Protection from noise
Goal: Protect the community from exposure to unacceptable noise levels by advising and regulating industry and supporting local government and police with community-based noise management.
State of the Environment South Australia 2013 observations:
Noise complaints increased by about 20% from 2006 to 2011.
Main sources of noise are:
- industrial
- transport
- construction and waste or rubbish collection
- barking dogs.
Key achievements for 2013–14 include the following.
Waterloo Wind Farm environmental noise study
The EPA released the Waterloo Wind Farm Environmental Noise Study on 26 November 2013, in conjunction with a presentation to the community at Waterloo and a subsequent broader community presentation at Clare. The study, which covered two months from April 2013, had two primary components:
- a program of continuous monitoring at six houses of indoor and outdoor noise environments, and local wind speed and direction
- a community diary program, aimed at obtaining weekly information from residents on what they were hearing during the program, and when and how it affected them.
The project was not designed as a health study, but focused on whether the EPA could find a physical basis for the descriptions of noise impacts provided by residents in their diary returns. In particular, the EPA sought answers to four questions:
- Is there a physical basis for descriptions of noise supplied by members of the community?
- Are there particular environmental conditions that evoke complaints?
- Are low frequency and infrasound components present and do they contribute to these described effects and complaints?
- Do the criteria in the Wind Farm Environmental Noise Guidelines need to be reviewed?
The instruments provided information on the sound that people can normally hear (audio frequencies), including low frequency sounds and infrasound, which people cannot hear, except at high intensities. Noise data was analysed against both local wind data and regional wind information supplied by the wind farm operators.
The EPA was not able to find clear evidence, either in the audio records or measurement data, linking noise from Waterloo Wind Farm to adverse impacts described by residents. Although some identified noise events were detected in audio records, they were found only at very low levels. However, the report acknowledges that sensitive people in the area may be able to hear these sounds. The EPA has made it clear that the results of this study may not be transferrable to other winds farms, as any effects are likely to be strongly effected by topography, layout of turbines and local weather conditions.