PSEG West Orange Switching Substation West Orange NJ6524

ACOUSTICAL EVALUATION OF STATION UPGRADES PSE&G WEST ORANGE SWITCHING STATION West Orange, New Jersey Prepared for: PSE&G Prepared by: Michael T. Conaway, P.E. mconaway@acousticalconsultant.com Reviewed by: John T. Baldassano, Jr. jbaldassano@acousticalconsultant.com Date: 5 June 2024 OAA File: 4807A

Acoustical Evaluation of Station Upgrades PSE&G West Orange Switching Station, West Orange, NJ 5 June 2024 TABLE OF CONTENTS SUMMARY ................................................................................................. 1 INTRODUCTION....................................................................................... 1 SITE AND VICINITY ................................................................................... 2 CRITERIA ................................................................................................... 6 EXISTING SOUND EMISSIONS ................................................................. 7 MODELING OF SOUND EMISSIONS ........................................................ 8 Existing Conditions .......................................................................... 9 Future Conditions........................................................................... 11 CONCLUSION ......................................................................................... 13 APPENDIX — DATA ACQUISITION AND ANALYSIS SYSTEM ................. 14

Acoustical Evaluation of Station Upgrades PSE&G West Orange Switching Station, West Orange, NJ 5 June 2024 Page 1 SUMMARY PSE&G proposes to modify equipment and systems at the West Orange Switching Station in West Orange, NJ to modernize the site. The site is within a mixed-use area of the township, but there are some residential uses in the vicinity. Analyses show that steady site sound emissions currently comply with applicable code limits at nearby noise-sensitive receptors. When the site upgrades are complete, steady sound emissions will remain the same at noise-sensitive receptors and continue to be below noise code limits. There is also no negative acoustical impact anticipated from this project. INTRODUCTION Ostergaard Acoustical Associates (OAA) carried out a variety of tasks in order to assist PSE&G with analysis of sound emitted by transformers and other steady noise sources at the West Orange Switching Station. Tasks included surveying and computer-based modeling of existing equipment and associated sound emissions, as well as modeling of future sound emissions with proposed improvements. Sound emissions are required to meet noise limits per State and local regulations. This report provides the results of these evaluations. Tasks for OAA were overseen by Michael Conaway, P.E., with assistance from OAA staff. The PSE&G representative coordinating this work is Eric Sudman, P.E. Our assessment of existing sound emissions relies upon in-situ surveys of noise emitted by various on-site equipment. Predictions of future conditions rely upon manufacturers’ sound ratings provided by PSE&G, as well as experience at other sites. Present and future steady sound emissions were evaluated using acoustical modeling software to conveniently sum sound emissions and graphically present the results. Note that all acoustical modeling for this professional acoustical evaluation relied on analyses in octave frequency bands. However, in the interest of providing a concise report of findings, the results are provided using the most common metric of environmental sound, the A-weighted sound level. Full acoustical data in octave bands for all measurements and modeling are available upon request; these octave band data are consistent with the findings presented within this report.

Acoustical Evaluation of Station Upgrades PSE&G West Orange Switching Station, West Orange, NJ 5 June 2024 Page 2 SITE AND VICINITY The West Orange Switching Station is located northwest of the intersection of Mount Pleasant Avenue (New Jersey State Route 10) and Prospect Avenue in the Township of West Orange, Essex County, New Jersey. The site is located at Block 155, Lot 26.01 and Block 1, Lot 26.01. The area around the site is mixed-use in nature, but a majority of the neighboring uses are commercial. Doctors’ offices border the site to the west, while a commercial fitness center and additional doctor offices are north of the site. Prospect Avenue borders the site to the east; beyond this road are several commercial uses and potential residences. A golf course is south of the site beyond Mount Pleasant Avenue. Beyond commercial uses to the west and east are multi-family residences. The site and commercial properties to the west and north are located in the O-R, Office Research, zone. Uses east of the site along Prospect Avenue are in the B-2, General Business, zone. The golf course to the south is in the R-2, One-Family Dwellings, zone. Residences beyond commercial uses to the west and east are in the PURD, Planned Unit Residential Development, zone. The site is split into two distinct sections. In the northwestern corner of the site is Marion Drive Substation. This area of the site consists of two power transformers (labelled as T10 and T20), associated isolation walls, a feeder row, and two control houses. The two transformers, T10 and T20, have integral cooling fans to provide cooling when necessary. The southwestern control house has two wall-mounted HVAC units, with one unit on both the west and west facades. Marion Drive Substation is enclosed in its own fencing and is small compared to the entire site. The switchyard comprises the remainder of the site and contains most of the electrical equipment. This area has six transformers (labeled as T1, T2, T3, 220-2, 220-3, and 220-4), two station light and power transformers (labelled as #1 SL&P and #2 SL&P), a feeder row, two control houses, a voltage regulation unit, an emergency generator, and a pump plant. Transformers T1, T2, and T3 contain pedestal fans, while the three other transformers have integral cooling fans. The two control houses have HVAC equipment associated with them. The 26kV control

ant. Transformers T1, T2, and T3 contain pedestal fans, while the three other transformers have integral cooling fans. The two control houses have HVAC equipment associated with them. The 26kV control house has five HVAC units that are elevated above grade; these units are located on the north, east, and west façades. The main control house has four wall-mounted HVAC units; two units are on the north façade, while two units are on the south façade. The pump plant also has a ground-mounted HVAC unit along the south façade. The site and vicinity are shown in Figure 1, which is based on aerial imagery obtained from Google Earth Pro software. The site is outlined in red, while existing isolation walls are outlined in light blue. Also shown in Figure 1 are pieces of major equipment.

Acoustical Evaluation of Station Upgrades PSE&G West Orange Switching Station, West Orange, NJ 5 June 2024 Page 3 Figure 1 — Aerial photo showing existing conditions at PSE&G West Orange Switching Station, West Orange, NJ. Also labeled are existing major equipment. The site property line is outlined in red. Existing isolation walls are shown in light blue.

Acoustical Evaluation of Station Upgrades PSE&G West Orange Switching Station, West Orange, NJ 5 June 2024 Page 4 Plans call for the upgrade of the site with new equipment and systems. All major pieces of existing equipment will remain, and there will be no changes made at Marion Drive Substation. Proposed plans call for installation of a switchgear enclosure near the southeastern corner of the site. The switchgear enclosure will have four exterior wall-mounted 3-ton HVAC units; one unit will be located near each of the corners of the enclosure, specifically on the north and south facades. The proposed site layout is shown in Figure 2; the equipment of Marion Drive Substation is excluded from Figure 2 for clarity. New equipment and structures of acoustical importance include the following: Future Equipment/System Approximate Height above Grade (feet) Acoustical Rating* Switchgear enclosure 12½ - 3-ton wall-mounted HVAC units, north and south façades (each of 4) 7 Sound power level of 81 dB(A) * All sound power levels are referenced to 1 picowatt.

Acoustical Evaluation of Station Upgrades PSE&G West Orange Switching Station, West Orange, NJ 5 June 2024 Page 5 Figure 2 — PSE&G West Orange Switching Station, showing major equipment and systems to be added in blue and equipment to remain in green.

Acoustical Evaluation of Station Upgrades PSE&G West Orange Switching Station, West Orange, NJ 5 June 2024 Page 6 CRITERIA The primary regulations governing sound emissions from the site are the State of New Jersey Noise Control Regulation, found at N.J.A.C. 7:29, and the West Orange code section 4-4: Noise. In summary, the State Regulation limits steady sound as follows: ❑ At or within the property line of commercial receptors, emissions from the PSE&G site are limited to 65 dB(A). ❑ At or within the property lines of residences, site sound emissions are limited to 65 dB(A) during the daytime (0700-to-2200 hours) and 50 dB(A) at night (2200-to-0700 hours). ❑ There are corresponding limits in octave frequency bands associated with the 65 and 50 dB(A) limits. ❑ No limit applies at industrial receptors or intervening rights-of-way since there is no associated noise-sensitive use. As stated above, regulatory limits apply at or within the property line of the receptor. Enforcement guidelines issued by the State† provide further direction indicating that compliance measurements are made at the location of the affected person. This is defined as a location where recreation, repose, and conversation may reasonably occur. In other words, it is most appropriate to evaluate site sound where a complaint may reasonably occur, such as at upper-story window elevations or at locations 5 feet above grade within landscaped and/or hardscaped residential property areas (e.g. lawns, decks, pools, patios, etc.). No limits apply at intervening roads or rights-of-way. Exceedance of code limits without a formal complaint does not automatically result in a violation of the code. Professional experience is often relied upon to determine the likelihood of a noise complaint. West Orange Township discusses noise in Section 4-4: Noise. However, this code section is qualitative in nature with no quantitative limits. Therefore, the State regulation limits were relied upon as criteria for this sound study. Since the site operates 24/7, site sound emissions should not exceed 50 dB(A) at nearby residential locations of reception. At nearby commercial properties, site sound should not exceed 65 dB(A). No limit applies at bordering rights-of-way. † Guidelines for the Investigation of Noise Complaints Pursuant to the State of New Jersey Noise Control Regulation (N.J.A.C. 7:29) and the Model

65 dB(A). No limit applies at bordering rights-of-way. † Guidelines for the Investigation of Noise Complaints Pursuant to the State of New Jersey Noise Control Regulation (N.J.A.C. 7:29) and the Model Noise Control Ordinance, 4 February 2022