| Draft Environmental Impact Statement Shorts School Road Am Antenna Structures 34 southeast, and Mill Creek to the southwest are visible to varying degrees on the valley floor. Red blinking lights from the existing KRKO antenna to the northwest and the PUD substation to the southwest are also visible from the valley floor. Aerial Views Recreational balloonists and skydivers are active in the proposed project area. Typical balloon routes follow the Snohomish River at heights ranging from 1000 to 1800 feet (pers. comm., Aerial Balloon Company. August 2003). The balloonists have panoramic views that include Mt. Rainier, the Olympic and Cascade Mountain ranges, the Snohomish River Valley, the Seattle and Everett skylines, and the Puget Sound. Although they are traveling at much higher speeds, skydivers in the valley have similar aerial views of the project area. Visibility Anecdotal evidence from Harvey Field suggests that visibility in the Snohomish River Valley varies over the year (pers. comm., Harvey Field, August 2003). In general, the valley is prone to morning fog from November through March, which usually begins accumulating around midnight and burns off by 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. the next morning. When present, the fog decreases visibility in the valley substantially. Low cloud cover associated with rain also decreases visibility in the project area. In the Snohomish Valley, November through March typically have the most rain, while July through August have the least rain. 3.1.2.2 Project Description The proposed project site is a 39.75-acre agricultural parcel in the Snohomish River Valley adjacent to the southwest intersection of 132nd Street SE and Shorts School Road. The topography is flat with an average elevation of 21 feet mean sea level (OMSL). The Snohomish River, and the dike that runs along it, borders the proposed project site to the west. Preferred Alternative The proposal for the Preferred Alternative is to construct seven AM radio antenna structures up to 200 feet above ground level (AGL) in height (three during Phase I and four during Phase II) and one antenna structure up to 349 feet AGL in height (Phase I). The proposal has been voluntarily revised to mitigate visual and wildlife resource impacts. For a detailed discussion of the design revision see Section 2.1 Project History (Voluntary Project Revisions) of this report. The proposed antenna were designed to eliminate the use of guy wires to support the transmission structures, thus reducing the amount of ground surface occupied by the utility. As a result, each steel-lattice antenna structure would be triangular in construction and selfsupporting. The upper section of the tallest antenna, approximately the top 100 to 125 feet, would be engineered to be very narrow, approximately 24 inches tapering to approximately 15 inches wide. Therefore, although it would be very visible from closer distances, at distances approaching 1/2 mile and beyond, the visibility of the tallest antenna appears to drop off rapidly based on review of the visual simulations. The tallest structure would be painted and lighted as required by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The antenna would be painted orange and white in alternating bands, 50 feet each in length as prescribed by the FAA. The FAA does |