Artillery Noise Effecting Talavera

In the morning hours of January 13th, numerous residents of Talavera are hearing repeated loud booms and experiencing some ground movement. One resident has reported a window shattering.  This activity is coming from Fort Bliss, from a range that leads into the back of Soledad Canyon on the Dona Ana Range-North Training Areas.  These activities and subsequent noise were apparently presented in an Environmental Impact Statement that was published in March 2010 (see link below).  Please see Section 3.23 regarding noise and of particular interest is Figure 3-39 on page 3.348 and Figure 3.40.  Note that in the Complaint Risk Contours map that the Talavera area is not even represented.  We don’t believe that residents of the Talavera area were aware of this document or the noise that would effect us.  Perhaps the study did not anticipate noise levels on the other side of the mountains since it was not included in the model or the discussions.   We understand that the relocation of a Brigade Combat Team (BCT) to Fort Bliss is going to result in more frequent levels of noise generated from the Dona Ana Range-North Training Area.  Please refer to the EIS for more information.

Complaints of excessive noise and or property damage (such as the shattered windows) should be initially reported to the Fort Bliss Public Affairs Office at 915-568-4505.

Here are links to Environmental Documents from Fort Bliss.  Scroll down to Grow the Force (GFS) Realignment EIS (Final EIS) to read the document that is related to these activities. (Please note, the document is a 25mb .pdf file.)

https://www.bliss.army.mil/dpw/Environmental/EISDocuments.html