John Wayne Airport (JWA) is committed to upholding best practices in environmental responsibility and, for many years, has been an industry leader in implementing many “green” policies. JWA has a variety of environmental policies and practices currently in place including:

Noise Abatement

John Wayne Airport has one of the most stringent aircraft access and noise monitoring programs in the United States and the world.  Noise abatement at JWA is carried out using the following standards, guidelines and tools:

• Compliance with the Phase 2 Commercial Airline Access Plan and Regulation (Access Plan), resulting from the 1985 Settlement Agreement and 2003 Amendments, places restrictions on operational capacity, hours of operations and noise levels.
• General Aviation operations are permitted 24 hours daily subject to compliance with daytime noise limits and the more restrictive nighttime noise limits, as documented in the General Aviation Noise Ordinance.
• Utilization of a state-of-the-art noise monitoring system that enables JWA to track each and every one of the approximate 268,000 air carrier and general aviation operations that occur each year at the Airport.
• Availability of Access and Noise staff who provide excellent customer service by listening and responding to noise complaints, requests for information and concerns of the community.

Water Conservation

As a business in Southern California that is responsible for more than 500 acres of land and that serves millions of passengers annually, JWA implements a variety of water conservation initiatives, including:

• Utilization of ultra low-flow toilets/urinals, and automatic faucets and flushing sensors in Terminal restrooms.
• Diversion of runoff from construction sites and Airport grounds to an on-site retaining basin that directly recharges groundwater aquifers and reduces storm water runoff.
• Monitoring of the irrigation system for more efficient watering of Airport landscaping.
• Implementation of a plan to reduce water used to wash general aviation aircraft to just 1/8 gallon of water per aircraft.
• Working with the Orange County Pilots Association to restrict aircraft washing to the wash racks.
• Testing on-site fire engines by spraying the water into grassy areas to increase groundwater percolation into the County aquifers.

Recycling

The Airport currently recycles nearly half of the refuse from aircraft, as well as from the Riley Terminal and supporting facilities.  JWA is also developing a “large-venue” recycling program.

• Segregating of the Airport’s trash and recyclables offsite by the waste disposal contractor.  Waste that is generated on-board commercial aircraft is disposed of at the Airport and is treated in the same fashion.
• Recycling of all used fuel, oils and solvents.
• Development of a recycling program that will allow for the segregation of trash and recyclables at the point of disposal (in the Terminal).
• Improvement of the Airport’s central trash collection facilities to make them more efficient and compatible with recycling efforts.

Pollution Prevention / Water Quality

An Airport-wide Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP) is strictly enforced and includes the following:

• Diversion of air-side storm water runoff through oil-water separators before leaving Airport property.
• Rigorous testing of on-site fuel tanks to prevent leaks.
• Regular training of Airport employees and tenants in containment, clean-up and pollution prevention techniques.
• Use of site-specific structural and non-structural Best Management Practices to reduce the potential for pollutants to contaminate storm water discharges.
• Monitoring of pesticides and fertilizers for appropriate use.

Air Quality

The Airport has implemented measures to reduce emissions generated by aircraft and by vehicles using the Airport, including:

• Use of low-emission electric vehicles and support equipment on the commercial ramp.
• Utilization of diesel-powered preconditioned air units by commercial aircraft along with ground-based electrical power in place of jet-fueled onboard Auxiliary Power Unit (APU).  The ground-based units burn about 10 times less fuel than APU’s, reducing costs and lowering carbon emissions.
• Installation of electric charging stations for ground service equipment and Airport vehicles.
• Required operation of fleet vehicles, such as taxi cabs, using clean burning compressed natural gas (CNG) or other cleaner burning fuel alternatives. JWA’s taxi provider, Orange County Yellow Cab, uses 100 percent CNG vehicles.

Energy Efficiency

Many of JWA’s environmental policies and practices were in place long before being “green” became fashionable.

• Design of the Thomas F. Riley Terminals A and B, opened in 1990, included vaulted ceilings, skylights and windows from ceiling-to-floor to increase the use of natural lighting and reduce energy needs.
• Use of LED lighting on the airfield to provide lighting that meets all FAA safety standards and reduces both maintenance and energy costs.
• Transition to LED lighting in the Riley Terminal.

Airport Improvement Program

The multi-year John Wayne Airport Improvement Program incorporates a number of environmentally responsible elements, including:

• Implementation of a Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan to curb storm water runoff from the construction sites and to prevent discharge of pollutants to the storm drains.
• Recycling of 90 percent of construction-related materials and waste.
• Dust mitigation activities to minimize air quality effects during construction.
• Utilization of natural lighting and other methods to maximize energy efficiency in Terminal design plans.
• Replacement of older emergency generators with newer clean-burning generators.
• Construction of a Central Plant to provide chilled and hot water to the Riley Terminal complex allowing the Airport to greatly reduce its carbon footprint and provide its own electricity.
• Water Quality Management Plans incorporate environmental controls into the building designs and specify the means and methods of pollution control after the completion of the buildings.

Questions about this information can be directed to Jenny Wedge at 949.252.5182 or jwedge@ocair.com.