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Environmental
Logan Stormwater Monitoring FAQ
What does Massport do to limit fuel spills at the airport?
Massport conducts no aviation fuel storage or handling at Logan. ALl aviation fuel at Logan is handled and dispensed by an airline consortium, individual air carriers or by private airline service companies. Massport requires fuelers and airlines to prevent and minimize fuel spills through good management practices and operating procedures planning and having spill response equipment on-hand in the event of a spill. Massport routinely tracks spills and contacts tenants with multiple or unusually large spills to assess their spill prevention and control procedures. Massport requires that all spills, regardless of size, must be reported to the Massport Fire Department.
How frequently does Massport monitor stormwater discharges from Logan’s Outfalls?
All monitoring is conducted in accordance with the NPDES permit issued by the US EPA and Massachusetts DEP. Monitoring at Logan’s main outfalls serving the terminal and operational areas normally occurs twice per month: one time during precipitation and one time during dry weather. The other airport outfalls including the airfield outfalls are monitored quarterly. Deicing chemicals are monitored twice per year at the main outfalls and on the airfield.
What type of testing is done?
A Massachusetts certified analytical laboratory performs the testing on samples that are collected by Massport’s environmental consultant. Testing includes: oil and grease, volatile petroleum hydrocarbons, bacteria, surfactants, solids, and acidity (pH). Deicer testing includes: glycols, biological and chemical oxygen demand, nitrogen, deicer additives, and toxicity.
When are monitoring results available?
Monitoring results are reported to the US EPA and Massachusetts DEP by the 15th of each month for the prior month’s monitoring. Results are posted on Massport’s website after reporting the results to EPA and DEP.
What does Massport do if elevated levels of contaminants are detected?
Massport notifies operators in the vicinity of the outfall that the levels of contaminants exceeded the permit limits. Additionally, Massport investigates the contamination by attemping to trace the contamination upstream to its source area, and conducting inspections of operational areas in the vicinity looking for signs of a release.
Why is bacteria monitored at Logan’s outfalls?
Elevated bacteria levels have periodically been detected at Logan’s outfalls. Massport is conducting a comprehensive study of the drain and sewer pipes on the landside and in the area of the terminals on the airfield, looking for cross connections where sanitary waste might be entering the stormdrain system. The study is nearly complete and Massport has identified and corrected several areas were there was either a direct connection from the sewer to storm system or areas were pipes were crushed which may have caused sewerage to leak into the storm. The estimated cost of this comprehensive study is $1 million.
What is the likely cause of elevated bacteria levels at the North Outfall?
Massport has been working with the Massachusetts DEP to determine the cause of periodic elevated fecal coliform bacteria at the North Outfall. Based on laboratory testing by the DEP, the bacteria appear to be non-fecal bacteria that grow naturally in the environment and are unrelated to sanitary waste.
How does the discharge of deicing chemicals affect Boston Harbor around the airport?
To date, there have been no reports that deicing chemicals have adversely impacted the environment around the airport. Under the NPDES permit issued in 2007, Massport will be conducting a comprehensive study of the potential impact from deicers including an assessment of deicer concentration and volumes at the outfalls, and computer simulation of possible deicer impacts on the environment around the airport.
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Introduction
Water Quality FAQ