Urban Outdoor Recreation Areas
This indicator measures noise levels in the Urban Outdoor Recreation land use areas. Cumulative noise or community noise equivalent level (CNEL) is a noise measurement based on a weighted average of all measured noise over a 24-hour period. Excessive noise in the Tahoe Region can impact wildlife, visitors’ experiences, and residents’ quality of life. Anthropogenic activities such as construction, vehicular travel, aircraft, recreation, and events are the primary drivers of community noise levels in the Region. Regional programs such as encouraging the use of low-noise pavement and limiting noise during nighttime hours reduce community noise levels in the Region. CNEL is monitored in plan areas across the Region annually.
Status
Average CNEL noise levels in urban outdoor recreation areas.
Data collected by the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency. Access detailed datasets, including Noise Data Summaries, on Tahoe Open Data.
Evaluation Map
Urban Outdoor Recreation Area Noise Monitoring Locations
2023 Evaluation
- Status
- At or Somewhat Better Than Target
- Trend
- Little or No Change
- Confidence
- Moderate
Applicable Standard
N21: Background noise levels shall not exceed the following levels: 55 dBA CNEL (Average Noise Level) in the Urban Outdoor Recreation Areas Land Use Category.
Key Points
- The average noise level in urban outdoor recreation areas is well within the threshold standard.
- Little to no change in overall noise levels in urban outdoor recreation areas has been observed since the 2019 Threshold Evaluation.
- Noise levels in each plan area are assessed using the maximum 24-hour noise measurement.
About the Threshold
This indicator measures 24-hour noise levels in urban outdoor recreation land use categories in the Lake Tahoe Basin. Due to the rural nature of the communities and the pristine natural areas in the Lake Tahoe Basin, excessive noise levels have the potential to negatively impact community ambiance, recreational experience, and wildlife behavior. In addition to existing federal, state, and local noise control regulations, in an effort to address these noise level impacts, TRPA adopted 24-hour noise threshold standards, or community noise equivalent levels (CNEL), for all land use categories, plan areas, and transportation corridors of the basin. TRPA and local jurisdictions review proposed public and private projects to determine if the project would result in increases in existing CNEL that would exceed applicable standards (TRPA Code of Ordinances). Projects that would exceed applicable CNEL standards are required to mitigate project-related noise.
Anthropogenic noise levels affecting these land use categories and transportation corridors are generated from vehicles, roadway traffic, construction, aircraft, and recreational activity. Natural events such as thunderstorms and wind influence noise levels as environmental drivers.
Delivering and Measuring Success
Monitoring Programs
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Noise - Plan Areas
TRPA monitors background noise levels in all Plan Areas in the Tahoe Basin to ensure noise levels are not disturbing people and wildlife, and to maintain the unique characteristics of the Basin.
Rationale Details
- At or Somewhat Better Than Target. To measure the current status, the average CNEL for all days measured within urban outdoor recreation land use areas during the current evaluation period of 2020-2023 was used. The average CNEL during this period is 47 dB, which is 85 percent of the maximum allowable levels. Therefore, the current status is at or somewhat better than target.
- Little or No Change. To determine trend, the average CNEL for all days measured within urban outdoor recreation land use areas for each reporting period is assessed. The percent change is -0.19, therefore, a trend of little to no change was determined.
Confidence Details
- High. Noise monitoring follows monitoring protocol and has consistent data for several monitoring periods with spatial variation.
- Low. Confidence of trend is determined by the duration of trustworthy data and both the coefficient of determination and t-test significance. There is a long term trustworthy dataset for noise. R²= 0.11, p-value= 0.53, Therefore, the trend of confidence is low.
- Moderate. If one confidence rating is high and the other is low, the overall confidence rating is moderate.
Additional Figures and Resources
No photos available.
No documents available.