CHAPTER
ENVIRONMENT
12
Environment
12.1
ENVIRONMENT
Chapter 12
1 2 . 1 I NT RO DUC T IO N
Toronto Pearson International
Airports Environmental Management System is certified to the
rigorous ISO 14001 standard. The
GTAAs commitment to continual
improvement in environmental
performance is reflected in the
ISO Environmental Policy, which
is incorporated into the day-today operations and the future
development of the Airport.
The purpose of this chapter is to
provide a description of the ISO
Environmental Management System (EMS), the Airports existing
natural environment, including
the move towards sustainability at
Toronto Pearson, and a discussion
of the environmental impacts of
developments proposed within the
Master Plan. Noise Management
is discussed separately in
Chapter 13.
Chapter 12 > E N V I R O N M E N T
12.2
12.2.2 Sustainable Airport
Development New Initiatives
GTAA Pearson Partners in Project
Green
The most recent initiative to
reduce the Airports environmental
footprint is the GTAAs sponsorship of the Pearson Eco-Industrial
Park. An Eco-Industrial Park is
essentially businesses working
together to reduce resource use
and improve financial and environmental performance. This initiative is being undertaken jointly
with the surrounding municipalities and spearheaded by the
FIGURE 12-1
GTAA
Environmental Policy
Greater Toronto Airports Authority
The Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA) is committed to developing and operating airports in an environmentally
responsible manner, in compliance with relevant environmental legislation, and within an overall framework which is
environmentally, economically and socially sustainable. Our commitment is reflected in GTAAs day-to-day operations to minimize
impacts on the natural environment and local community.
The GTAA is committed to continual improvement and the prevention of pollution. It is our policy to set environmental objectives
and targets and implement action plans for significant environmental aspects identified at the airport. It is also our policy
to monitor progress, utilize best management practices and apply cost-effective technology to strive to improve environmental
performance.
To successfully implement this policy, the GTAA utilizes an Environmental Management System (EMS) which meets the
specifications of the ISO 14000 international standards series and which includes
utilizing environmental audits to ensure compliance with applicable laws, regulations, as well as policies, objectives and
targets;
conducting regular environmental monitoring of environmental aspects such as water quality, air quality, noise, airside
development, hazardous substances and spill incidents;
continually developing and promoting environmental standards applicable to day-to-day airport operations which impact
the environment;
integrating environmental assessment and management practices into the decision-making process used to plan, design,
construct and operate the airport;
communicating environmental policy, roles, responsibilities, objectives and targets to GTAA staff; and
producing an annual environmental performance report to ensure regular reporting to the CEO and Board of Directors,
GTAA employees, and the interested public.
__________________________
Lloyd A. McCoomb
President and Chief Executive Officer
Greater Toronto Airports Authority
Chapter 12 > E N V I R O N M E N T
Spring Creek
12.3
level at the north end of the
property to a low of approximately
150 m above sea level in the
Etobicoke Creek valley at the
southern corner of the property.
The airport site contains deep beds
of stratified clay, containing shale
and limestone, which rest on bedrock shale. The creek valleys are
characterized by granular alluvial
deposits.
Soils on airport property are dominated by Malton and Peel clays,
which are fine textured soils susceptible to erosion. Small areas on
the southern edge of the property
consist of Chinguacousy and
Jeddo clays. All of these soil types
are characterized by slow infiltration and transmission rates, and
are therefore poorly drained.
Chapter 12 > E N V I R O N M E N T
to an increased hydrologic
response from the tributary areas,
and a marked increase in run-off
volume. Typical of urban streams,
there have been several diversions
of drainage systems within both
watersheds and significant channelization of the main branch and
main tributaries of both creeks.
Based on data collected from the
on-site meteorological station, the
30-year annual average precipitation at Toronto Pearson is
761.5 mm. The highest average
monthly precipitation of 76.8 mm
occurs in August and the lowest of
46.0 occurs in February. There are
typically 137 days of precipitation
at Toronto Pearson annually.
The overall contribution of runoff
from Toronto Pearson to downstream flows varies by storm event
and season. However, since the
area of the Airport draining to
Etobicoke Creek is largely
undeveloped, and represents less
than eight per cent of the total
Etobicoke Creek watershed area
12.4
resulted from years of local urban
activity in Mississauga, Brampton
and Toronto (Etobicoke), which
has degraded local water quality.
Wetland, and their vital ecosystem
functions, have virtually disappeared
from the Etobicoke Creek watershed
and it is estimated that between 80
and 99 per cent of all historic wetlands no longer exist. The aquatic
communities within the watershed
are largely impaired.
Chapter 12 > E N V I R O N M E N T
downstream stormwater management facilities ensure the containment of deicing fluid and other
contaminated stormwater runoff.
12.5
watershed and an almost complete
absence of pollution-intolerant
species clearly indicate significant
water quality problems. While the
GTAA has spent considerable
efforts in improving the creeks
within its property, significant
improvements will come only
with a watershed approach to
conservation.
Recent field studies have indicated
the presence of coldwater habitat
in the headwaters of both Spring
and Etobicoke Creeks, however,
the portion of Etobicoke Creek
between Derry Road and
Hwy 401 is marginal habitat.
Above the confluence of Etobicoke and Spring Creeks, aquatic
conditions were fair and the
watercourse supported significant
numbers of fish, primarily minnows and suckers. Conditions
declined below Spring Creek due
to heavy algal growth, and considerably fewer fish were present.
Water quality over the length of
Spring Creek on airport property
was moderate. While the creek
supports some minnows and
suckers, invertebrates were rare.
12.3.4 Vegetation
Although the Airport is in the
deciduous forest region of Canada,
forested land is a diminishing
resource in the area, due to intensive urbanization and agriculture.
Currently 16.5 per cent of the
watercourse within the Etobicoke
Creek watershed has woody riparian vegetation; less than 1 per cent
of the estimated 7.4 per cent
Chapter 12 > E N V I R O N M E N T
12.6
season. Many of the remaining
bird species have breeding ranges
that are characteristically further
north than the Airport, or require
nesting conditions unavailable at
Toronto Pearson. Etobicoke Creek
and its tributaries may serve as a
migration corridor through this
highly urbanized region for some
forest dwelling bird species.
Airport Residents
raccoon
striped skunk
white-tailed deer
woodchuck
Distribution of all mammal species
was almost exclusively restricted to
the valley lands, with the exception
of the European hare, which was
present over a large part of the
airport site.
12.3.7 Birds
Studies conducted in the late
autumn/early winter of 1989, and
during the spring migration and
breeding season of 1990, identified
96 species of birds at the Airport.
Chapter 12 > E N V I R O N M E N T
12.7
12.3.9 Archaeology and Heritage
Resources
Chapter 12 > E N V I R O N M E N T
12.8
photochemical reactions requires
time to develop and is capable of
travelling long distances through
the atmosphere, the elevated
ozone levels are an indication of a
broad regional problem, rather
than local airport emissions.
In addition, ambient air monitoring programs were carried out on
airport property in 1979, 1983,
1989, 1991 and 2005-06. These
studies show that the ambient
air quality measured at the
Airport closely follows that of
the surrounding community.
Environmental Clean-up
1 2 . 4 P R E S E NT
E N V I R O N M E NTA L
CO N C E R N S
12.4.1 Air Quality
Air quality concerns can be broken
down into two areas, local air
quality (health concerns) and
greenhouse gas emissions (environmental concerns).
Chapter 12 > E N V I R O N M E N T
12.9
Toronto area. In 2005, a human
health risk assessment was undertaken, with participation from the
local municipalities and the federal
and provincial governments, to
determine the affects of air emissions from the Airport and the
surrounding communities on the
public in the immediate vicinity of
the Airport. The report concluded
that no measurable adverse health
effects would result at any chosen
residential location, using the
most sensitive receptor chosen.
The results of the ambient air
quality monitoring study conducted in 2005-06 support the
model findings.
Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Climate Change: According to
the Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change, air transport
accounts for an estimated 3.5 per
cent of man-made emissions. The
concern, however, is that air passenger traffic may double within
the foreseeable future and technological advancement in jet engine
emissions reduction and the
implementation of this technology
may not keep up to the anticipated general community emission reductions and the actual
F I G U R E 12 -2
Kilo Tonnes
Greenhouse Gases
4500
4000
3500
3000
2500
2000
1500
1000
500
0
1990
2000
2001
Modelled in 2003
2005
2010
2015
Modelled in 1991*
Chapter 12 > E N V I R O N M E N T
Fuel costs have become the airlines single highest cost of operation. Reducing fuel burn is the
most effective way to reduce
emissions and the airlines are very
active in this area. Improving
engine technology is an airline
priority with the ICAO goal to
reduce oxides of nitrogen (NOx),
a greenhouse gas, by 45 per cent
by 2016 and 60 per cent by
2026. There is a balance in that
by reducing NOx you may raise
carbon dioxide (CO2), carbon
monoxide (CO), particulate matter (PM) and noise emissions.
There is a real concern that in the
future further trade-offs may have
to be made between emission
reductions and noise. For example:
the quicker an aircraft can turn
toward its final destination, the
lower the fuel consumption and the
lower the greenhouse gas emissions.
However, this is accomplished by
turning at a lower elevation, which
may route the aircraft over more
densely populated areas, generating a higher overall noise exposure.
12.10
Brampton. The facility is designed
to incinerate non-recyclable materials, including municipal solid
waste to produce steam. Steam is
used to drive a turbine generator
to produce electricity.
Chapter 12 > E N V I R O N M E N T
1 2 .5 ENVIRONMENTA L
IMP L I CAT IONS OF THE
MAST ER PL AN MOVING
TO W ARD SUSTAINABILIT Y
12.5.1 Introduction
The environmental impact of the
Master Plan is not limited to new
development alone, but to the
environmental management of the
Airport as a whole. This section
provides an overview of the potential for environmental impacts,
12.11
many cases there will be improvements to the existing environment.
Chapter 12 > E N V I R O N M E N T
12.12
from landfill and is now working
toward reaching the provincial
goal of a 60 per cent reduction in
non-hazardous waste.
During construction projects, it is
expected that additional volumes
of typical construction debris
and scrap metal wastes will be
generated, requiring some form of
management. The existing targets
of 90 per cent for construction
waste and 85 per cent for contaminated soil remediation will
remain in place.
Deicing Operations
Chapter 12 > E N V I R O N M E N T
12.13
12.5.6 Controlled Substances
PCBs and Asbestos: The Terminal
Development Project has resulted
in the virtual elimination of these
substances on the Airport.
CFCs and Halons: The Terminal
Development Project has resulted
in the elimination of the older
cooling equipment, replacing it
with new equipment that utilizes
less environmentally hazardous
refrigerants.
Chapter 12 > E N V I R O N M E N T
1 2 . 6 S U M M A RY
A review of Toronto Pearsons
Master Plan indicates that the
incremental environmental impacts will be minimal. As environmental impacts are being taken
into account early in the planning
process for the construction and
operation of the new facilities, and
measures to protect the environment during all stages of construction are implemented, the impact
of new Master Plan developments
will be minimal. Development at
the Airport is designed to meet the
demand of the surrounding community and as the demand for
service and the aviation industry
itself changes so will airport facilities. The Airport has almost completely been rebuilt over the last
15 years to meet the current
demands of the GTA with minimal environmental impact and in
a sustainable manner.