A noisy cell tower in Copperopolis, CA, has neighbors asking for Verizon to turn down the volume. New equipment has been installed, including fans used to cool remote radio units that kick on and off. Verizon hired consultants that estimated the noise to be at 37 to 41 decibels at the property line.
One couple near the property line are Dan and Anne Hadley, who own a house “adjacent to the Copper Cove Verizon Wireless Unmanned Telecommunications Facility,” according to Calaveras Enterprise. They have asked that more conditions be added to the administrative use permit for upgrades, however the Calaveras County Planning Commission on Thursday unanimously denied that appeal. The commissioners did add that the noise level could not go three decibels above the baseline of 37 in the future. The Hadleys said they “could live with” the 37 decibel level.
Along with the Copper Cove Lake Tulloch Owners Association, the Hadleys said in their appeal that the project also had not been approved by the association. They asked for a noise reduction on the tower and more strict conditions on Verizon.
Calaveras Enterprise reports that at the original December 10, appeal hearing, commissioners did ask Verizon to reduce the noise level. The current ordinance allows for 60 decibels during the day and 50 at night. A “Calaveras County Noise Measurement Data and Analysis” report said that “20 decibels is the typical noise level for a bedroom at night or for quiet rural areas.”
A representative for Verizon told Calaveras Enterprise that “with every technological advance, the equipment is getting quieter, so it is unlikely noise levels will increase in the future.”
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