The amount of noise emanating from Whidbey Island’s fleet of navy jets may be muffled to a significant degree if navy officials heed a request of two senior members of the Washington state’s congressional delegation.

Sen. Patty Murray and Congressman Rick Larsen last week asked the Navy to consider a funding recommendation earmarked for construction of a so-called “hush house” hangar at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, ground-zero in a rising controversy over the impact of noise created by air and ground testing of the naval station’s fleet of EA-18G Growlers.

Construction of a noise mitigation hangar at Ault Field would help reduce noise from on-ground engine testing and maintenance, Larsen said.

“Community members from Whidbey Island and the San Juan Islands have shared with me their concerns about the noise from the Growlers at (Naval Air Station Whidbey Island),” Larsen said.

“Senator Murray and I have listened and are asking the Navy to help out by building a hush house, which would muffle engine noise from testing and maintenance on the ground and direct it away from communities.”

Larsen added, “I have always been clear in my support for NASWI’s role as one of the country’s premier Navy installations, the Growlers being stationed at the base, and the necessary training such as field carrier landing practice to make sure our servicemen and women are prepared. I will also continue working with community members and local leaders to address the impact of noise.”

In the most recent skirmish in an increasingly high-stakes tug-of-war over the Growlers, a class action suit was filed Nov. 18 in Island County Superior Court against Whidbey Island-based Windermere Real Estate and RE/MAX Acorn Properties, which alleges the companies did not properly disclose the dangers of jet noise to homebuyers.

The lawsuit claims that the realtors’ “deceptive acts or practices have occurred in their trade or businesses and were and are capable of deceiving a substantial portion of the public.”

The sound of the Growlers, which replaced NASWI’s previous fleet of Prowlers, has prompted numerous complaints from residents of the San Juans, particularly from the south end of Lopez Island, closest in proximity to Whidbey.

The Navy for the first time held a “scoping” meeting on Lopez Island Dec. 3 as part of the run-up for preparation of an environmental impact statement to evaluate the presence of the Growlers.

“We’ve heard from families on Whidbey Island and the San Juan Islands that the noise from NASWI is disturbing their communities,” Murray said. “Construction of this facility is a reasonable step to minimize the impact that planes from NASWI have on the surrounding area.”

— Scott Rasmussen, Journal editor, with reporting by Janis Reid of the South Whidbey Record