Skip to main content

Advertisement

Springer Nature Link
Log in

Managing airport stormwater containing deicers: challenges and opportunities

  • Review
  • Published:
Frontiers of Structural and Civil Engineering Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Stormwater runoff at airports is a significant and costly issue, especially for the stormwater laden with deicing contaminants of high Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) and aquatic toxicity. To reduce the loading of deicing constituents in stormwater and to manage the increasing pressure of tightening regulations, identifying fate and transport and evaluating environmental risks of deicing stormwater are of critical importance. In this review, the regulatory development of airport deicing stormwater management was first discussed, along with the milestone Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) Report 14 publication. The deicer usage and fugitive losses can be reduced and the amount of deicer collected can be increased by having a better understanding of the fate and transport of deicing constituents in stormwater. As such, an overview and evaluation of the constituents of concern in deicers were provided to support the assessment of environmental impacts and mitigation recommendations. The state of knowledge of airport deicing stormwater management was then reviewed, which needs to be synthesized into a national guidance document. A guidebook and a decision tool for airports were proposed to adopt specific practical stormwater management strategies while balancing their priorities in environmental, economic, and social values against operational constraints. These challenges pose great opportunities to improve the current practices of airport deicing stormwater management.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
$34.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or eBook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Explore related subjects

Discover the latest articles and news from researchers in related subjects, suggested using machine learning.

References

  1. ACRP 02–61. On-Going Project: Airport Stormwater Management Electronic Resource Library and Training Materials, 2016

    Google Scholar 

  2. Report A C R P. 14. Airport Cooperative Research Program, United States. Federal Aviation Administration, CH2M HILL (Firm), CH2M Hill, Inc, Gresham, Smith, & Barnes & Thornburg. Deicing Planning Guidelines and Practices for Stormwater Management Systems. Transportation Research Board, Washington, DC, 2009

    Google Scholar 

  3. EPA. Effluent Guidelines, Airport Deicing Effluent Guidelines. Last updated January 28, 2016 (http://www.epa.gov/eg/airport-deicingeffluent-guidelines)

    Google Scholar 

  4. EPA. Effluent Guidelines for Airport Deicing Discharges, Presentation at the Airports Council International and Airlines for America’s Deicing Management Conference, Washington, DC, May 23, 2012

    Google Scholar 

  5. EPA. Fact Sheet, Effluent Guidelines for Airport Deicing Discharges. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, 2012

    Google Scholar 

  6. McCarthy J E C. Copeland. EPA Regulations: Too Much, Too Little, or On Track?’ 2011

    Google Scholar 

  7. Gray L. Review of Aircraft Deicing and Anti-Icing Fluid Storm Water Runoff Control Technologies, Rensselaer Polytechnic Znstitute, 2013

    Google Scholar 

  8. EASA. Regulation of Ground deicing and Anti-icing Services in the EASA Member States, European Aviation Safety Agency, EASA.2009/4, 2011

    Google Scholar 

  9. Shi X. Impact of Airport Pavement Deicing Products on Aircraft and Airfield Infrastructure. ACRP Synthesis 6. Washington, DC: National Academies Press, 2008

    Google Scholar 

  10. Switzenbaum M S, Veltman S, Mericas D, Wagoner B, Schoenberg T. Best management practices for airport deicing stormwater. Chemosphere, 2001, 43(8): 1051–1062

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Astebol S O, Hvitved-Jacobsen T, Simonsen Ø. Sustainable stormwater management at Fornebu-from an airport to an industrial and residential area of the City of Oslo, Norway. Science of the Total Environment, 2004, 334–335: 239–249

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Smith Reynolds Airport. Stormwater pollution prevention plan. Winston Salem, North Carolina. Report No. NCG 150000, December, 2010

    Google Scholar 

  13. Ingvertsen S T, Jensen M B, Magid J. A minimum data set of water quality parameters to assess and compare treatment efficiency of stormwater facilities. Journal of Environmental Quality, 2011, 40 (5): 1488–1502

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Freeman A I, Surridge B W J, Matthews M, Stewart M, Haygarth P M. Understanding and managing deicer contamination of airport surface waters: A synthesis and future perspectives. Environ. Technol Innov, 2015, 3: 46–62

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Sulej A M, Polkowska Z, Namiesnik J. Pollutants in Airport Runoff Waters. Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology, 2012, 42(16): 1691–1734

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Ferguson L, Corsi S R, Geis SW, Anderson G, Joback K, Gold H, Mericas D, Cancilla D A. Formulations for Aircraft and Airfield Deicing and Anti-Icing: Aquatic Toxicity and Biochemical Oxygen Demand. University of South Carolina, ACRP Project 02–01, Nov, 2008

    Google Scholar 

  17. Cancilla D A, Holtkamp A, Matassa L, Fang X. Isolation and characterization of Microtox®-active components from aircraft deicing/anti-icing fluids. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 1997, 16(3): 430–434

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Corsi S R, Geis S W, Bowman G, Failey G G, Rutter T D. Aquatic toxicity of airfield-pavement deicer materials and implications for airport runoff. Environmental Science & Technology, 2009, 43(1): 40–46

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Mericas D. Understanding microbial biofilms in receiving waters impacted by airport deicing activities. Transportation Research Board, Washington D C. Drainage, Sept 8–13, 2002, Portland, OR, 2014

    Google Scholar 

  20. Swietlik W. The Environmental Impacts of Airport Deicing–Water Quality. DTIC Document, 2010

    Google Scholar 

  21. ACRP Web-Only Document 3. Summary of Available Information Regarding the Environmental and Toxicological Characteristics of Aircraft and Airfield Deicing and Anti-icing Products, 2008

    Google Scholar 

  22. Betts K S. Airport pollution prevention takes off. Environmental Science & Technology, 1999, 33(9): 210A–212A

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Vasilyeva A. Aircraft Deicing Operations. December 8, 2009 (http://ardent.mit.edu/airports/ASP_exercises/2009%20reports/Aircraft%20Deicing%20Vasilyeva.pdf)

    Google Scholar 

  24. D'Avirro J, Chaput MD. Optimizing the Use of Aircraft Deicing and Anti-icing Fluids (ACRP Report 45). Transportation Research Board, Washington, D C, 2011

    Google Scholar 

  25. TAC. Transportation Association of Canada. TP 14502 Guidelines for Aircraft Ground–Icing Operations, June 27, 2011

    Google Scholar 

  26. ACRP Web-Only Document 8. Alternative Aircraft Anti-Icing Formulations with Reduced Aquatic Toxicity and Biochemical Oxygen Demand, 2010

    Google Scholar 

  27. ACRP. Airport Cooperative Research Program Report 99. Guidance for Treatment of Airport Stormwater Containing Deicers. Transportation Research Board, Washington, D C, 2013

    Google Scholar 

  28. Higgins J, Mac Lean M. Technical note. The use of a very large constructed sub-surface flow wetland to treat glycol-contaminated stormwater from aircraft deicing operations. Water Quality Research Journal of Canada, 2002, 37(4): 785–792

    Google Scholar 

  29. Revitt D M, Garelick H, Worrall P. Pollutant biodegradation potentials on airport surfaces. In Global Solutions for Urban Drainage, Proc. of the Ninth Int. Conf. on Urban, 2002

    Google Scholar 

  30. Higgins J, Wallace S, Minkel K, Wagner R, Linerz M, Meals G. The design & operation of a very large vertical sub-surface flow engineered wetland to treat spent deicing fluids and glycolcontaminated stormwater at Buffalo Niagara International Airport. Water Practice and Technology, 2011, 6(3): wpt2011044

    Article  Google Scholar 

  31. Faucette, B. Economic case for green infrastructure. Biocycle: Journal of Organics Recycling, 2002, 8: 36–39

    Google Scholar 

  32. Keeley M, Koburger A, Dolowitz D P, Medearis D, Nickel D, Shuster W. Perspectives on the use of green infrastructure for stormwater management in Cleveland and Milwaukee. Environmental Management, 2013, 51(6): 1093–1108

    Article  Google Scholar 

  33. English A, Hunt W F. Low impact development and permeable interlocking concrete pavements: Working with industry for material development and training offerings. In: Proceedings of the 2008 International Low Impact Development Conference, ASCE, 2008

    Google Scholar 

  34. Zhou J, Di Giovanni K, Ries M, McCreanor P T. Sustainability. Water Environment Research, 2013, 85(10): 1354–1376

    Article  Google Scholar 

  35. Cettner A, Ashley R, Hedstrom A, Viklander M. Sustainable development and urban stormwater practice. Urban Water Journal, 2014, 11(3): 185–197

    Article  Google Scholar 

  36. Coffman L. Low-impact development design strategies–An integrated design approach: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, EPA 841–B–00–003, [variously paginated], 2000

    Google Scholar 

  37. Liaw C, Cheng M, Tsai Y. Low-impact development-An innovative alternative approach to stormwater management. Journal of Marine Science and Technology, 2000, 8(1): 41–49

    Article  Google Scholar 

  38. Matlock D D, Keech T A, McKenzie M B, Bronsert M R, Nowels C T, Kutner J S. Feasibility and acceptability of a decision aid designed for people facing advanced or terminal illness: a pilot randomized trial. Health Expectations, 2014, 17(1): 49–59

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully acknowledge financial support by the US DOT Center for Environmentally Sustainable Transportation in Cold Climates (CESTiCC) and the National Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 51278390). The authors acknowledge the insightful discussions with Dr. Tyler Linton of Great Lakes Environmental Center, Inc. and Mr. Lyor Dahan of DY Consultants on some of the topics in this paper.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Smart & Green Infrastructure Group, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, 99164-2910, USA

    Xianming Shi & Gang Xu

  2. SMQ Airport Services, 26757 Haverhill Drive, Lutz, FL, 33559-8509, USA

    Stephen M. Quilty

  3. Kent State University, 1400 Lefton Esplanade, Kent, OH, 44242, USA

    Thomas Long

  4. Washington Stormwater Center, Washington State University, Puyallup, WA, 98371, USA

    Anand Jayakaran

  5. Western Transportation Institute, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, 59717, USA

    Laura Fay

Authors
  1. Xianming Shi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar

  2. Stephen M. Quilty
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar

  3. Thomas Long
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar

  4. Anand Jayakaran
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar

  5. Laura Fay
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar

  6. Gang Xu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Xianming Shi.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Shi, X., Quilty, S.M., Long, T. et al. Managing airport stormwater containing deicers: challenges and opportunities. Front. Struct. Civ. Eng. 11, 35–46 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11709-016-0366-6

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11709-016-0366-6

Keywords

Profiles

  1. Xianming Shi View author profile