MP - Chapter 12 - Environment.pdf

8/18/2019 MP - Chapter 12 - Environment.pdf

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12CHAP T ER

ENVIRONMENT

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• Noise – Ensure continual

monitoring of aircraft noise;

service public concerns/inquiries

regarding noise; and influence

airlines and air traffic control

(Nav Canada) in minimizing

noise.

• Property Management – Ensure

environmental considerations are

incorporated into the GTAA’sproperty management system.

• Resource Use – Continually

improve energy and water

efficiency.

• Spills – Continually reduce

frequency and severity of spills.

• Waste – Reduce waste and pro-

mote recycling above the current

50 per cent diversion rate.

• Water Quality – Improve storm-

water quality at the Airport.

• Wildlife Control – Reduce

wildlife strikes.

Chapter 12 > EN VI RON ME N T

ENV I RONMENT

Chapter 12

1 2 . 1 I N T R O D U C T I O N

Toronto Pearson International

Airport’s Environmental Manage-

ment System is certified to the

rigorous ISO 14001 standard. The

GTAA’s commitment to continual

improvement in environmental

performance is reflected in the

ISO Environmental Policy, which

is incorporated into the day-to-

day operations and the future

development of the Airport.

The purpose of this chapter is to

provide a description of the ISO

Environmental Management Sys-

tem (EMS), the Airport’s existing

natural environment, including

the move towards sustainability at

Toronto Pearson, and a discussionof the environmental impacts of

developments proposed within the

Master Plan. Noise Management

is discussed separately in

Chapter 13.

1 2 . 2 T H E IS O 1 4 0 01

E N V I R O N M E N T A L

M A N A G E M E N T S Y S T E M

The ISO 14001 Environmental

Management System requires a

company to review all its possible

environmental aspects (concerns)

and to evaluate them for signifi-

cance. Targets are established and

individual programs are then

implemented to resolve the envi-

ronmental concerns. The following

section identifies the Airport’s cur-

rent significant aspects (see also

Figure 12-1). Both short- and

long-term targets are set and

reviewed on an ongoing basis to

ensure that the Airport continues

to reduce its environmental foot-

print, producing a positive impacton the community. Detailed data

on environment, social and eco-

nomic performance can be found

in the GTAA Sustainability Report

located on the GTAA website.

12.2.1 Summary of Significant

Aspects

• Air Quality – Manage air emis-

sions at the Airport to ensure

meeting federal/provincial air

quality guidelines.

• Airport Development – Ensure

environmental factors are

considered and implemented for

all new development utilizing

the LEED Green Building

concepts where practical.

• Ecology – Improve the

natural environment in and

around the Airport to

provide a positive habitat

for all organisms.


3/14Chapter 12 > EN VI RON ME N T

2.2

12.2.2 Sustainable Airport

Development – New Initiatives

GTAA Pearson – Partners in Project

Green

The most recent initiative to

reduce the Airport’s environmental

footprint is the GTAA’s sponsor-

ship of the Pearson Eco-Industrial

Park. An Eco-Industrial Park is

essentially businesses working

together to reduce resource use

and improve financial and environ-

mental performance. This initia-

tive is being undertaken jointly

with the surrounding munici-

palities and spearheaded by the

Toronto and Region Conservation

Authority. The program will intro-

duce the concept of sustainable

management to a study area of

11,000 ha centred on Toronto

Pearson. While in its infancy, the

eco-park project is currently com-piling a resource baseline of the

industries within the study area.

Information on energy use, water

consumption and waste is being

gathered as a starting point to

engage neighbouring industry in

an attempt to realize efficiencies,

cost savings, and improved

natural environment.

Etobicoke Creek Pedestrian/

Cycle Trail

The GTAA, since its beginning,

has placed a high priority on the

protection and improvement of

the Etobicoke Creek valley lands.

In conjunction with the City of

Mississauga, the existing

Etobicoke Creek Trail will beextended 3.2 km through airport

property from Hwy 401 to

Courtneypark Drive. The

Etobicoke Creek Trail, once com-

pleted, will connect the Water-

front Trail on Lake Ontario to the

Trans Canada Trail in Caledon.

The stretch through the Airport

will cross through a mature hard-

wood forest, open meadowsrecently reseeded with native

plants, and past the confluence of

the west branch of the Etobicoke

and Spring Creeks (east branch of

Etobicoke Creek).

1 2 . 3 E X I S T I N G N A T U R A L

E N V I R O N M E N T

12.3.1 GeologyThe principal physiographic feature

of Toronto Pearson is the gently

rolling Halton-Peel till plain. The

airport property slopes gradually

to the south from an elevation

of approximately 170 m above sea

Spring Creek

GTAA Environmental PolicyGreater Toronto Airports Authority

Greater Toronto Airports Authority, February 2007

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 isenvironmentally, economically and socially sustainable. Our commitment is reflected in GTAA’s 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 policyto 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 thespecifications 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, airsidedevelopment, 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 OfficerGreater Toronto Airports Authority

F I G U R E 1 2 - 1



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 bed-

rock shale. The creek valleys are

characterized by granular alluvial

deposits.

Soils on airport property are dom-

inated by Malton and Peel clays,

which are fine textured soils sus-

ceptible 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 infiltra-

tion and transmission rates, and

are therefore poorly drained.

12.3.2 Hydrology and Surface

Waters

Toronto Pearson straddles the

Etobicoke Creek and Mimico

Creek watersheds. Approximately

200 ha, encompassing the new

Terminal 1 building, parking

structure, a minor amount of the

new apron and the former

Terminal 2 building and apron

area, drain into Mimico Creek to

the east. The remainder of airport

property, including all runways,

cargo areas, Terminal 3, the major-ity of new Terminal 1 apron and

the Infield, drains into Etobicoke

Creek which flows through the

west side of the property.

The intensive urbanized land use

in both watersheds has contributed

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 chan-nelization 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 precipita-

tion 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 aretypically 137 days of precipitation

at Toronto Pearson annually.

The overall contribution of runoff

from Toronto Pearson to down-

stream 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

and contributes less than five per

cent to peak flows at the mouth of

Etobicoke Creek.

Storm water detention facilities

have been constructed on airport

property to regulate the outflow to

Etobicoke Creek. Analysis of in-

stream erosion indicates that

active bank failure is common in

the portion of Etobicoke Creek

that flows within airport property.

The Toronto Pearson property

draining to Mimico Creek repre-

sents less than three per cent of

the total Mimico Creek watershed

area and contributes less than

three per cent to the peak down-stream flows.

Operations at Toronto Pearson

generate pollutants unique to air-

port activity. Glycol from aircraft

deicing/anti-icing operations, sand

from airside pavement deicing

operations, and aircraft fuelling

are of primary concern. Additional

surface pollutants may be genera-

ted from accidental spills.

The Airport and the Environment



2.4

Initial efforts were undertaken in

1994 to enhance the containmentof glycol at Toronto Pearson.

The first pad of a six pad Central

Deicing Facility was constructed

in 1997, three more pads were

constructed in 1998 and two were

completed in 1999. This new

facility, the world’s largest, has

been copied across the continent.

Further improvements include the

1997/1998 construction of a

17,000 cubic metre storm water

management facility complete

with fuel separator and on-line

chemical analyses allowing the

capture and disposal of contami-

nated runoff from the Terminal 2

apron and the fuel tank farm. Two

similar facilities were completed in

1999 and 2000: the 56,300 cubic

metre Etobicoke Creek and the84,000 cubic metre Moore’s Creek

Stormwater Facilities. These facili-

ties intercept storm water from the

Terminal 1 and 3 areas prior to

their discharge to Etobicoke Creek

and Spring Creeks. The comple-

tion of the deicing pads and

downstream storm water manage-

ment facilities ensure the contain-ment of deicing fluid and other

contaminated storm water runoff.

12.3.3 Aquatic Resources

Etobicoke and Mimico Creeks are

both small warmwater streams

within the Lake Ontario drainage

basin. Etobicoke Creek flows

through the western portion of theproperty and drains the majority

of the Airport. Two tributaries of

Etobicoke Creek, Spring Creek

and Moore’s Creek also flow

through the Airport, the latter

having its source on the property.

Although the airport property does

not come in direct contact with

Mimico Creek, located east of the

Airport, a small portion of the airport lands drain to this creek.

While Lake Ontario and its associ-

ated inland waters support signifi-

cant warm water and cold water

fisheries, the aquatic resources of

Etobicoke and Mimico creeks are

generally poor. This situation has

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 disap peared

from the Etobicoke Creek watershed and it is estimated that between 80

and 99 per cent of all historic wet-

lands no longer exist. The aquatic

communities within the watershed

are largely impaired.

Fish and benthic communities have

been degraded since European settle-

ment, particularly in the lower

portions of the watershed.”

The above is a quote from the

Toronto and Region Conservation

Authority (TRCA) report,

Etobicoke Creek Aquatic Ecosystem ,

2006 , prepared as part of the

GTAA Living City Project. This

study is part of TRCA’s manage-

ment strategies for the nine water-

sheds under its control. Recent

studies have indicated that a very

low diversity of fish species exists

in Etobicoke and Mimico creeks.

No game species are present in the

vicinity of the Airport. The fish

communities of both streams are

dominated by suckers and min-

nows.The fish species are pollution

tolerant, a typical characteristic of

a degraded stream.

Past aquatic invertebrate studiesin Etobicoke Creek have indicated

a severely stressed population.

Of the 52 fish species known to

inhabit the creek only 28 were

captured in 2001 and 20 in 2004.

The dominance of pollution-

tolerant species throughout the

Natural Bank Stabilization – Before



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, significantimprovements will come only

with a watershed approach to

conservation.

Recent field studies have indicated

the presence of coldwater habitat

in the head waters 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 Etobi-

coke and Spring Creeks, aquatic

conditions were fair and the

watercourse supported significant

numbers of fish, primarily min-

nows and suckers. Conditions

declined below Spring Creek due

to heavy algal growth, and con-

siderably 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 inten-

sive urbanization and agriculture.

Currently 16.5 per cent of the

watercourse within the Etobicoke

Creek watershed has woody ripar-

ian vegetation; less than 1 per cent

of the estimated 7.4 per cent

historical wetlands remain. The

state of the terrestrial system in the

area surrounding the Airport has

been evaluated as poor to very

poor by the TRCA.

The airport lands have been highly

modified over the years. Approxi-

mately 1,200 ha of the property is

vegetated by native and introduced

species. The four main vegetation

communities found are agricul-

tural land, mowed grass, old fields,

and forests.

Approximately 150 ha of land in

numerous parcels are leased to a

local farmer for the production of

agricultural crops. The majority of

the cultivated land lies to the west

of Runway 15R-33L.

Areas adjacent to the Airport’s

runways, taxi ways, and aprons are

mowed on a regular basis by air-

port maintenance staff. The

mowed areas primarily consist

of grass species typical of old

field vegetation and comprise approximately 640 ha.

Approximately 360 ha of old field

vegetation exists along the creek

floodplains, bottomlands, and

adjacent slopes, as well as on idle

areas formerly used for agricultural

purposes. The old field vegetation

is typically composed of a variety of grasses and herbs, with localized

areas of red raspberry thickets and

hawthorn trees.

Most of the 17 ha of forest on the

Airport consists of early succes-

sional hawthorn scrub forest, with

occasional willow and elm, and is

located primarily on creek slopes

and floodplains. However, 1 ha of

mature hardwood forest is presentin the extreme south-west corner

of the site and is dominated by

red oak, sugar maple, white ash

and hophornbeam, with smaller

quantities of black cherry, eastern

hemlock and beech.

A total of 195 plant species were

observed on the airport property,

which represents exceptionally low

plant diversity for an area the size

of Toronto Pearson. None of the

Natural Bank Stabilization – After



2.6

recorded plant species is of provin-

cial or regional importance. The

only vegetative feature of any sig-

nificance is the remnant hardwood

woodlot.

12.3.5 Amphibians and Reptiles

In a recent field study, 3 species of

amphibians (American toad, green

frog, northern leopard frog) and 2

reptile species (little brown snake,

eastern garter snake) were encoun-

tered. These species are all com-

mon to abundant in southernOntario. There were no significant

species found on the airport

property in this study.

12.3.6 Mammals

The following eleven species of

mammals have been reported at

the Airport.

• American beaver• American mink

• coyote

• eastern cottontail

• European hare

• grey squirrel

• masked shrew

• meadow vole

• 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.

A total of 25 species of birds were

observed during the late autumn/

early winter period. Of these, six

species are uncommon winter resi-

dents in Ontario. The airport

property supports a diverse andabundant raptor population of

provincial significance during the

winter months.

Spring bird migration surveys

at Toronto Pearson identified 70

species, of which 46 were subse-

quently seen during breeding

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.

During the breeding season,

63 species of birds were observed

within the boundaries of Toronto

Pearson. Although none of these

species are of provincial signifi-

cance, three are considered

regionally rare. These are theupland sandpiper, grasshopper

sparrow and northern harrier,

which are all fairly common in

southern Ontario, but are not

usually seen in the Toronto area

because of the intense urbaniza-

tion. The greatest diversity of

species was found along the creek

valleys. Fewer species nested in

upland scrub forests and fields of tall grass, and few species were

found in the mowed areas.

12.3.8 Wildlife Control

One of the dangers to the safe

operation of any airport is the

presence of wildlife, particularly

birds. It is the policy of airport

management to institute effective wildlife control programs and pro-

cedures to minimize the potential

of bird strikes.

The preferred control method is

habitat manipulation and manage-

ment. This includes keeping the

Airport Residents



vegetation mowed in critical areas,

removal of trees and shrubs, water-

course alterations and the covering

of potential perching sites.

One of the most successful

methods of deterring birds from

Toronto Pearson has been through

the use of falconry. Falconry

involves the use of specially trained

raptors to frighten and harass

other birds off airport property.

In addition, a raptor capture pro-

gram is conducted at the Airport.

It entails the capture, documenta-

tion, and transportation of birds

to a wildlife centre where they are

banded and released.

A small herd of white-tailed deer

inhabit the valley lands of the

Airport. The herd has been

restricted from operational areas

through deer fencing extending

through the valley lands.

Wildlife Control Officers use a

variety of other techniques for

deterring wildlife from Toronto

Pearson, depending on the type of species involved and local weather

conditions. For example, several

types of auditory equipment are

commonly used, and dogs have

been employed on occasion.

12.3.9 Archaeology and Heritage

Resources

The archaeology and heritage

resource sites on airport property

demonstrate an intermittent occu-

pation by prehistoric or historic

native cultures and early European

settlements extending back several

centuries or more.

Surveys of known and potential

archaeological and heritage

resources were conducted at

Toronto Pearson in 1990 and

1993. These studies identified

29 archaeological sites within the

Airport’s boundaries.Three of the sites consisted of pre-

historic native remains, while the

majority of the sites pertain to the

historic European settlement of

the area during the nineteenth

century. Seven of the sites were

subsequently documented and reg-

istered in the national archaeologi-

cal site registry, including the three

prehistoric native finds, and fournineteenth century farmsteads.

One of the prehistoric native sites

yielded a spear point, while the

other two were identified by the

undiagnosed detritus of stone

tool production.

A majority of the nineteenth

century settlement sites represent

a cluster of buildings. In combi-nation, the sites contained

approximately 150 individual

historically documented buildings

or structures. These included

houses, barns, stables, milk

houses, a quarry, a cheese factory,

schools, a post office, churches,

and cemeteries.

The Fifth Line Cemetery, origi-

nally thought to contain 277

graves, has been removed with

greater than 624 individuals re-

interred in the Assumption

Cemetery approximately one

kilometre west on Derry Road.The earliest recorded burial

occurred in 1833, although the

cemetery was not officially estab-

lished until 1837, and operated

until 1939.

12.3.10 Summary of the

Significance of the Natural

Environment

The low environmental quality of

the existing natural environment

at Toronto Pearson is largely dic-

tated by the surrounding land

uses. Similarly the quality of

aquatic communities on the air-

port property is marginal as a

result of upstream and off-site

surface runoff and storm sewer

inputs.

Although Toronto Pearson lands

are highly impacted by airport

operations, large areas of natural

and managed vegetation which are

restricted from public access pro-

vide varied habitat for birds and

mammals unique to the Toronto

area. A wide variety of wildlife

resources including three region-

ally uncommon birds, an uncom-monly high winter concentration

of raptors and several mammal

species unique to urban areas have

adapted to the airport setting to

take advantage of these available

habitats. The only vegetation

Wildlife Control – Falconry



2.8

community of significance on the

Airport is a small mature hardwood

forest.

Throughout the GTAA study area

there continues to be a cumulative

loss of both flora and fauna and a

change from a natural to a more

urban wildlife. According to the

TRCA’s terrestrial classification

made during the landscape analy-

sis of the area including and sur-

rounding the Airport, the study

area was evaluated as poor to

very poor.

1 2 . 4 P R E S E N T

E N V I R O N M E N T A L

C O 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 (environ-

mental concerns).

Local Air Quality: The Ministry

of the Environment (MOE) oper-

ates an extensive ambient air mon-

itoring program measuring the

level of suspended particulates and

several gases at stations located

across the province. The latest

publicly available report (2004)

indicated that there were no

exceedances of sulphur dioxide,

nitrogen dioxide or carbon mon-oxide. At the Centennial Park air

quality monitoring station, south

of the Airport, there was one

exceedence of the ozone guideline

and fewer than ten exceedances

of the particulate matter PM2.5 guideline.

The long-term trend in air quality

has been for better overall air

quality while the number of smog

days appears to be related to hot

summer days and regional air

quality events. Both ozone and

suspended particulate matter show

exceedances of criteria levels, how-

ever, since the ozone produced by

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 monitor-

ing 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.

A permanent air quality monitor-

ing station was installed at Toronto

Pearson in 1994. The state-of-the-

art station permits the continuous

measurement of eleven individual

pollutants. The station is located

near the eastern end of Runway

06R-24L. This is the predominant

downwind side of major airport

activities. A review of data indi-

cates that there has been no deteri-

oration of the air quality at the

Airport and the Airport’s air quality

is generally the same as that meas-

ured throughout Toronto. Concen-

trations for all measured pollutants

except ozone and particulates

(regional problems) remained well

below their respective Federal Air

Quality Desirable and Acceptable

Limits and the Provincial Air

Quality Criteria.

Supplementary, air quality model-

ling has shown that Toronto

Pearson is a relatively minor

source of air emissions when com-

pared to both the nearby sources

and the emissions from the

Environmental Clean-up



Toronto area. In 2005, a human

health risk assessment was under-

taken, with participation from the

local municipalities and the federal

and provincial governments, to

determine the affects of air emis-

sions from the Airport and thesurrounding 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 con-

ducted 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 pas-

senger traffic may double within

the foreseeable future and techno-logical advancement in jet engine

emissions reduction and the

implementation of this technology

may not keep up to the antici-

pated general community emis-

sion reductions and the actual

percentage aircraft related emis-

sions may increase.

Setting aircraft emissions is the

responsibility of the International

Civil Aviation Organization

(ICAO) a United Nations organi-

zation. The Canadian position,

formulated by Transport Canada,

is influenced by aircraft operators,

aircraft manufacturers, engine

manufacturers, Environment

Canada and more recently the

Canadian Airports Council of

which the GTAA is a member.

Fuel costs have become the air-

lines single highest cost of opera-

tion. 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 mat-

ter (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, thelower 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, generat-

ing a higher overall noise exposure.

These issues will continue to be

discussed with the community.

The Airport’s role in emission

reductions from aircraft comes

from our ability to, as quickly as

possible, taxi a landing aircraft to

the terminal and have its engines

shut down, and from start-up of

an aircraft, taxi that aircraft as effi-

ciently as possible to the runway

for takeoff.

The addition of new runways and

taxiways to facilitate efficient

aircraft movement was largely

completed over the last decade

and will continue with the addi-

tion of a new east/west runway as

demand necessitates. The queuing

of aircraft for takeoff is the largest

source of CO emissions from air-

craft at the Airport.

The completion of Terminal 1 saw

the installation of both conditioned

air and electrical power to all the

aircraft boarding gates allowing the

aircraft to shut down their auxil-iary power units on arrival.

Another airport initiative is to

reduce emissions include the large

fleet of electric, hybrid and alter-

native fuel vehicles used in and

around the terminals both by the

GTAA and their tenants.

The GTAA emission reduction

program is defined through theISO 14001 Environmental

Management System. Other ini-

tiatives recently completed as part

of the Terminal Development

Project include the following:

• Addition of the LINK Train (an

automated people mover)

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

4000

4500

201520102005200120001990

Greenhouse Gases

FIGURE 12-2

K i l o T o n n e s

Model led in 2003 Model le d in 1991*

*The 1991 modelling projected GHG emissions before the addition of

new runways and taxiways which significantly reduced queuing times



2.10

resulting in the elimination of

inter-terminal bussing;

• terminal modifications to accept

the proposed dedicated rail line

from Union Station to the

Airport – Blue 22;

• completion of the heating and

electrical energy Cogeneration

Plant; and

• completion of the first GTAA

“Green Building”, a LEED Silver

Certified building with an

estimated 30 per cent greater

energy efficiency than required

by the National Model Building

Code.

12.4.2 Waste Management

An airport-wide recycling program was first developed and imple-

mented at Toronto Pearson in

1993. The program has evolved

and continues to be guided by the

3 R’s. Examples of performance

are: 50 per cent for domestic

waste, 90 per cent for construc-

tion waste and 90 per cent for

contaminated soil remediation.

Non-recyclable waste is disposed

of at a Canadian landfill site in

Thorold Ontario. International

waste comes under the jurisdiction

of Agriculture Canada and is dis-

posed of at the Algonquin Power

Energy from Waste facility in

Brampton. The facility is designed

to incinerate non-recyclable mate-

rials, including municipal solid

waste to produce steam. Steam is

used to drive a turbine generator

to produce electricity.

12.4.3 Contaminated Sites

A program was implemented by

the federal government in the early

1990s to identify suspect sites and

classify their potential risks. In

conjunction with the National

Contaminated Sites Remediation

Program, Transport Canada’s, and

now the GTAA’s, Environmental

Department has undertaken inves-

tigation and remediation of all sus-

pect airport sites. There are only

two remaining areas of contamina-

tion. One is the area adjacent to

the old York Skeet Club near the

northern boundary of the Airport.

This small area is contaminated

with lead shot that will be

removed prior to development.

The other area is under the

Terminal 2 apron and will be

cleaned up in 2007-08.

1 2 . 5 E N V I R O N M E N T A L

I M P L I C AT I O N S O F T H E

M A S T E R P L A N – M O V I N G

T O W A R D S U S T A I N A B I L I T 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 poten-

tial for environmental impacts,

beginning with a discussion of the

application of the environmental

assessment process, followed by a

discussion of the impacts by

Environmental Aspect (concern).

The concept of sustainable devel-

opment is the balance of environ-

mental, economic and social

concerns. These are also the basis

for the Canadian Environmental

Assessment Act (CEAA). The

GTAA has used the balance of

environment, economics and

social sustainability as the founda-

tion to support its operation and

redevelopment of the Toronto

Pearson International Airportlands. Over the last 15 years,

10 under GTAA management, the

Airport has been almost com-

pletely rebuilt. The GTAA has

worked responsibly to remake the

Airport to one capable of meeting

the needs of the future while

reducing its environmental impact.

The Airport has matured consid-

erably from the early 1990s with

the completion of two of three

new runways proposed, and the

completion of the Terminal

Development Project in January

2007. The major remaining

undertakings within the Master

Plan timeframe are discussed

below. The sixth runway and asso-

ciated taxiways and the Terminal 1

Piers G and H have already undergone environmental assess-

ments and, with the recom-

mended mitigation measures

implemented, were found to have

no significant environmental

impact.



1

The only major development area

that has not yet been assessed is an

area adjacent to November Taxi-

way at the north end of the Infield

that is being held as a potentialnew north deicing area. Further

parcels of undeveloped land

include areas adjacent to Derry

Road that have the potential to be

utilized for cargo activities. New

development is anticipated to be

similar to existing use and com-

patible with the current surround-

ing land use.

As a “non-government agency”,the GTAA is not formally subject

to the CEAA process. Nonethe-

less, since transfer to the GTAA in

1996, the Airport has voluntarily

followed the Canadian Environ-

mental Assessment Process with

the exception of placing environ-

mental assessments on the public

registry. This registry is not avail-

able to non-government agencies.Legislation is pending at the time

of the publication of this docu-

ment to bring all Canadian

airports under the CEAA.

While future developments being

undertaken within the timeframe

of this Master Plan may have

minor environmental impacts, it

should also be noted that future

development has the ability to rec-

tify older problems throughtoday’s better understanding of

environmental principles and the

use of more modern and less

harmful technologies. This is par-

ticularly evident in the develop-

ment of the GTAA’s enhanced

storm water management facilities.

A summary of the Airport’s signifi-

cant environmental aspects has

been put together as part of the Airport’s ISO 14001 Environ-

mental Management System (see

Section 12.2.1). These represent

the major environmental concerns

of the Airport and an environmen-

tal target has been set in response

to each aspect. It is through

accomplishing these targets and

the implementation of the mitiga-

tion measures identified for eachindividual project environmental

assessment that the GTAA will

limit the cumulative effects of

future development as described in

this Plan and promote sustainable

development at the Airport. In

many cases there will be improve-

ments to the existing environment.

12.5.2 Air Quality

Regardless of whether or not the

airport development goes ahead or where it takes place, as long as the

demand increases for air travel

there will be an increase in energy

usage. This, however, does not

necessarily mean poorer air quality.

Previous monitoring efforts have

indicated that ozone and total sus-

pended particulates exceeded fede-

ral air quality objectives. These

exceedances are directly related toregional air masses moving, with

most pollutants originating out-

side of the local area. Air monitor-

ing by the GTAA shows no

measurable change in air quality

at Toronto Pearson as a result of

airport operations.

The assessment of the Airside

Development Project concluded

that with additional run ways, there

would be a reduction in queuing

times and an overall reduction in

air emissions from aircraft; a pro-

jection that has held true. Future

increases in efficiency will continue

to produce a positive effect on

local air quality over a long-term

period. Air quality monitoring is

ongoing at the Airport.

Heating and cooling is currently

provided through a combination

of both traditional low NOx

boiler for heat and electric chillers

for cooling and a new Cogenera-

tion Plant that produces up to

100 MW of electricity plus free

Air Quality Monitoring Station



2.12

heating or cooling as a by-product.

The emissions from the natural

gas fired cogeneration plant, while

produced locally, are significantly

lower than those produced by the

coal fired electrical generation

plant they replace.

There are many other energy con-

servation strategies that were built

into the new Terminal. For exam-

ple, Terminal 1 allows for the

installation of new energy efficientlighting. Power and precondi-

tioned air is provided to aircraft on

gate allowing aircraft to shut off

their auxiliary power engines elimi-

nating another source of air pollu-

tion at the Airport. The Airport’s

electrical use, on a per passenger

basis, has declined since 2004.

12.5.3 Stormwater Qualityand Quantity

The addition of storm water man-

agement and deicing facilities and

the implementation of the

ISO 14001 environment manage-

ment system described earlier will

continue to make storm water

management at the Airport a suc-

cess story. By late 2000, all major

storm water outfalls were protected

by new storm water control

structures.

There will always be accidental

spills but the stormwater runoff

quality and quantity from the

Airport is significantly better than

it has been in decades. Storm water

will continue to be analyzed onan ongoing basis. The main con-

cern is the potential contamina-

tion of soil and surface water

resources at Toronto Pearson as a

result of the release of deicing

materials, soil erosion and fuels

into the natural environment.

12.5.4 Non-Hazardous Wastes

The Canadian Council of Minis-

ters of the Environment (CCME)

adopted a goal of 50 per cent

reduction of non-hazardous waste

going to landfill by the year 2000.

The GTAA currently diverts

50 per cent of its domestic waste

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 contam-

inated soil remediation will

remain in place.

12.5.5 Hazardous Materials

Hazardous materials are routinely

transported through the Airport

and airport operations typically

involve the use and generation of

small quantities of hazardous

waste. Materials commonly used

at airports are subject to the

CCME Codes of Practice or the

Canadian Environmental Protec-

tion Act (CEPA) regulations.Others are designated under the

Ontario Occupational Health

and Safety Act.

The GTAA ISO 14001 Environ-

mental Management System, with

its commitment to continuous

improvement, targets the reduc-

tion of hazardous materials on-site.

It does this through a planned pur-

chase of eco-friendly products, theplanned reduction of hazardous

chemical use and the monitoring

(auditing) of GTAA and tenant

facilities.

Deicing Operations


14/14

1

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 TerminalDevelopment Project has resulted

in the elimination of the older

cooling equipment, replacing it

with new equipment that utilizes

less environmentally hazardous

refrigerants.

12.5.7 Sanitary Effluent

The GTAA has entered into a Compliance Agreement with the

Region of Peel and the City of

Toronto to dispose of low concen-

tration glycol-based deicing fluid

captured as a result of aircraft

deicing. The amount of glycol

disposed of through the sanitary

sewer is directly related to the

weather. Glycol with a concentra-

tion of three per cent and higher

has traditionally been disposed of

as waste. As of 2006 it is now recy-

cled at the Airport and sold off-site

into the commercial market.

12.5.8 Brown Field

Redevelopment

Developable land is at a premium

at the Airport; lands contaminated

by past practices are customarily

rehabilitated and reused. The

GTAA’s policy is not to ship con-

taminated soil off-site and it main-

tains a bioremediation facility that

uses naturally occurring bacteria

to rehabilitate hydrocarbon con-

taminated soils. A number of

properties adjacent to the Airport

have been purchased by the

GTAA. Several of these properties

were contaminated and the GTAA

has worked with the previousproperty owners to ensure these

lands were cleaned up before

transfer.

12.5.9 Natural Environment

Through partnering with the

TRCA on environmental initia-

tives like the GTAA Living City

Project, the GTAA has been able

to improve water quality and habi-

tat in the watershed on GTAA

lands. True watershed improve-

ment can only occur on a regional

basis. The TRCA is focusing on

the upstream catchment area and

working to improve storm water

quality and quantity controls,

pollution prevention and both

terrestrial and aquatic habitat

enhancement with adjacent

property owners.

1 2 . 6 S U M M A R Y

A review of Toronto Pearson’s

Master Plan indicates that the

incremental environmental im-

pacts will be minimal. As environ-

mental 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 environ-

ment during all stages of construc-

tion 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 com-

munity and as the demand forservice and the aviation industry

itself changes so will airport facili-

ties. The Airport has almost com-

pletely been rebuilt over the last

15 years to meet the current

demands of the GTA with mini-

mal environmental impact and in

a sustainable manner.

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