September 2010
AAC Centro de Acústica Aplicada S.L. - Spain
AAC Centro de Acústica Aplicada S.L. – Spain Alberto Bañuelos
Susana Malón Beatriz Lagartos Ainhoa Masip
Mena Valley Town Hall – Burgos - Spain Javier Mardones
Spain Burgos Valle de Mena Bilbao Vitoria-Gasteiz Santander Burgos Distances: Bilbao: 30 Km 1 Million Inhab. Vitoria-Gasteiz: 50 Km 250.000 Inhab Santander: 55 Km 200.000 Inhab Burgos: 90 Km 200.000 Inhab Miranda de Ebro 50 Km 80.000 Inhab Miranda de Ebro
Vitoria-Gasteiz Llodio Amurrio Balmaseda Artziniega Laredo-Santoña Zalla Castro Urd. Villarcayo— Medina Pomar
Description:
:1 Municipality
Population: 3.926 inhab.
258 Km
260 Villages
6.416 Ha European Natura 2000 Network Proposed to increase until13.040 Ha,
First light pollution indicators
:Spotlights:
2.500
Population: 3.926 inhab.
Rate: 1,5 inhab/spotlight
Villasana de Mena: mean Town (1.400 inhab.)
1st Action Plan: Start point to change the tendency
Change all the spherical luminaries
Renew the oldest luminaries
Change Mercury lamps by HPS (close to Natura 2000 area)
New installations: 0 % over the horizontal
Priority: the less efficient installation in Villasana
Principles for the Master Plan :
Protect the Natural Areas
Protect and recuperate the starry sky
Joint to StarLight Initiative
Use these principles to justify aggressive corrections
2
ndEvaluation and Assessment Phase:
Measurements of the Night Sky Brightness
Assess the Light Pollution and its origin
Full inventory of the Lighting installations
Definition of a Master Plan
This project is granted 50 % by
Light Pollution Evaluation:
SQM Point Measurements
Lighmeter Routes measurements Sky pictures and their color images SQM Long term Monitoring
Calculation of affected areas by Village
N
E
W
S
Treatment of Pictures by Zoltán KolláthVitoria-Gasteiz Llodio Amurrio Balmaseda Laredo-Santoña Zalla Castro Urd. Villarcayo— Medina Pomar Photo
Treatment of Pictures by Zoltán Kolláth
N
E
S
W
SQM Monitoring point 0,00 5,00 10,00 15,00 20,00 25,00 2 2 :3 4 :5 2 2 3 :1 4 :5 7 2 3 :5 9 :5 7 0 :4 4 :5 7 1 :2 9 :5 7 2 :1 4 :5 7 2 :5 9 :5 6 3 :4 4 :5 6 4 :2 9 :5 6 5 :1 4 :5 6 5 :5 9 :5 6 6 :4 4 :5 5 7 :2 9 :5 5 8 :1 4 :5 5 8 :5 9 :5 5 9 :4 4 :5 5 1 0 :2 9 :5 5 1 1 :1 4 :5 4 1 1 :5 9 :5 4 1 2 :4 4 :5 4 1 3 :2 9 :5 4 1 4 :1 4 :5 4 1 4 :5 9 :5 3 1 5 :4 4 :5 3 1 6 :2 9 :5 3 1 7 :1 4 :5 3 1 7 :5 9 :5 3 1 8 :4 4 :5 2 1 9 :2 9 :5 2 2 0 :1 4 :5 2 2 0 :5 9 :5 2 2 1 :4 4 :5 2 2 2 :2 9 :5 2 2 3 :1 4 :5 1 2 3 :5 9 :5 1 0 :4 4 :5 1 1 :2 9 :5 1 2 :1 4 :5 1 2 :5 9 :5 0 3 :4 4 :5 0 4 :2 9 :5 0 5 :1 4 :5 0 5 :5 9 :5 0 6 :4 4 :5 0 7 :2 9 :4 9 8 :1 4 :4 9 8 :5 9 :4 9 9 :4 4 :4 9 1 0 :2 9 :4 9 1 1 :1 4 :4 8 1 1 :5 9 :4 8 1 2 :4 4 :4 9 1 3 :2 9 :4 8
Valores de brillo de cielo (mag/ars2) en Villasana Punto entre c/E.Bustamante y c/Cervantes
Light Pollution Maps
Calculation of polluted areas by a village
Inventory
(Emission)
Light Pollution values
(Inmision)
Distance effect
(Propagation)
Light pollution zones
Draft for dark areas:
over 21 mag/sqas (SQM-L)
All the territory over 20 mag/sqas and most of it over 20,5 mag/sqas
(SQM-L)
Assessment of the Light Pollution
To get a really Dark area is limited by the external agglomerations at
N-NE-E: mainly Bilbao, but also Vitoria-Gasteiz and other smaller
towns
South and, principally, SW areas far from local villages are quite dark
(over 21 mag/arcsec
2)
Most of the EU Nature2000 protected Area is over 21 mpsqas
Changes in lighting systems will be able to improve the night sky
quality and increase the areas over 21 mpsqas
Mercury lamps in small villages are a considerable impact on the
night landscape and it should also affect to the sky darkness.
There are an enough good sky to promote this heritage as an
additional value to the Mena Natural areas, biodiversity and culture.
So, improve the Night Sky quality must be a priority in the Master Plan
to:
Protect the forest and other natural areas
Improve and extend the starry sky over 21 mpsqas
Recuperate the nocturnal landscape
Regulate low illumination limits, just the needed.
Avoid over illumination, if needed reducing the uniformity. Use only yellow light: at present, HPS and LPS.
When economically possible; reduce the illumination levels at the dark period. Introduce LPS in rural areas with low traffic roads, specially near Nature 2000
protected areas. Changing from 125/150/250 W to 35 W. Very important action because the high percentage of these spotlights.
Due to new roads that ring some village, redesign their old road crossing to the new traffic conditions: maybe switch-off some of them
Develop the StarLightAction Plan: Already presented to StarLight to be evaluated.
Promote the night landscape and the starry sky as additional value to the sustainable tourism.
Promote between the citizens the excellence of the night heritage and the value to recuperate it
Schedule the priorities to renew the less efficient and most pollutant installations
Define a monitoring program to follow the Master Plan and its effects on the Light Pollution
Schedule specific actions to the citizens about the night sky observations and the nature. Create StarLight Star-Parks and demonstrative night paths.
Recommendations from the Mena Valley experience
To get that studies as the Mena Valley will get some positive effect to reduce the
Light Pollution, it is needed:
To have a well defined index to describe the L.P. at each point.
Parameter(s) / Yearly value: Index
To define Reference values / objectives / limits / …
Common position to Natural Areas for all the initiatives:
StarLight, Dark-Sky Parks; IDA Dark Parks
Aim:
1st.: Protect the Biodiversity
2nd: Protect the starry sky observations
Require Action Plans
From the areas (Parks,…) to be protected, to improve the Night Sky
Quality
Next Step:
To include these criteria in the management of Parks and Natura
2000 Network and in the Environmental Legislation: local, regional,
national EU.
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www,aacacustica.com www.valledemena.es
