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The Port of Portland, air carriers, and regulatory agencies are nearing completion of the environmental review and final design of enhancements to the Portland International Airport deicing system. This winter, the Port submitted our renewal application for a National Pollution Discharge Elimination System permit to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, which opened the permit to public comment in early May 2009.
Also in May, the Port Commission approved a $48.8 million construction contract for the system enhancements, which are nearing final design. Planned enhancements include:
- Expanding the existing system to capture storm water runoff containing deicing materials from the western airfield
- Increasing the existing storage capacities for concentrated and dilute runoff
- Treating more concentrated effluent prior to discharge to the Columbia Slough and Columbia River in compliance with permit requirements
- Adding a Columbia River outfall
The permit renewal application and construction contract are the latest steps in a six-year effort to comply with the terms of an agreement with the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. Our goal is to maintain safe airport operations while protecting the natural environment around PDX.
DEQ is accepting public comment for the NPDES permit renewal through June 16, 2009. A public hearing will be hosted by DEQ on Monday, June 8, at 6:00 p.m., at DEQ NW Region offices, 2020 SW 4th Avenue, Room 4A/B, in Portland.
Project History
The Port's deicing storm water runoff collection system became operational in November 2003, after extensive collaboration with citizens, airlines, the Department of Environmental Quality, the Columbia Slough Watershed Council, and other stakeholders. The $31-million system took three years to construct. It protects the Columbia Slough through the monitoring, collection, treatment, and controlled release of deicing stormwater runoff to the slough and City of Portland sanitary system.
DEQ regulates the discharge of deicing storm water runoff to the slough through a deicing permit issued to the Port of Portland and co-permittees. Deicing runoff can temporarily reduce dissolved oxygen in water as it biodegrades. The reduced dissolved oxygen can be unhealthy to aquatic life.
During the winter seasons of 2003-2004, 2004-2005 and 2005-2006, low water flows in the slough contributed to exceedances of the deicing permit. Although the deicing system works well, the low rate of water flow in the slough is problematic in terms of discharging deicing fluid runoff.
The Port, in collaboration with airlines at PDX, has been addressing the exceedances. The Port and co-permittees have constructed a number of system modifications, at a cost over $4 million, since the system went online in 2003 to further improve the system's effectiveness.
Port Commissioners approved a conceptual design of more significant enhancements to the deicing system in May 2007, and the project team completed schematic design in June 2008. The schematic design developed preliminary system sizing for new storage, treatment system and pump station capacities, and pipeline dimensions. It also narrowed down the options for potential infrastructure locations. The final design of the project is scheduled to be completed in June 2009. We are required to have a fully operational expanded system by April 2012, our compliance date with DEQ.