Sustainability Report 2009/10

Water

Water Use

The main uses of water at our airports are in toilets, catering, hotels, water for drinking and toilets on aircraft, de-icing, washing aircraft, construction, fire services and road sweepers. All our water comes from the mains supply, with the exception of the rainwater and grey water (water that has been used once but is clean enough to use again for specific purposes) that we collect for reuse, as described below. We have meters in place to monitor consumption across these areas and also for our main tenants. By charging them for their metered usage, we incentivise them to reduce consumption. Steps have been taken to minimise our own consumption too. For example, at Manchester Airport, our washrooms now have water-saving devices on all urinals, toilets and taps. A leak detection system ensures that any damaged water pipework is repaired as soon as possible. Manchester is also trialling the use of collected rainwater and grey water in its road sweepers. East Midlands Airport has waterless urinals and uses harvested rainwater for flushing toilets, helping to reduce water consumption per passenger by 19%.

Mains Water Consumption by MAG

litres

2007/08	2008/09	2009/10
908,992	875,223	942,857

Local Water Quality

When rainwater runs off our site into drains or local waterways, it can carry pollutants with it that have the potential to damage wildlife. The main potential sources of pollution are:

• chemicals used for aircraft and airfield de-icing
• detergents used in cleaning
• chemicals and oils from aircraft and vehicle maintenance
• silt, chemicals and fuels from construction activities
• spillages of fuel or sewage from aircraft and service vehicles
• leaks from inappropriately stored chemicals and fuels
• fire fighting foam, mainly from training procedures.

The Environment Agency imposes strict limits on the quality of the water we discharge and we continually monitor it to ensure we stay within those limits. While the limits are set for MAG, it is the activities of our partners that have the greatest potential to cause pollution. We therefore engage with our partners to ensure they are proactively reducing their pollution risks. This includes auditing partners' operations and issuing guidance notes to their staff. East Midlands Airport has a computer-controlled system that continually monitors water quality and shuts off the drainage system if it detects pollution.

Our drainage systems are designed to enable contaminated water to be diverted to a foul sewer, away from local waterways. These systems were thoroughly tested during the winter of 2009/10, when the extreme cold weather necessitated high use of anti-icing chemicals. Throughout this period, Manchester Airport maintained no breaches of its water quality consents.

Any new development work on our airports is assessed for its impact on water quality. This includes not only chemical pollution but also potential to cause flooding. Hard surfaces, such as runways and car parks produce more surface water run-off than, for example, grass, where rainwater can soak into the ground. We are careful, therefore, not to overload nearby rivers and streams with run-off, as this would increase the risk of flooding.

On an ongoing basis, we implement initiatives to reduce the potential for water pollution. For example, Manchester Airport successfully trialled a new water treatment plant in 2009/10, which has now been installed permanently.

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