• Specialty

  Noise / Vibration
  

• SECTOR

  Public Health
  Municipal
  

• TYPE

  Environmental Study
  Permitting / Compliance
  

• CLIENTELE

  Local Government
  

• TIMESPAN

  2013-2013

• LOCATION

  Harwich, MA

Harwich Wind Turbine

SERVICE:

Acoustic Study

DESCRIPTION:

Tech was asked to monitor the sound emitting from the wind turbine located at The Cape Cod Regional Technical High School in Harwich, MA. The objective was to assess compliance with the MassDEP noise policy at the nearest residence/residential property line to the turbine. To properly assess compliance, Tech performed a 14 day on-site sound monitoring study. Using the results from the two week long monitoring, Tech was able to set up the 3-D modeling software, Cadna-A, to predict sound level measurements at nearest sensitive receptors. Tech tabulated both the predicted levels and the measured background levels to gain an understanding of the sound level increase above the ambient attributable to the turbine. Tech was able to conclude that the outdoor sound levels at the closest residences would comply with the MassDEP noise policy and the wind project would not create a nuisance to the community.

 

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Key Points

• There was concern that a wind turbine, located at a high school, was creating adverse effects on the surrounding community, particularly at the closest residences.
• Tech performed a 2 week sound study and used the collected data in a modeling program to predict the sound levels heard at the nearest residences and found that the sound levels comply with the MassDEP noise policy.