Useful Practices - Storm Water Runoff
Submitted by Richard Helgeson, Airport Manager, Two Harbors Airport
Richard Helgeson, airport manager of the Two Harbors Airport, recommends that each airport have a Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan. Such a plan has proven beneficial for his airport.
Helgeson says there is a need in Minnesota to decrease non-point pollution sources. The Mn/DOT Office of Aeronautics has published a manual to help Minnesota airports prepare site-specific Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plans (SWPPP) to minimize release of pollutants from airports (STS Consultants, Manual for Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plans, 1993). The manual includes best practices, standards, and guidelines for storm water pollution prevention practices common to most airports and step-by-step instructions for developing a SWPPP to fit a specific airport.
Copies of the manual are available from the Mn/DOT Office of Aeronautics. Please note that since its publication, some information in the manual has been updated by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. Users should consult the MPCA Web site for the most current information on that agency's requirements. Specifically, see Stormwater Program for Industrial Activity; the standard industrial code classification for airports is 4581.