BY JAMES HANNAH
The Associated Press
WILMINGTON, Ohio -- A mounted kingfisher with its wings spread clings to the office wall of Wilmington College biology professor Fred Anliot.
Mr. Anliot said the birds once flourished around nearby Lytle Creek.
"Are they there anymore?" he said. "No."
Mr. Anliot says aquatic life on the creek that once fed the kingfishers has all but disappeared because of de-icing chemicals from Airborne Express' sprawling overnight-delivery airport.
Keeping ice off airplane wings and runways is crucial for safety. But both national and state officials increasingly see a need to balance that with public demands for more attention to airport pollution, said Martyn Burt of the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency's surface-water division.
He said airports are getting bigger and busier and the agency is giving increased attention to pollutants carried by stormwater runoff.
Airborne has one of the largest privately operated airports in the country, with two runways and 2,200 acres.
The owner, ABX Air Inc., has 106 DC-8s and DC-9s at the airport and plans to put five Boeing 767s into service later this year. ABX employs 7,500 workers and handles 1 million packages nightly. Mr. Anliot said he began to notice an antifreeze-like smell in Lytle Creek five or six years ago. In the past two years, the odor has gotten worse to the point that people who live more than a mile downstream can smell it, he said.
During the winter, rocks in the creek become coated with de-icing agents or bacterial byproducts, he said. Last February, thousands of fish, including bass and bluegill, were killed, he added. ABX says there was no confirmed fish kill.
"The stream does clean itself up by mid-summer," said Mr. Anliot. "It's basically a nice clear stream in the middle of the summer. But it is dead."
Mr. Anliot said his real fear is possible harm to residents. "People are complaining about getting sick," he said. "When I'm working back in there, I come out of there with a headache and a very strong taste in my mouth."
Mr. Burt said there is no human health hazard as far as the agency knows. But he said de-icing fluid can affect wildlife.
John Mazor, spokesman for the Washington-based Air Line Pilots Association, said even a tiny layer of ice can be a safety issue. "We know from past experience that improper de-icing on an aircraft can result in having that airplane crash, sometimes before it gets out of sight of the airport," said Mr. Mazor.
The EPA cited ABX for exceeding its limit for de-icing runoff during a snowstorm the week of Feb. 4. The EPA has asked ABX to provide a spill-response plan by Oct. 15.
"To be fair to Airborne, when the agency has brought matters to their attention, they have in the main tried to respond," said Mr. Burt. "They still have a ways to go."
According to EPA records, ABX has a history of spills and discharges. An EPA memo in March 1992 said the company had 10 spills of jet fuel and firefighting foam since 1985 and that de-icers were running off into Lytle Creek.
Joe Hete, chief operating officer for ABX, said the company hasn't figured out how to prevent de-icer runoff, but is trying to use limited amounts without compromising safety. ABX switched to non-toxic de-icers a few years ago but they have drawbacks too. For instance, one type sucks the oxygen out of water as it breaks down, Mr. Hete said.
The company has established an experimental, manmade wetland designed to help break down de-icers before they can enter the streams. "We've seen some pretty encouraging results so far," Mr. Hete said.
Mr. Anliot said the EPA has not been aggressive enough.
"We've done better recently," said Mr. Burt. Since the February fish kill, the agency has been in better communication with ABX, he said. And he said there is still the possibility of a fine over the incident.
ABX is certainly not alone. The EPA said there were at least seven spills at Dayton International Airport since 1978 that may have affected the quality of surrounding streams.
But Allen Winchester, the airport's division manager for operations and environment, said the airport has not exceeded its discharge limits since it began new de-icer collection system a few years ago.
