Secondary Noise Screening Method Guide

Part A Background

This document replaces the “Secondary Noise Screening Process for S.9 Applications Supplement to Application for Approval, Version 3.0” (November 2009), PIBS 6888e.

A.1 Purpose

This document provides details on how to use the Secondary Noise Screening Method. The Director has approved a form in which the Secondary Noise Screening Method is to be used. This document provides instructions to the persons using the form (the Preparer) on how to complete the form for the Secondary Noise Screening Method.

A.2 Legislative background

The Secondary Noise Screening Method may be used to assess noise emissions from a facility for the purpose of satisfying the noise assessment requirements for applications made under Section 20.2 in Part II.1 of the Environmental Protection Act (EPA).

For information regarding the approval process under Part II.1 (Environmental Compliance Approvals (ECA)) of the EPA see the “Guide to Applying for an Environmental Compliance Approval” as amended.

The Secondary Noise Screening Method may also be used to assess noise emissions from a facility for the purpose of preparing a noise report as required by Ontario Regulation 1/17 (Registrations under Part II.2 of the Act – Activities Requiring Assessment of Air Emissions).

All requirements relating to registration in the Environmental Activity and Sector Registry (EASR) are contained in Part II.2 of the EPA, Ontario Regulation O. Reg. 245/11 (Registrations under Part II.2 of the Act – General) and O. Reg. 1/17, which can be found on Ontario’s E-Laws website.

A.3 Noise assessment options

There are three noise assessment options that may be used to assess the impact of noise from a facility: the Primary Noise Screening Method, the Secondary Noise Screening Method, or an Acoustic Assessment. Depending upon the nature of the facility and the location of Points of Reception ^{footnote 1[1]} (PORs), a facility may be able to adequately assess noise emissions by completing the Primary Noise Screening Method or the Secondary Noise Screening Method. If the facility is not eligible for the Primary Noise Screening Method or the Secondary Noise Screening Method then an Acoustic Assessment must be performed.

1. Primary Noise Screening Method: does not require detailed calculations and uses conservative assumptions for potential noise emissions from the facility to calculate the Minimum Separation Distance (MSD). Details on how to use the Primary Noise Screening Method can be found here.
2. Secondary Noise Screening Method: is less conservative and more rigorous than the Primary Noise Screening Method, but less intensive than performing an Acoustic Assessment. The Secondary Noise Screening Method is used to determine the combined sound level at each affected POR. The Secondary Noise Screening Method considers the following information: the location of noise sources relative to the POR; the effect of barriers that break the line-of-sight; tonality; the intermittency of operation; and the background noise from major highways/roadways. The Preparer is not required to use the Primary Noise Screening Method prior to using the Secondary Noise Screening Method.
3. Acoustic Assessment: is based on a detailed noise review of the noise sources at the facility and their impacts on affected PORs. If the facility is not eligible for the Primary Noise Screening Method or the Secondary Noise Screening Method, then an Acoustic Assessment is required. It is not required that the Primary Noise Screening Method or the Secondary Noise Screening Method be used prior to performing an Acoustic Assessment.

Please note that ECA applications will not be accepted without the inclusion of: a completed form for the Primary Noise Screening Method; or a completed form for the Secondary Noise Screening Method; or a completed Acoustic Assessment Report.

For a person required to have a noise report under the Air Emissions EASR regulation (O. Reg. 1/17), completing and printing the form for the Secondary Noise Screening Method will form part of the noise report required in the Regulation, if the Secondary Noise Screening Method is used. The completed form for the Secondary Noise Screening Method, including all inputs and appendices mentioned throughout this document, is required to be part of the noise report. Using the Primary Noise Screening Method or performing an Acoustic Assessment are other available options that may form part of a noise report. The noise report must be signed, sealed and dated by a licensed engineering practitioner and must set out the practitioner’s name and license number. For further instructions on the preparation of a noise report, refer to the “Air Emissions user guide for Environmental Activity and Sector Registry”.

A.4 Implementation by the MOECC

All new applications for Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change (MOECC) approvals submitted after this document is published will be assessed in accordance with this document. Applications that were submitted to the MOECC before this document was published will be assessed under the previously applicable document entitled “Secondary Noise Screening Process for S.9 Applications Supplement to Application for Approval, Version 3.0” (November 2009), PIBS 6888e.

This document, not the previous version, is relevant for a noise report prepared for the purposes of registering in the EASR, if the noise report relies on the Secondary Noise Screening Method.

A.5 How to use this document

The following MOECC documents, as amended, support the Secondary Noise Screening Method – some in the context of an application for an ECA and some in the context of registration in the EASR:

• Guide to Applying for an Environmental Compliance Approval (December 2012), PIBS 8527e;
• Basic Comprehensive Certificates of Approval (Air & Noise) – User Guide (March 2011), PIBS 4391e01;
• Environmental Noise Guideline, Stationary and Transportation Sources – Approval and Planning, Publication NPC-300 (August 2013), PIBS 8458e1;
• Noise Red Flag Tables, Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change (2017);
• Sound Level Adjustments, Publication NPC-104 (August 1978), contained in the Model Municipal Noise Control By-Law, Final Report (August 1978);
• Technical Definitions, Publication NPC-101 (August 1978), contained in the Model Municipal Noise Control By-Law, Final Report (August 1978);
• Air Emissions user guide for Environmental Activity and Sector Registry (January 2017); and
• Environmental Activity and Sector Registry – Limits and Other Requirements (January 2017).

This document has two main sections:

• Part A: provides background information; and
• Part B: instructs the Preparer on how to complete the form for the Secondary Noise Screening Method.

All website addresses referred to in this document were current at the time of release.

While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in this document, it should not be construed as legal advice.

A.6 Confidentiality

Information contained in the form for the Secondary Noise Screening Method is part of the public file and will be made available to the public upon request. Information submitted as supporting information may be claimed as confidential, but will be subject to the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act process. If confidentiality is not claimed at the time of submitting the information, the MOECC may make the information available to the public without further notice to the Preparer.

A.7 Definitions

“Actual Separation Distance” means the distance determined in Step 3.3 of the Secondary Noise Screening Method.

“Sound Power Level” means ten times the logarithm to the base of 10 of the ratio of the sound power (Watts) of a noise source to standard reference power of 10-12 Watts.

Refer to “Environmental Noise Guideline Stationary and Transportation Sources – Approval and Planning, Publication NPC-300” for the following definitions:

• Acoustic Barrier; and
• Predictable worst case noise impact.

Refer to “Technical Definitions, Publication NPC-101” for the following definitions:

• A-weighted Sound Pressure Level;
• Sound Level; and
• Tonality.

ECA applicants are to refer to “Environmental Noise Guideline Stationary and Transportation Sources – Approval and Planning, Publication NPC-300” for the following definitions:

• Class 1, 2, 3 and 4 areas;
• Noise; and
• Point of Reception.

EASR registrants are to refer to Chapter 3 of “Environmental Activity and Sector Registry – Limits and Other Requirements” for the following definitions:

• Class 1, 2, 3 and 4 areas.

EASR registrants are to refer to O. Reg. 1/17 (Registrations under Part II.2 of the Act – Activities Requiring Assessment of Air Emissions) for the following definition:

• EASR ESDM report;
• EASR publication;
• licensed engineering practitioner; and
• point of noise reception.

For EASR registrants please note that the term “Point(s) of Reception” in this document and in the form for the Secondary Noise Screening Method has the same meaning as “point(s) of noise reception” in O. Reg. 1/17. The term “affected Point(s) of Reception” in this document and in the form for the Secondary Noise Screening Method has the same mean as “affected point(s) of noise reception” in Chapter 3 of the EASR publication.

A.8 Acronyms

ASD: Actual Separation Distance

EASR: Environmental Activity and Sector Registry

ECA: Environmental Compliance Approval

ESDM: Emission Summary Dispersion Modelling

MOECC: Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change

NPC-104: Sound Level Adjustments, Publication NPC-104

NPC-300: Environmental Noise Guideline, Stationary and Transportation Sources – Approval and Planning, Publication NPC-300

POR(s): Point(s) of Reception

SL: Sound Level

L_W: Sound Power Level

A.9 Questions

For any questions or revisions to this document see MOECC’s website, or contact:

Environmental Approvals Access and Service Integration Branch
Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change
135 St. Clair Avenue West, 1^st Floor
Toronto, Ontario
M4V 1P5
Telephone: 416-314-8001 or 1-800-461-6290
Email: EAASIBGen@ontario.ca

Part B Secondary noise screening method

This section explains how to use the Secondary Noise Screening Method by completing the form that the Director has approved for using the Method. The form can be found here.

B.1 Confirm eligibility and describe facility (step 1)

The first step in the Secondary Noise Screening Method is to determine whether the facility:

• has a POR in a Class 4 area;
• is applying for a Renewable Energy Approval;
• has trucks that have refrigeration units or truck loading/unloading utilizing truck-mounted blowers or pumps; or
• has operations with significant impulsive and/or vibration sources, including, but not limited to, stamping presses or forging hammers.

If any of the above criteria are met, using the Secondary Noise Screening Method will result in an indication that another noise assessment option must be used to assess noise emissions from the facility.

The Preparer must provide a description of the facility, including type of operation, activities, manufacturing processes, and must specify hours of operation for the facility/equipment. The Preparer must also provide a description of the surrounding area, including transportation corridors and other factors relevant in the determination of the acoustical classification of the study area.

B.2 Identify noise sources (step 2)

The Preparer must identify all noise sources (i.e., both significant and insignificant). Significant noise sources include equipment or operations that contribute to the SL at the affected PORs. The Preparer must provide a unique source label and source description for all significant noise sources. For significant noise sources that appear in the Emission Summary Dispersion Modelling (ESDM) Report or the EASR ESDM report, as applicable, the Preparer must use the same source label.

Source descriptions must include all information that is relevant to calculating the noise emissions. Applicable information may be obtained from the Noise Red Flag Tables published by the ministry or manufacturer’s published data.

Some examples of typical noise sources that must be considered are:

The form for the Secondary Noise Screening Method can assess up to 20 significant noise sources. Should the facility have more than 20 significant noise sources, an Acoustic Assessment is required.

B.3 Complete secondary noise screening assessment (step 3)

To complete Step 3 of the Secondary Noise Screening Method, the following information is required to be used. The following three plans must be appended to the form for the Secondary Noise Screening Method and must meet the requirements set out below:

1. Site Plan: The Site Plan must identify the following aspects of the site:
   • Facility property lines;
   • Location of all significant noise sources at the facility;
   • Existing structures, including on-site acoustic barriers; and
   • A legend, scale and north arrow.
2. Land Use Zoning Designation Plan: The Land Use Zoning Designation Plan can be obtained from the municipality’s planning department and must indicate:
   • Facility property lines;
   • Current zoning and permitted land uses; and
   • A legend, scale and north arrow.
3. Scaled Area Location Plan: The Scaled Area Location Plan must indicate the location of:
   • Facility property lines;
   • Each affected POR;
   • All buildings on the facility’s site;
   • Acoustic barriers or structures that break the line-of-sight between the source(s) and affected POR(s);
   • The relative location of the affected PORs to any 400 series and/or provincial highways and regional roads. This distance is measured from the edge of the pavement of the highway/roadway to the property line of the POR; and
   • A legend, scale and north arrow.

Base maps showing the features of the surrounding neighbourhood may be obtained from the municipality, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry or other mapping companies.

B.3.1 Identify and describe the affected points of reception (step 3.1)

The affected PORs should be identified in each direction based on proximity and exposure to the noise sources. If several PORs are in close proximity to one another, the assessment of the affected PORs would be limited to the single POR that is representative of the predictable worst case noise impact experienced by the group of PORs.

For each affected POR that has been identified for assessment, the Preparer must provide a description of the POR including:

• a description of the zoning of and structures at the POR (e.g., two-storey single family dwellings);
• the direction of the POR relative to the facility (e.g., north-west);
• the applicable acoustical classification of the area in which the POR is located (i.e., Class 1, 2, or 3); and
• an indication of whether the POR is within 100 metres of the edge of pavement of a 400 series highway or within 30 metres of the edge of pavement of a provincial highway or regional road.

If a POR identified for assessment is located within 100 metres of the edge of pavement of a 400 series highway; or within 30 metres of the edge of pavement of a provincial highway or regional road then the next closest POR in that direction that is not impacted by a highway/roadway should also be assessed.

The form for the Secondary Noise Screening Method can assess up to 20 PORs. Should the facility have more than 20 PORs identified for assessment, an Acoustic Assessment is required.

Steps 3.2, 3.3 and 3.4 described below must be repeated for each affected POR that is identified for assessment.

B.3.2 Identify the applicable sound level limits (step 3.2)

The Preparer must determine and identify the applicable SL limit for each affected POR identified in Step 3.1.

For ECA applicants, the SL limit must be the applicable exclusion limit identified in NPC-300. Compliance will be assessed based on the applicable SL limit. However, for an affected POR within: 100 metres of the edge of pavement of a 400 series highway; or 30 metres of the edge of pavement of a provincial highway or regional road (See Figure 1 above), ECA applicants may assess compliance against a number that is 5 dBA higher than the applicable SL limit.

For EASR registrants, the SL limit must be identified using Chapter 3 of the EASR publication.

B.3.3 Calculate sound level (step 3.3)

The Preparer must calculate SL for each of the facility’s noise sources identified in Step 2 at each POR identified in Step 3.1. Note that the combined sound level from each source at the facility will be calculated at each POR in Step 3.4.

The Preparer is required to confirm that the noise sources identified in Step 2 contribute to SL at the POR being assessed.

For all noise sources impacting an affected POR (identified in Step 3.1), the Preparer must:

• identify the source of data that will be used for the calculation of SL;
• provide required variables; and
• provide barrier adjustment, tonality adjustment and intermittency adjustment as applicable.

A summary of the data used in the SL assessment must be appended to the form for the Secondary Noise Screening Method. Acceptable sources of data include: Noise Red Flag Tables, manufacturer’s specification of Sound Power Levels and manufacturer’s specifications of Sound Levels at a distance. Acceptable forms of manufacturer’s data are restricted to published data – sound data obtained by measurements at the facility are not acceptable for use in the Secondary Noise Screening Method. If the noise source is truck idling, then the Preparer must identify “On-Site Trucks” as the source of data.

Each source of data has an associated equation, Equation 1 – 3 below; however, if the noise source is truck idling, then Equation 4 will be used. The form for the Secondary Noise Screening Method will determine SL using the applicable equation.

The following explanations will help the Preparer complete Step 3.3:

Determining ASD

ECA applicants and EASR registrants are to refer to the respective section below for an explanation of how to determine ASD.

ECA applicants

The ASD is measured from the noise source to the closest property line of the affected POR. See Figure 2 below:

For PORs in Class 3 areas, where properties may be larger and may include areas that would not be considered noise-sensitive, PORs only include locations within 30 metres of a dwelling or camping area where sound or vibration originating from other than those premises is received.

EASR registrants

To measure the ASD, the Preparer must measure from the noise source to the property line of the affected POR. The ASD shall be measured from Point A to Point B in accordance with the following:

1. Point A is the point that is located on the edge of a noise source and closest to the property boundary of the affected POR.
2. Point B is the point that is located on the property boundary of the affected POR and that is closest to Point A.

There is an exception to the measurement rule set out above. If the affected POR is a dwelling or a camping area that is located in a Class 3 area, a person may use Point C instead of Point B in the measurement rule set out above, where, Point C is the point that is located 30 metres from the exterior wall of the dwelling or edge of the camping area and closest to Point A.

However, if the distance between Point A and Point C is less than the distance between Point A and Point B, the distance between Point A and Point B must be used to measure the ASD.

Equation 1 – Noise red flag tables

If the Noise Red Flag Tables are the source of data, the following equation will be used to determine the SL at the affected POR that results from the noise source being assessed:

Where:

D_A = ASD from the noise source to the affected POR measured in metres

D₅₀ = Noise Red Flag Table distance corresponding to the 50 dBA criterion measured in metres

Barrier Adjustment = 5 dBA if an acoustic barrier (as defined in NPC-300) breaks the line-of-sight between the source and the POR.

Tonality Adjustment = 5 dBA if the noise is tonal, as referenced in NPC-104.

Intermittency Adjustment = if the noise source operation is intermittent. The Preparer must provide the duration of the operation, t, measured in minutes per hour.

Equation 2 – Manufacturer’s specifications of sound power levels

Acceptable forms of manufacturer’s data are restricted to published data. If a manufacturer’s specification providing an L_W is the source of data, then the following equation will be used to determine the SL at the affected POR that results from the noise source being assessed:

Where:

L_W = Sound Power Level in dBA

D_A = ASD from the noise source to the affected POR measured in metres

Barrier Adjustment = 5 dBA if an acoustic barrier (as defined in NPC-300) breaks the line-of-sight between the source and the POR.

Tonality Adjustment = 5 dBA if the noise is tonal, as referenced in NPC-104.

Intermittency Adjustment = if the noise source operation is intermittent. The Preparer must provide the duration of the operation, t, measured in minutes per hour.

Equation 3 – Manufacturer’s specifications of sound level at a distance

Acceptable forms of manufacturer’s data are restricted to published data.

If the source of data is the manufacturer’s specification of the SL measured at a reference distance, then the following equation will be used to determine the SL at the affected POR that results from the noise source being assessed:

Where:

SL_ref = A-weighted SL provided by the manufacturer at a D_ref distance measured in metres

D_A = ASD from the noise source to the affected POR measured in metres

D_ref = reference distance provided by the manufacturer measured in metres

If D_ref is greater than each of the length (L), width (W) and height (H) dimensions of the source, then:

K_size = 0.

If any one of the source dimensions is greater than D_ref, then:

Where S_ref is the surface area enveloping the source excluding ground surface, at the reference distance of D_ref from the surface of the source. For a rectangular source with dimensions of L, W and H, the enveloping surface area is:

For a non-rectangular source, perform the calculations using a rectangular source with dimensions of L, W and H that envelops the source. Figure 3 below shows a graphic illustration of such an approximation:

Barrier Adjustment = 5 dBA if an acoustic barrier (as defined in NPC-300) breaks the line-of-sight between the source and the POR.

Tonality Adjustment = 5 dBA if the noise is tonal, as referenced in NPC-104.

Intermittency Adjustment = if the noise source operation is intermittent. The Preparer must provide the duration of the operation, t, measured in minutes per hour.

Equation 4 – On-site trucks

If the noise source being assessed is on-site trucks, then the following equation will be used to determine the SL at the affected POR that results from the truck idling noise:

Where:

L_W = 96 dBA; the sound power level of each truck

D_A = ASD from the truck(s) idling location to the closest property line of the affected POR measured in metres. For EASR registrants, note that when calculating the ASD, Point A is the point where the truck(s) most commonly idles at the facility.

N = the maximum number of trucks on-site within any one-hour period

Barrier Adjustment = 5 dBA if an acoustic barrier (as defined in NPC-300) breaks the line-of-sight between the source and the POR.

Intermittency Adjustment = if the truck’s operation is intermittent. The Preparer must provide the duration of the operation, t, measured in minutes per hour.

B.3.4 Calculate cumulative impact/combined sound levels (step 3.4)

The form will determine the combined noise impact by calculating the cumulative impact/combined SL for each affected POR identified in Step 3.1. Equation 5 will be used to combine each individual SL determined under Step 3.3 into a total SL at a POR.

Equation 5 – Cumulative impact/combined SLs

The total SL produced by noise sources will be calculated using the following equation:

Where:

SL₁ - SL for first noise source,

SL₂ - SL for second noise source,

SL_N - SL for final noise source.

Refer to Appendix A of the form for the Secondary Noise Screening Method for a summary of SL predictions and cumulative impact/combined SLs. The cumulative impact/combined SL must not exceed MOECC SL limits at each affected POR. Refer to NPC-300 or Chapter 3 of the EASR publication, as applicable, to confirm that the combined sound level at each POR does not exceed the SL limit.

B.4 Appendices (step 4)

The following information is used in the Secondary Noise Screening Method.

The Preparer must confirm the following are appended to the form for the Secondary Noise Screening Method:

• Tables in Appendix A that demonstrate that the combined sound level at each affected POR does not exceed the MOECC SL limit;
• A Site Plan that meets the Secondary Noise Screening Method Guide’s requirements;
• A Land Use Zoning Designation Plan that meets the Secondary Noise Screening Method Guide’s requirements; and
• A Scaled Area Location Plan that meets the Secondary Noise Screening Method Guide’s requirements.

Additionally, the Preparer is required to append the following data to the Secondary Noise Screening Method form:

• A Summary of Noise Red Flag Table Data used, if applicable.
• Manufacturer’s Noise Data, if applicable.

B.5 Preparer statement (step 5)

The Preparer must sign the Preparer Statement.

If the Secondary Noise Screening Method was used for the purposes of satisfying the noise assessment requirements for applications made under Section 20.2 in Part II.1, then the completed form for the Secondary Noise Screening Method, including all inputs and appendices mentioned throughout this document, is required to be submitted as part of an ECA application.

If the Secondary Noise Screening Method was used for the purposes of satisfying the noise report requirements set out in the Air Emissions EASR regulation (O. Reg. 1/17), then the completed form for the Secondary Noise Screening Method, including all inputs and appendices mentioned throughout this document, is required to be part of the noise report.