STAFF RECOMMENDATION
Hinkle NCPC File No. 7301
NAVAL SURFACE WARFARE CENTER, CARDEROCK DIVISION WATER TANK AND BUILDING 10—WIRELESS TELECOMMUNICATIONS ANTENNAS
9500 MacArthur Boulevard Bethesda, Montgomery County, Maryland
Submitted by the Department of the Navy
September 29, 2011
Abstract
The United States Department of Defense, Department of the Navy has submitted plans for the installation of: three AT&T Mobility, LLC (AT&T) transmitting and receiving cellular panel antennas; six Remote Radio Head antennas; six Remote Radio Head antennas (extenders); and one GPS antenna. The equipment will be added to an existing AT&T telecommunications facility at the water tank and Building 10 at the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Carderock Division. The new antennas are additions to existing AT&T, Verizon Wireless, and Nextel Communications telecommunications antennas mounted to the water tank.
Commission Action Requested by Applicant
Approval of preliminary and final building plans pursuant to 40 U.S.C. § 8722(b)(1).
Executive Director’s Recommendation
The Commission:
Approves the preliminary and final building plans for the installation of three additional AT&T transmitting and receiving cellular antennas; six Remote Radio Head antennas; one six Remote Radio Head antennas (extenders); and one GPS antenna the water tank and Building 10 at Naval Surface Warfare Center, Carderock Division, as shown on NCPC Map File No. 3108.00(38.30)43441, for a period not to exceed five years.
* * * NCPC File No. 7301 Page 2
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Site The Naval Surface Warfare Center Carderock Division (NSWCCD) is located in Bethesda, Montgomery County, Maryland, approximately twelve miles northwest of Washington, DC. The base is situated within a low-density residential neighborhood approximately 500 feet north of the Potomac River and approximately 1,000 feet west of the Capital Beltway (Interstate 495). Clara Barton Parkway borders the base to the east, south and west, followed by the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historic Park. NSWCCD is located on approximately 183.6 acres of relatively flat, low-lying, riverfront land.
ANTENNA PROJECT LOCATION
BALTIMORE-WASHINGTON PARKWAY MONTOGOMERY COUNTY
CAPITOL BELTWAY
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA PRINCE GEORGE’S COUNTY
The project site consists of a 148-foot 8-inch tall steel frame water tank that is located in the north central portion of the base and shown in the following graphic, adjacent to Witex Road (north and east). The water tank was reportedly constructed in 1948. Building 10 is immediately adjacent to the water tower.
ANTENNA PROJECT LOCATION
NCPC File No. 7301 Page 3
Background / Proposal The project will consist of mounting three AT&T Mobility, LLC (AT&T) transmitting and receiving cellular panel antennas (one per sector) adjacent to AT&T’s existing antenna installation on the hand rail of the water tank, at a centerline elevation of 124 feet above ground level. The new antennas will be attached to existing pipe mounts. Additionally, six Remote Radio Head antennas (two per sector) will be mounted above the proposed antennas. The antenna position is as follows: Sector 1 faces west-northwest towards an adjacent parking area; Sector 2 faces east towards Witex Road; and Sector 3 faces southwest towards an existing fire house.
The new antennas are additions to the existing AT&T telecommunications facility mounted to the water tank, consisting of six transmitting and receiving cellular antennas (two per each of three sectors) and one GPS antenna.
The new Long Term Evolution (LTE) antennas will be Katherein model 800-10764 antennas, measuring 52.0 inches long by 11.8 inches wide by 6.0 inches deep. All three of the new LTE antennas will be mounted at a centerline height of 124 feet above ground level on the water tank hand rail. The new antennas will operate on 698-894 MHz and 1710-2170 MHz, as dual band antennas. These panel antennas will be directed below the horizon, slightly towards the street, to minimize co-channel interference at the site, and to provide close-in, ground-level coverage. The antennas will be painted a similar color as the exterior of the water tank to help mask their appearance.
Additionally, the proposed project will involve: the installation of two new Remote Radio Head antennas (extenders) mounted behind the water tank hand rail in each of the three panel antenna sectors, for a total of six; one new GPS antenna that will be installed adjacent to an existing GPS antenna near the northwest corner of the existing equipment shelter that is centrally located on the rooftop of Building 10; and the removal of three existing TDMA equipment cabinets from the existing AT&T equipment shelter that is located on the roof of Building #10, to be replaced with one new ALU LTE equipment cabinet. This new LTE support equipment will be located inside the existing rooftop equipment shelter, along with other existing antenna support equipment, and will not be visible from the outside. No ground disturbance is planned in conjunction with this undertaking.
There are also existing Verizon Wireless and Nextel Communications telecommunications antennas mounted to the water tank, and equipment within Building #10.
NCPC File No. 7301 Page 4
NCPC File No. 7301 Page 5
PROJECT ANALYSIS
Executive Summary Staff recommends that the Commission approve the preliminary and final building plans for the installation of three additional AT&T transmitting and receiving cellular antennas; six Remote Radio Head antennas; one six Remote Radio Head antennas (extenders); and one GPS antenna the water tank and Building 10 at Naval Surface Warfare Center, Carderock Division, for a period not to exceed five years. The applicant will locate the antennas adjacent to existing antennas, and will paint the antennas a similar color as the exterior of the water tank to minimize their appearance. The associated radio equipment will be located inside the mechanical penthouse, and will not be visible from the outside. The proposal is consistent with the Commission’s Antenna Guidelines and with the Telecommunications Act of 1996, which encourages placement of commercial antennas on federal property. Staff recommends that the antennas be approved for a period of five years, which is consistent with the Commission’s recommendations in the Antenna Guidelines.
Visual Analysis The applicant provided a visual analysis (site line study) of the proposal, dated June 17, 2011. Due to significant tree coverage near NSWCCD, visibility of the water tower is minimal from the roadways that surround the installation, with the exception of the location of one of the installation’s former entrances along MacArthur Boulevard. This is one of the only locations where there is a break in the tree line that permits views of the water tower. As a collection of antennas currently exist on the water tower, and the new antennas will be painted a similar color as the exterior of the water tank, the visual impact of the new antennas will be negligible.
Existing conditions—looking southeast from MacArthur Boulevard; the only location that the tower is visible from the surrounding roadways NCPC File No. 7301 Page 6
Existing conditions—looking southeast from MacArthur Boulevard
Existing conditions—looking northeast from Clara Barton Parkway NCPC File No. 7301 Page 7
Illustration of proposed antennas in context with existing antennas.
Radiofrequency Analysis
The Navy performed an Electromagnetic Environmental Effects (E3) safety review of the proposed AT&T installation, with the purpose of identifying potential Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) and Radiation Hazard (RADHAZ) problems. Specific areas of NCPC File No. 7301 Page 8
consideration were Electromagnetic Interference (EMI), Hazards of Electromagnetic Radiation to Personnel (HERP), and Hazards of Electromagnetic Radiation to Fuel (HERF). Based on the study, which included data collected from government and non-government frequency assignment databases and a site visit to verify and collect additional data, the study reached the following conclusions: • Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC): “No Receiver Intermodulation problems are predicted”; • Hazards of Electromagnetic Radiation to Personnel (HERP): “Site approval is recommended with respect to HERP considerations”; • Hazards of Electromagnetic Radiation to Fuel (HERF): “No HERF problems are predicted. Site approval is recommended with respect to HERF considerations.”
CONFORMANCE
Comprehensive Plan for the National Capital Staff has determined that the proposed installation is consistent with the antenna-related policies contained in the Federal Elements of the Comprehensive Plan, Federal Environment Element, Human Activities Policies related to “Radiofrequency Radiation and Electromagnetic Fields.”
Relevant Federal Facility Master Plan The proposed project is consistent with the existing use at current NSWCCD.
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Pursuant to the regulations implementing the National Environmental Policy Act, the Department of the Navy has made a determination that the project meets their criteria for a Categorical Exclusion per reference (b), section 5.5.1 (b) (14), and can be excluded from further documentation under NEPA: "Renewals and minor amendments to existing real estate grants for use of government owned real property where no significant change in land use is indicated." Given the project’s location at NSWCCD, which is outside the District of Columbia, the Commission does not have independent responsibilities under the NEPA.
National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) The Department of the Navy concluded Section 106 consultation with the Maryland Historic Trust (MHT), as the State Historic Preservation Office, with the MHT issuing a concurrence with the Navy’s determination that the undertaking will have no effect on historic properties on July 14, 2011. Given the project’s location at NSWCCD, which is outside the District of Columbia, the Commission does not have independent responsibilities under the NHPA.