Page 178 - Planning and Design of Airports

Airport Planning Studies 145

3. Displace a significant number of people
4. Have a significant aesthetic or visual effect
5. Divide or disrupt an established community or divide exist-
ing uses
6. Have any effect on areas of unique interest or scenic beauty
7. Destroy or derogate important recreational areas
8. Substantially alter the pattern of behavior for a species
9. Interfere with important wildlife breeding, nesting, or feed-
ing grounds
10. Significantly increase air or water pollution
11. Adversely affect the water table of an area
12. Cause excessive congestion on existing ground transporta-
tion facilities
13. Adversely affect the land-use plan for the region

The preparation of an environmental impact statement based
upon an environmental assessment study is an extremely important
part of the airport planning process. The statement should clearly
identify the problems that will affect environmental quality and the
proposed actions to alleviate them. Unless the statement is sufficiently
comprehensive, the entire airport development may be in jeopardy.

Economic and Financial Feasibility
The economic and financial feasibility of alternative plans for a new
airport or expansion of an existing site must be clearly demonstrated
by the planner. Even if the selected alternative is shown to be eco-
nomically feasible, then also it is necessary to show that the plan will
generate sufficient revenues to cover annual costs of capital invest-
ment, administration, operations, and maintenance. This must be
determined for each stage or phase of development detailed in the
airport master plan.
An evaluation of economic feasibility requires an analysis of ben-
efits and costs. A comparison of benefits and costs of potential capital
investment programs indicates the desirability of a project from an
economic point of view. The economic criterion used in evaluating an
aviation investment is the total cost of facilities, including quantifi-
able social costs, compared with the value of the increased effective-
ness measured in terms of total benefits. The costs include capital
investment, administration, operation, maintenance, and any other
costs that can be quantified. The benefits include a reduction in air-
craft and passenger delays, improved operating efficiency, and other
benefits. The costs and benefits are usually determined on an annual
basis.