Noise Pollution

• Noise is not just a nuisance, it is a HEALTH Concern.
• Studies show there is a direct link between noise and health. See Quality of Life webpage for Noise Pollution study links: Click Here.
• Exposure to constant or high levels of noise can cause countless adverse health affects, not just hearing loss.
• EPA Clean Air Act Title IV - Noise Pollution. Click Here for More Info.

The proposed racetrack is meant for high performance vehicles to be driven at NO SPEED LIMIT. From mid-morning until dusk for 7 months of the year, many residents in town and the surrounding areas will clearly hear the noise from the track and skid pad. The higher the speed, the louder the noise. It will be profound and the developer knows this. (See the Developer's failed attempt in Rice County, MN below.)

Cars allowed to accelerate and speed without constraints may create as much as 130-140 decibels of noise, which is approximately equivalent to a military jet taking off. This decibel level can cause immediate damage to the human ear; "this level of noise is audible for miles and could have a significant impact on the health, quality of life, and home value of people living in the long established rural area. An interesting article about race track noise describes noise levels at various tracks and efforts to mitigate the noise."

People aren’t the only ones impacted by noise (defined as unwanted and/or harmful sound). Many animals rely on their sense of sound for survival, and they are particularly vulnerable to noise pollution (prolonged exposure to noise), as it can affect: animal communications for distinctive calls to warn others of danger, attract mates, and identify their own offspring, mating, navigation because people-generated noises (like race car noise) can disorient by either damaging their hearing or causing them to adjust the pitch of their calls which affect communications, foraging since some animals have complex hearing to help them hear prey. People can barely perceive a one-decibel difference, but a study found that for every 1dB increase in noise, owls in the area were 8% less successful at catching prey.

The racetrack will be noisy and the developer knows this, as the Rice County, MN proposal included an effort to obtain a variance from the Minnesota Noise standards, which are also the county noise rules according to county ordinance. The developer advertised, according to the "Stop the Racetrack" in Rice County, MN webpage, that members of this exclusive autobahn club will be able to drive their cars as fast as they want. The developer had described on his Facebook pages about the Rice County, MN racetrack proposal as "a spacious motor sports complex specifically designed for the high-performance car enthusiast, complete with a 5.1 mile road course where you're free to drive as fast as you and your car can go." His website stated, according to the "Stop the Racetrack" in Rice County, MN webpage, the track will "include dual straightaways where drivers can exercise their cars to the max. Without stop signs, speed limits or fear of speeding tickets, drivers can experience the full capabilities of their vehicles." 

 Rice County, MN Racetrack Noise Studies
According to the "Stop the Racetrack" in Rice County, MN webpage information, the original noise pollution "study" released as a part of the EAW for Rice County, MN was "incomplete, inadequate, and unscientific. Its conclusory statement that the development could comply with state regulations would be humorous if not for the significant harm noise pollution causes.  The July study solely reviewed the racetrack.  The two new reports review (1) event / concert venue and (2) racetrack, go-kart track, skid pad, and background noise."  
The major flaws with the new report number two on the development were, as stated by the  "Stop the Racetrack" in Rice County, MN webpage information:

• The noise at the villas was not modeled in spite of Minnesota Pollution Control underscoring the fact that noise at the villas is not exempt from regulations.  
• The villas are still included in the model as sound barriers with no guarantee that they will ever be built.  
• The Minnesota noise regulations consist of two different thresholds that cannot be exceeded.  As in the original study, the new study only models one threshold.  
• The decibel levels of the engines of cars and go-karts are arbitrarily assigned without any reference to actual data as measured in the real world.  
• Noise of squealing tires not included in study.  
• Background noise is reported but applied only to one scenario with unrealistic lap counts in order to make the numbers "work."  The primary results table does not include background noise.  
• Inappropriate or undisclosed parameters are used in the software modeling.  

Of course, the author of the report number 2 was not identified and the report did not include an engineer's signature. A detailed description of flaws in the reports are shown on the Attachments page, Doc 20 on the  "Stop the Racetrack" in Rice County, MN webpage The reports are on the same page as Docs 16 and 17. 

It is important to note that there were deficiencies of the Noise Study for the proposed racetrack in Rice County, MN and concerned citizens should keep this mind for a racetrack proposal for River Falls, WI. The noise pollution study looked solely at noise from the the road course.The proposed project would have been nearly 500 acres and, as stated in the EAW Project Description, “will include new villas, a recreational road course, kart course, RV Park, convenience market and fuel station, and retail businesses related to automotive recreation.” The EAW further indicated that a large “skid pad” for vehicles, garages for the villas, a exclusive clubhouse, a service/maintenance building, a multi-acre event center, and a service building for the go-kart area, and a fast turnover restaurant were other elements of the proposed Rice County, MN racetrack development proposed project. All of these components of this proposal would also contribute to overall noise pollution. 

The Rice County, MN racetrack noise pollution study was limited to computer simulation rather than an analysis that used actual, readily available data on physical automobiles and racing facilities; it also did not actual physical data. Relying solely rely on software to predict noise pollution from the Autobahn project rendered the study inadequate and inaccurate. 

Implications of Noise Pollution Study 

Keep this in mind when you think about the proposed River Falls, WI racetrack.... The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency began its 2015 publication, A Guide to Noise Control in Minnesota (Noise Guidelines (10)), with the simple sentence: “Noise is a pollutant.” The EAW noise pollution study for the Rice County, MN racetrack confirmed that the noise it would produce would exceed the regulations. A racetrack in River Falls, WI would expose residents to harmful noise pollution. The racetrack would be audible for miles. 

Given the results of the Noise Pollution study for the Rice County racetrack proposal, government should be compelled to prevent the proposal from being approved to protect its citizens.