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Oakwater Ridge EAW 6 Findings of Fact and Conclusions, Response to Comments, and Record of Decision Comment 4: Wastewater - A table should be provided to identify the wastewater design flow estimates for each of the residential and commercial development types and information should be provided on the composition of the wastewater that will be generated. Response: See Table 1 below. The total proposed flow is 0.2136 million gallons per day. TABLE 1. WASTEWATER DESIGN FLOW ESTIMATES Land Use Rate Quantity Estimate Residential 363 gallons/unit/day 536 homes 194,568 gallons/day Commercial 2,000 gallons/acre/day 9.5 acres 19,000 gallons/day Comment 5: Noise - The Responsible Governmental Unit (RGU) and any other land-use decision makers, should consider language in Minn. R. 7030.0030 that reads “[…] any municipality having authority to regulate land use shall take all reasonable measures within its jurisdiction to prevent the establishment of land use activities listed in noise area classification (NAC) 1, 2, or 3 in any location where the standards established in part 7030.0040 will be violated immediately upon establishment of the land use.” The noise section of the EAW does not provide enough detail regarding current and anticipated sound levels in the Project area to determine whether an immediate violation of the state noise standards would occur if the Project were approved. The MPCA has received noise complaints related to seemingly benign sources, such as car wash stations and pickle ball courts. The MPCA recommends the Proposer conduct a noise study and potentially evaluate methods to mitigate noise impacts, especially for residential locations near commercial or retail areas. Response: The City is not requiring a noise study at this time. The easternmost extent of the ‘Liberty Single Family Homes’ shown on the concept plan are 250 feet from US Highway 10/169. A future frontage road with a trail is anticipated west of US Highway 10/169. Highway traffic noise originates primarily from three discrete sources: truck exhaust stacks, vehicle engines, and tires interacting with the pavement1. In order to mitigate for noise impacts on future residents, a berm with vegetation is planned west of the future frontage road. It should be noted that noise barriers cannot completely block all traffic noise and are most effective within 200 feet of a highway. Effective noise barriers work by blocking thee line of sight from the noise source (highway traffic) and the receiver (future resident). Blocking the line of sight typically reduces noises levels by five decibels. The berm is anticipated to be built tall enough to block the line of sight of the highway and will mitigate for noise impacts from the majority of the average annual daily traffic. The Highway 10 Corridor Study states that approximately 4% of the daily traffic is heavy commercial vehicles2. The portion of Highway 10 adjacent to the Project boundaries had a current Heavy Commercial Average Annual Daily Traffic (HCAADT) of 1,400 compared to Minnesota 101 which had a HCAADT of 2,850. Regarding potential noise effects to the surrounding existing residential areas, the proposed development is not anticipated to double the number of vehicles on US Highway 10/169. The Highway 10 Corridor Study states that Highway 10 transports up to 34,000 vehicles per day. Based on the Traffic Study, the proposed homes are anticipated to generate 375 trips (94 entering and 281 exiting) during the morning traffic peak hour, 503 (317 entering and 186 exiting) during the evening traffic pear hour and 5,054 daily trips. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) notes in FHWA report HEP-18-067 titled “Techniques for Reviewing Noise Analyses and Associated Noise Reports” that “Doubling the number of sources (i.e., vehicles) increases the hourly equivalent sound level by approximately 3 dB, which is usually the smallest change that people can detect without specifically listening for the change.” 1 U.S. Department of Transportation. Federal Highway Administration. Noise Barriers Design Handbook. Accessed July 10th, 2024. Retrieved from: https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/Environment/noise/noise_barriers/design_construction/design/design03.cfm 2 Highway 10 Corridor Study. January 2023. Accessed July 10th, 2024. Retrieved from: https://elkrivermn.gov/DocumentCenter/View/11815/Highway-10-Corridor-Study-Final-Report