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O'Hare Noise Information and Resources

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For regular updates and information, please follow the O'Hare Noise Compatibility Commission Facebook Page.

‍ONCC Update - July 11, 2023
FAA Extends Public Comment Period
on Noise Policy Review

UPDATE: FAA announced in the July 11 Federal Register that it has extended the public comment period on its aviation noise policy review from July 31 to Sept. 29. View here.

‍The FAA is seeking public comment on its Noise Policy Review (NPR). 

The NPR will look at these key items and more based on input received from the public and stakeholders:

  • The FAA’s current use of DNL or Day-Night Average Sound Level as the primary noise metric for assessing cumulative aircraft noise exposure.
  • If and how alternative noise metrics may be used in lieu of or in addition to DNL to better inform agency decisions and improve FAA’s disclosure of noise impacts.
  • The community’s understanding of noise impacts and how to better manage and respond to the community’s aviation noise concerns.
  • Ways to improve communications on proposed noise-related agency actions. 
  • The findings from ongoing noise research, including the Neighborhood Environmental Survey and other research related to health impacts, speech interference, sleep disturbance, and economic impacts.

 Read and comment on the FRN and get more information here.

 The ONCC will be submitting comments.

 

The O’Hare Noise Compatibility Commission Approves New Fly Quiet Program - (Released August 17, 2022)

The O’Hare Noise Compatibility Commission (ONCC) has voted to approve a new Fly Quiet Program at a special meeting on August 17, 2022. The recommended nighttime runway rotation program was developed by the 11-member ONCC Fly Quiet Committee.

The new Fly Quiet plan features six runway configurations that alternate weeks from the north airfield to the south airfield and air traffic flow from east to west to balance nighttime noise impacts, avoid consecutive impacts, and offer predictability to communities located within the O’Hare region. In addition to approving the plan with nighttime primary and secondary runway headings and long runway designations, the committee also established operational, procedural, and implementation recommendations.

The original Fly Quiet Program, in place since 1997, has become obsolete due to the O’Hare Modernization Program, which completely reconfigured the airfield by deactivating runways, adding new parallel runways, and extending existing runways.

“The Fly Quiet Committee has been meeting and developing this plan for the past seven years and voted to advance the plan in June,” said Joseph Annunzio, ONCC Chair and representative for the Village of Niles. “I am very proud of the work the Committee has done in a collaborative and cooperative spirit. The goal of the program was to achieve balance and fairness for the residents around O’Hare – I believe the Committee has accomplished that with this plan.”

Now that the plan has been approved by the ONCC, the Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA) will assemble the proposal for review by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).  

“It was our top priority to spell out every detail of the program to ensure that we were implementing the best practices available for safety and efficiency while assuring residents surrounding O’Hare that they would experience predictability with quieter evenings,” said Karyn Robles, Fly Quiet Committee Chair and Schaumburg Director of Transportation.

Once the recommended Fly Quiet Program is approved by the FAA and implemented, the ONCC will work closely with the CDA, the FAA, and other stakeholders to ensure the program offers transparency and accountability.

“On behalf of CDA, we are ready to work with the FAA as it conducts its regulatory review of this new Fly Quiet program," said CDA Commissioner Jamie L. Rhee. "For decades, the ONCC has served as a model for airports worldwide to be good neighbors and engage with their surrounding communities, and we look forward to continuing that work in the years ahead."

Among the committee’s recommendations were that outreach materials be provided to the FAA, airlines, and communities about program changes; regular program updates including a dedicated website, schedules, and construction alternatives; that the Chicago Department of Aviation seek funding for sound insulation to mitigate noise to impacted residents and students; and that the ONCC, CDA, and FAA meet regularly to discuss program accomplishments, issues, and potential enhancements, and to participate in annual audits conducted by the Fly Quiet Committee.

The Fly Quiet Committee is chaired by Karyn Robles, Transportation Director for the Village of Schaumburg. Alderman Bob Dunn of Elmhurst served as Vice-Chair.

Committee members include ONCC members representing the four quadrants surrounding the airport: Village of Bensenville, Chicago Ward 39, City of Elmhurst, City of Des Plaines, Village of Harwood Heights, Village of Niles, City of Park Ridge, Village of River Grove, Village of Schaumburg, Village of Schiller Park, and City of Wood Dale. Non-voting members included representatives from the Suburban O’Hare Commission (SOC) and Fair Allocation in Runways (FAiR).  

The ONCC, an intergovernmental agency committed to reducing aircraft noise in communities near O’Hare, is composed of representatives from 43 communities in Chicago and suburban Cook and DuPage counties, as well as 19 school districts. The organization strives to reduce the impact of aircraft noise on surrounding neighborhoods of Chicago O’Hare International Airport through home and school sound insulation, and to reduce aircraft noise at its source whenever possible. For information, visit oharenoise.org.

 

 

Notice of Availability of the Draft Environmental Assessment and Draft General Conformity Determination for the Proposed Terminal Area Plan and Air Traffic Procedures at Chicago O’Hare International Airport - (Posted June 3, 2022)

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has prepared a Draft Environmental Assessment and Draft General Conformity Determination to evaluate the effects of the proposed Airport Terminal Area Plan and changes to air traffic procedures at Chicago O’Hare International Airport. The FAA is seeking public comment from Federal, state, and local government agencies and officials, as well as members of the public regarding this Draft Environmental Assessment.

The Draft Environmental Assessment analyzed actions proposed by the Chicago Department of Aviation, including: terminal projects, on-airport hotels, airfield and taxiway improvements not required by the terminal projects, and support facilities that are not required by the terminal projects.

The Draft Environmental Assessment also evaluated air traffic actions proposed by the FAA of making permanent the previously approved temporary offset (angled) approaches to Runway 10R/28L. The offset approaches allow for the use of simultaneous approaches to three runways and enables previously approved simultaneous approaches to four runways in the future.

The FAA will host Public Workshops on the Draft document. An in-person Public Workshop on the Draft EA will be held at Monty’s Elegant Banquets at 703 South York Road, Bensenville, IL 60106 from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm (Central Daylight Time) on July 12, 2022. A virtual Public Workshop will be held via Zoom at 6:00 pm (Central Daylight Time) on July 14, 2022. Registration for the virtual meeting is available on the FAA website, found here: https://www.faa.gov/airports/great_lakes/TAPandATEA/.

Web: https://www.faa.gov/airports/great_lakes/TAPandATEA/

Email: ORD_TAPandATEA@hmmh.com

Mail:    FAA, care of HMMH

            ATTN: ORD TAP and AT EA Comments

            700 District Avenue, Suite 800

            Burlington, MA 01803

Comments must be postmarked or submitted online by midnight (Central Daylight Time) on July 18, 2022.

 

FAA Seeks Public Commentary on Environmental Assessment for O’Hare Improvements

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is seeking public comments through July 9 to determine environmental issues and seek possible alternatives to study in its Environmental Assessment. The assessment will evaluate proposed changes to O’Hare International Airport. The projects currently being considered by the FAA include terminal projects, on-airport hotels, airfield and taxiway/runway improvements, support facilities and air traffic. 

The FAA is preparing this assessment to determine whether the projects will have the potential to significantly affect the environment and surrounding area.

Wood Dale residents are invited to visit the following link to learn about the full scope of O’Hare improvement projects and provide commentary regarding the Environmental Assessment Study.

https://www.faa.gov/airports/great_lakes/TAPandATEA/#involvement-opportunities

Federal Aviation Administration Seeks Feedback on Neighborhood Environmental Survey

Thanks in part to work done by the O’Hare Noise Compatibility Commission, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is seeking public comment on its existing noise research portfolio and the recently released Neighborhood Environmental Survey.

It is important for Wood Dale citizens affected by O’Hare noise to review the results of the survey and provide feedback to give the FAA proper understanding of the impact airport noise has on local residents.

The FAA Neighborhood Environmental Survey is a multi-year research effort to review and improve understanding of community response to aviation noise, its impact on the public, efforts to mitigate noise exposure and additional research. The survey included responses from over 10,000 people living near 20 airports across the country, and the results show an increased level of reported annoyance due to aircraft noise in contrast to earlier surveys.

The City of Wood Dale encourages you to continue providing feedback to assist the FAA with plans to mitigate airport noise. We also encourage you to continue providing feedback and filing noise complaints by calling (800) 914-8537.

Please visit the following links:

O'Hare Interim Fly Quiet Runway Rotation Plan Scheduled to Begin November 3

    The Interim Fly Quiet Runway Rotation Plan (IFQ) is scheduled to begin on Sunday, November 3, 2019. For each week, a primary and secondary runway use configuration is provided to accommodate potential changes in wind direction. The IFQ will be in place until May 2020 when pavement rehab is scheduled to take place on Runway 4R/22L. The IFQ will return in September 2020 and remain through February 2021 when construction on the Runway 9R extension begins. ONCC formed an ad hoc Fly Quiet Committee in September 2015 as a result of the Chicago Department of Aviation’s recommendation to modify the existing Fly Quiet Program. Fly Quiet is a voluntary nighttime noise abatement program at O’Hare that is in effect from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m.  The ONCC Fly Quiet Committee is now considering options for FQ21 – a new Fly Quiet plan to be in place once the O’Hare Modernization Plan is completed and full build-out is reached.

    Click here to view the schedule

    Click here for the schedule overview

    Federal Aviation Administration Releases Final Re-Evaluation Report for the Proposed Interim Fly Quiet Plan

    The Interim Fly Quiet Runway Rotation Plan was proposed by the O’Hare Noise Compatibility Commission in 2017 to provide relief from nighttime noise for the communities around O’Hare International Airport.

    Click here to review the final document. 

    The interim plan is expected to be in place from November 2019 to May 2020 and from September 2020 to January 2021. The plan will be impacted by airfield construction projects, which will result in reverting to the original Fly Quiet program during those periods.

    The ONCC Fly Quiet Committee is now considering options for FQ21 – a new Fly Quiet plan to be in place once the OMP is completed and full build-out is reached.

    ONCC is an inter-governmental agency representing over 2.1 million residents and is dedicated to mitigating aircraft noise from Chicago O’Hare International Airport.

    For more information, please visit the ONCC Website www.oharenoise.org

     

    Fly Quiet Committee Reviews Proposed Nighttime Runway Configurations

    At the April Fly Quiet Committee Meeting, the FQ21 runway configurations were reviewed. The three interim Fly Quiet tests illustrate how the committee arrived at the recommended Interim Fly Quiet configurations. A draft of 19 proposed nighttime runway configurations was presented to the committee. The next steps would include finalizing feasible runway configurations and piecing together alternatives with runway preferences. Suburban O’Hare Commission (SOC) consultants continue to advocate for configurations that share the burden as best as possible.

    Proposed Runway Configurations

     

     Locations of Wood Dale Noise Monitors

    • Corner of Grove and Center
    • Oak Meadows Near Edgewood
    • 744 N. Edgewood (Industrial Park)
    • Bensenville - An Omnidirectional Monitor Which Picks Up Noise within a 3 Mile Radius of the Wood Dale Runway Path.


    Suburban O'Hare Commission


    Facts

    • Runway 28R currently handles 63% of departures, over 600 flights, during the day and 72% at night.
    • The more people complain the more likely the City of Chicago and the FAA will listen.
    • Every other month committee members give updates from various meetings.
    • SOC(Suburban O'Hare Commission)-Hired 2 expert and technically knowledgeable consultants to enable intelligent responses to the FAA at meetings and explore means and methods of having O'Hare Airport serve as a good neighbor, and begin to develop a list of realistic recommendations.
    • Both Alderman Peter A. Jakab and Randy Messina have asked the City Council to fund the group with $3,000 in order for us to get more people involved.  Funding was approved in the budget starting May 1, 2015.
    • There is a video that will be aired from the SOC Committee which discusses the hiring of two experts to help with trying to get relief for homeowners with the noise. Look for this to be airing soon on ch's 6 and 99.  A schedule will be provided once the video is available.
    • From 2/1/2015 to date the FAiR complaint app which goes directly to the City of Chicago Complaint Center has received 713,013 complaints of which 203 individual Wood Dale addresses were included.  See the Section Below to File a Complaint.
    • This Committee did a "File a Complaint Week" for city residents which resulted in some of the highest number of submitted complaints ever.
    • The Chicago Department of Aviation have now piloted 3 different runway rotation plans.  The goal is to ensure noise is spread more evenly at night, the plan rotated runways that are parallel and diagonal, and long and short, as well as east and west flight operations. Each of these tests, had the difficult task of satisfying conflicting demands of pilots, sleep-deprived communities like Wood Dale, and the Federal Aviation Administration. 

     

    Bills Introduced

    • SB 636 Legislation has been passed and is now a public act.
    • SB 637 Legislation has been passed and is now a public act.
    • HB1340, sponsored by Representative Martin J. Moylan and Wood Dale's own Christine Winger. Discusses monitoring airport noise level monitoring.
    • SB0654, sponsored by Senator Dan Katowski and John G. Mulroe.  This is trying to change how the airport noise levels are monitored.
    • HB3251, Representative Christine Winger is spearheading.  This would require the state set up a separate system for residents to file complaints directly with the state.
    • HB3657, Representative Christine Winger is spearheading.  Defines the information that must be collected by noise monitoring devices.  The information must include the locations and time of day where the noise is monitored, decibel readings and an analysis of how noise affects a human ear through sound pressure.
    • HB4076, Representative Christine Winger is spearheading.  This would require the IL Department of Environmental Protection along with IDOT to study the impact of runways and air traffic patterns at O'Hare on air and noise pollution and the emission of gases and fluids by aircraft and issue a report by October 31.
    • The City of Wood Dale belongs to several organizations and in cooperation with those organizations is deciding which of these bills are the strongest and which one(s) should be supported.

     

    Status of Legislation

    • House Joint Resolution 83
    • Senate Resolution 139


    Upcoming

    • Write to Mayor Rahm Emanuel Day.
    • Discussion on advertising and getting more people involved. (Pending City Budget)
    • Discussion on WD O'Hare Noise Group tent at upcoming Prairie Fest


    Newslinks

     

    Information on How to File a Complaint

    O’Hare Noise Compatibility Commission

    The O’Hare Noise Compatibility Commission (ONCC) is the organization dedicated to reducing aircraft noise in communities around O’Hare International Airport. For additional information call (773) 686-3198 or visit oharenoise.org.

    Residential Sound Insulation Program

    The ONCC actively oversees the O’Hare Residential Sound Insulation Program (RSIP) and will work with the Chicago Department Aviation to determine construction and phasing schedules. As required by the FAA Record of Decision, all sound insulation for homes within the 65 DNL area of Full Build-Out noise contour must be completed by completion of the O’Hare Modernization Program.

    To qualify for soundproofing your home MUST reside in the current noise contour map. The City of Wood Dale is working with other surrounding communities to urge the FAA to redraw this contour map to more accurately reflect the current day changes in runway usage and configuration. To see if your home qualifies call the Residential Sound Inquiry Line at (773) 894-3255 or use the Interactive Property Locator.

    If your home is not eligible for the Residential Sound Insulation Program, the RSIP has put together a booklet on tips for homeowners to reduce sound transmission through their home. The booklet can be found by visiting http://oharenoise.org

    For questions regarding warranties for work provided under the Chicago Department of Aviation Residential Sound Insulation Programlease call (773) 894-3636. 

    Potential legislation may allow residents tax credits for insulating their homes!

     

    FAA Frequently Asked Questions 

    The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)  posts all frequently asked questions they receive from communities. Questions and answers can be found here.

     FAA Responses from the November 16, 2016 Public Outreach Meeting can be found here.