolidated nucleus named in the Alajuela’s Regu-

latory Plan, which represent around 1,77 km

. The construction of new homes, schools, hospitals,

nursing homes, churches, auditoriums, and concert halls must be banned in zones within 75 dB and

80 dB, a measure which can be incorporated into the proposed zonings of the new Regulatory Plan.

Areas nearby El Coco, Rincón de Monge, El Roble, Rincón de Herrera, Sánchez, and Bajo Sorda

require special attention because the sound level in these areas is incompatible with residential land

use according to the noise maps and the sound level measurements.

The noise generated by the aircrafts operations during the night period could be a problem in

the urban and residential areas nearby the JSIA; hence, the compatibility between the location of

the urban and residential areas and the number of aeronautical operations that takes place during

the night period must be evaluated. It should be considered if it is necessary to modify the routes

used by the aircrafts during night. Even though the scope of this study focus only in the analysis of

alternatives that can reduce the aircraft noise pollution based on land use planning and management

solutions, it is important to consider also the reduction of noise at source, the noise abatement

operational procedures, and the operating restrictions for executing an integral solution as it is

recommended in the ICAO’s Guidance on the Balanced Approach to Aircraft Noise Management.

Aircrafts noise is just one source of the sound pollution in the area, which is a reason why a

sound level research for other means of transportation that operate in the area of study (for example

vehicles on the General Cañas Road nearby the airport) must be carried out, and the results must

be compared for an integral analysis of the territorial planning. Moreover, it must be considered

a comparison of the showed results with a sensitive analysis over variables such as total number

of aircraft operations projected, type of aircrafts, hours of the operations, and distribution of the

operations between all the available tracks of departure and arrival.

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