Document ID: EPA-HQ-OW-2003-0074-0439
Agency: epa
Document Type: Supporting & Related Material
Title: 
Posted Date: 2003-12-31T05:00Z

Page
1
of
2
Memorandum
From:
Carey
A.
Johnston,
P.
E.
USEPA/
OW/
OST
ph:
(
202)
566
1014
johnston.
carey@
epa.
gov
To:
Public
Record
for
the
Effluent
Guidelines
Program
Plan
for
2004/
2005
DCN
00696,
Section
3.23
EPA
Docket
Number
OW­
2003­
0074
(
www.
epa.
gov/
edockets/)

Date:
December
30,
2003
Re:
McGuire
Air
Force
Base
De­
Icing
Best
Management
Practices
Reduce,
Recycle,
Re­
Spray
McGuire
Air
Force
Base,
New
Jersey
http://
www.
afcee.
brooks.
af.
mil/
pro­
act/
cross/
ed104.
asp
McGuire
AFB,
NJ
recently
implemented
a
program
for
managing
waste
aircraft
deicing
fluid
that
reclaims
spent
glycol
from
effluent
to
produce
re­
manufactured
deicing
fluid.
Glycol
is
a
key
ingredient
of
aircraft
deicing
fluid
[
ADF].
When
glycol
degrades
in
water
it
consumes
oxygen
at
high
rate,
which
can
be
detrimental
to
aquatic
life.
To
limit
glycol
concentrations
in
the
storm
water
and
protect
aquatic
life,
McGuire
recently
implemented
a
program
to
capture
and
collect
deicing
fluid
effluent
before
it
could
negatively
impact
the
surrounding
environment.

"
Our
primary
focus
was
on
the
implementation
of
Best
Management
Practices
for
waste
glycol
management,"
said
MSgt
Mark
Kemp,
Environmental
Manager
for
the
305th
Maintenance
Group.
"
Leading
up
to
this,
we
carried
out
a
great
deal
of
research
into
the
types
of
equipment
and
services
available,
including
site
visits
to
several
civilian
airport
installations."
When
the
RFP
was
released
for
onsite
glycol
collection
proposals,
Inland
Technologies
International
(
ITI),
which
already
implemented
glycol
collection
and
recycling
at
Dulles
and
Reagan
Airports,
was
selected
to
visit
the
base
to
execute
a
turnkey
service
program.

ITI
was
contracted
to
develop
a
comprehensive
program
to
assist
McGuire
in
maintaining
environmental
compliance
with
respect
to
the
use
of
aircraft
deicing
fluid.
The
glycol
management
program
includes
24
hour
coverage
during
the
deicing
season,"
said
MSgt
Kemp,
"
this
is
to
ensure
that
all
flights,
scheduled
and
unscheduled,
are
provided
with
the
same
level
of
environmental
protection.

All
deicing
now
takes
place
on
designated
deicing
pads
in
order
to
minimize
the
areas
where
fluid
Page
2
of
2
is
to
be
collected.
A
customized
program
was
tailored
for
the
Base,
which
included
the
installation
of
several
drain
blocks
that
could
be
opened
or
closed
depending
on
the
weather
and
deicing
activity.
With
the
drains
blocked,
contaminated
fluid
is
prevented
from
entering
the
storm
water
system
and
recovered
using
two
Mobile
Glycol
Recovery
Vehicles
[
MGRVs].
These
specialized
vehicles
were
specifically
engineered
for
the
efficient
recovery
of
spent
glycol
and
are
used
to
"
vacuum"
all
ramp
surfaces
following
a
deicing
event.
All
fluid
containing
significant
amounts
of
glycol
is
stored
onsite
using
portable
fluid
storage
tanks
provided
by
ITI.

Waste
effluent
is
taken
to
one
of
ITI's
centralized
recycling
facilities
where
excess
water
and
contaminants
such
as
hydrocarbons
are
removed
from
the
waste
fluid.
The
waste
fluid
is
cleaned
until
it
meets
all
the
specifications
of
virgin
glycol.
It
is
then
blended
with
an
additive
package
for
formulation
back
into
aircraft
deicing
fluid
for
commercial
reuse.

This
past
season,
approximately
56,000
gallons
of
waste
fluid
was
collected
from
the
ramp
and
recycled
at
McGuire.
"
That's
a
significant
volume
of
fluid,"
stated
MSgt
Kemp,
"
enough
to
potentially
have
an
adverse
impact
on
aquatic
life
in
waterways
around
the
base."

"
McGuire
had
parallel
goals
that
we
wanted
to
achieve
with
the
implementation
of
this
program,"
said
Kemp.
"
First,
we
wanted
to
protect
our
waterways.
And
second,
given
the
trend
with
environmental
regulations
for
Aircraft
Deicing
Fluid,
we
wanted
to
demonstrate
our
use
of
Best
Management
Practices
in
collecting
this
effluent."