Winnipeg International Airport, Oakland International Airport Honored with ACI-NA's 2006 Environmental Achievement Awards

Washington, D.C. (July 20, 2006) - Airports Council International – North America (ACI-NA) selected Winnipeg International Airport and Oakland International Airport as winners of the 2006 Environmental Achievement Awards. Winnipeg was honored for its Central Deicing Facility (CDF) and Oakland for its Materials Management Program (MMP).

"The ACI-NA Environmental Achievement Awards highlight the innovative efforts of our members whose programs protect and preserve the natural environment above and beyond federal and state regulatory compliance standards," said Jessica Steinhilber, ACI-NA's Senior Manager, Environmental Affairs. "While there are numerous programs that deserve credit for their quality and achievement, the programs selected for this year's awards have outstanding elements that exemplify the mission of this award."

Winnipeg Airports Authority, which won for Class A/B airports, constructed its CDF to address community concerns regarding the impact of aircraft deicing activities on water quality. The airport conducted extensive soil studies and glycol deposition modeling prior to the design of the facility. Part of this effort included a unique wind dispersion model that was developed to estimate the amount of aircraft deicing fluid that becomes airborne during application and the drift pattern based on various wind velocities. Results of the model led to a design that maximized total recovery of deicing fluids, thereby reducing the environmental impacts from glycol, which landed outside the deicing pad. The centralized facility also allows for more efficient deicing operations and direct taxi to the departure runway. Since the facility's commission in September 2005, initial data indicates significantly improved surface water quality and glycol recovery rates.

Oakland International Airport, which won for Class C/D airports, handles and processes demolition waste for reuse in airport construction projects with its MMP. Waste materials from airport projects are stockpiled, crushed, and blended to make FAA specified aggregate base for reuse in other airport projects. The program aims to reduce the adverse environmental impacts, high disposal costs, and high import costs resulting from airfield and roadway construction projects by reprocessing waste concrete, asphalt, and soil for reuse. The MMP has resulted in reduced truck trips on local roads, elimination of truck-generated air emissions, and diversion of waste from landfills. The program has saved over $2.6 million in waste disposal costs and $200,000 in material import costs. This program will allow over 300,000 cubic yards of construction material to be recycled over a five-year period.

Last year's Environmental Affairs Award winners included:  Los Angeles International Airport, for its first hydrogen fueling and generation station, and Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport Authority, for the design and construction of a glycol Biotreatment System to prevent glycol from being released to the neighboring Rideau River.

Each year, only one project or program is chosen from the class A/B and class C/D airports. ACI-NA defines Class A/B as airports with up to 4.9 million traffic units and Class C/D as airports with more than 4.9 traffic units. A traffic unit is each enplaned and deplaned passenger as well as each 100 kilograms of enplaned and deplaned cargo. Five members of the Environmental Affairs Committee Steering Group select winners.

Created in 1997, the contest has generated tremendous interest throughout the industry and has been the springboard for numerous environmental programs at airports. Award winners will be recognized at ACI-NA's 15th Annual Conference & Exhibition in Reno, Sept. 27, 2006, during the Chairman's Honors Luncheon. In addition, the winning airport authorities will make presentations during the Environmental Affairs Committee meeting on Sept. 24-25, 2006.