Water Quality Management
Precipitation and melt waters from airport lands and surrounding agricultural fields drain through a system of grassed ditches and stormwater drains into Omand’s Creek to the north or Truro Creek to the south. To monitor and manage water quality discharging to the creeks, WAA has designed a Water Quality Management Plan.
The Plan promotes a proactive approach to surface water quality management, looking at both discharge quality and management of the products used at the airport with the potential to degrade water quality. The Plan includes an extensive water quality monitoring component to measure the effectiveness of the management strategies and identify opportunities for improvement.
The purpose of the Plan is not only to achieve compliance with applicable water quality guidelines and regulations, but to contribute positively to the health of the two waterways. For example, in 2001, WAA installed a continually run aeration system into Truro Creek to increase the level of oxygen in the water column and improve the aquatic environment.
The current plan has been revised and modified several times to improve the quality of water discharged to the creeks. To ensure continued improvement, infrastructure and management options are assessed on an ongoing basis.
Product Management
To protect the quality of the watersheds, WAA and the airlines have initiated a number of measures to manage the products associated with airport operations such as fuels and deicing fluid. The idea is to prevent products from entering the storm water system in the first place.
Fuel
Thousands of liters of jet fuel are loaded onto aircraft daily. While relatively little spillage occurs, response protocols have proven effective at minimizing the potential for fuel to reach a storm drain. Backup systems (oil-water separators) are in place to capture drips in refueling areas.
Aircraft De-Icing
To ensure the safe operation of aircraft during winter months, aircraft deicing fluid must be utilized to prevent the accumulation of ice on any lifting or control surface of an aircraft that can lead to loss of control. Deicing is a required activity under Canadian Aviation Regulations and generally occurs from late fall to the early spring.
Monitoring data indicates that the stormwater quality is more often at risk from winter de-icing activities than from other activities. WAA has worked closely with the airlines to evolve policies and management protocols based on water quality monitoring data. The current deicing program includes restricting deicing to designated areas, managing deicing areas to minimize runoff and seepage, retrieving spent glycol, and properly handling snow that may have come in contact with deicing fluids through wind carry.
For the future, WAA in consultation with the aviation community and provincial and federal agencies, is assessing additional infrastructure and management options appropriate for Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport in an effort to ensure continued improvement of water quality.