More pollution news...

[Travis C.]

Endangered crayfish found
dead and airport-area creek
polluted: state says
By ANNE PAINE • Staff Writer • March 17, 2010
A routine inspection of a creek near the Nashville
International Airport has turned up severe pollution
from airplane de-icing chemicals, according to a
state environment department report.
Also, several dead federally endangered Nashville
crayfish were found at an office park pond that is
fed by the creek. Investigations are underway.
The waterway, called Sims Branch, flows into Mill
Creek, which has historically been home to the
endangered crayfish.
“Sims Branch was polluted to the point that I could
find only sewage fungus and black sludge when
examining the stream for indicators of healthy
biology,” Joe E. Holland with the Tennessee
Department of environment’s field office wrote in a
March 4 letter to the Metro Nashville Airport
Authority.
The Airport Authority is responsible for self-
monitoring its discharge of wastewater to Sims
Branch.
While the records show that the Airport Authority
was in compliance with its monitoring, nonetheless
the creek has been highly polluted, Holland wrote.
At the Century City complex where the pond is
located downstream, dead crayfish were found after
the pond was drained to clean out built up muck,
according to the state.

[bd-]

The Airport Authority is responsible for self-
monitoring its discharge of wastewater to Sims
Branch.

:mad:

Wow! It was responsible for monitoring its own discharges? I just cannot imagine how such a program could have caused a problem! :rolleyes:

Just think - a company that stands to save a bunch of money by dumping chemical waste in a creek might not be "completely thorough" in reporting the chemicals it's illegally dumping! What's this world coming to?

bd

[randy10357]

I hate to see Mill Creek or any other waterway getting abused like this. I had to fly out of Nashville in February and they had to de-ice the plane before takeoff. The chemical smell was even strong inside the plane. That stuff has to be really toxic to our ecosystem.

[clean air]

The way the report reads I guess everything died in the creek and pond.Probably killed every animal that drank the water.The public will pay for the clean up just like we pay for that steamplant disaster in east TN.

[aiurforever]

No surprise, this is CORPORATE AMERICA.

The way the report reads I guess everything died in the creek and pond.Probably killed every animal that drank the water.The public will pay for the clean up just like we pay for that steamplant disaster in east TN.

[Scott715]

[/color][/font]

:mad:

Wow! It was responsible for monitoring its own discharges? I just cannot imagine how such a program could have caused a problem! :rolleyes:

Just think - a company that stands to save a bunch of money by dumping chemical waste in a creek might not be "completely thorough" in reporting the chemicals it's illegally dumping! What's this world coming to?

bd

Easy there BD. Aside from being a LEO at the airport, I am also on the Hazmat team and know our environmental folks fairly well. The Authority takes environmental issues seriously and the staff dedicated to that job have a wealth of training and knowledge in the subject, hence why they are in the position. In the case jet fuel gets into the drains from a fuel spill, we have the capability of keeping any polluted water from exiting airport grounds. Our environmental responds to any incidents where there is a relase of any pollutant (or the threat of a release). The area that's in question is at the dead end of Century City, which is similar to swamp land. Now obviously some Type I or Type II glycol got out when it shouldn't have, but I seriously doubt any of it was intentional or "overlooked."

There is no "dumping" of glycol. The plowed piles of snow remained on the edge of the ramps for weeks after the winter weather. From the Tennessean story, it appears that the glycol captured in the snow made it's way out of the snow, off the ramp, into the soil, and subsequently down hill (under I-40) and into this creek. It has been at least a decade since the airport has had piles of snow as it did in January, which could be one reason such an issue wasn't immediately apparent. I'm not attempting to throw out excuses, but on my own trying to simply figure out what happened.

Many people should take a gander at some of the retention ponds and filter systems that are in place to turn dirty fuel from the ramp into reusable fuel. I don't have a ton of knowledge on it, but I know they spend some serious money on environmental issues. I would say let the water clear (no pun intended) before bashing them too hard.

I'm not here to represent the Airport Authority, but as an employee who happens to train in Hazmat alongside some of the people responsible for monitoring such an issue, if I personally felt something was going on, I would be the first to report it.