Airport Master Plan 2012 - City of Waterville

5.2 Land Use
All of the proposed improvement projects are primarily located on Airport property and are consistent
with aviation uses. The projects are not growth inducing, meaning they will not expand much beyond the
existing airport property boundary and will not have significant land use ramifications, such as disruption
of communities or relocation. The proposed land acquisition south of Webb Road to upgrade the
approach lighting system for Runway 5 may cause minor changes in aircraft traffic patterns and the
potential increase in traffic volume across Webb Road is expected to be minimal. Consequently, no
potential adverse effect is anticipated.
5.3 Air Quality
An air quality assessment for long term impacts is not required for projects that will not increase the
current operations numbers above FAA thresholds. The FAA thresholds are based on an understanding
that small airports with limited operations like WVL have been found to have essentially no impact on air
quality.
The proposed projects would have a potential, albeit temporary, effect on air quality as a result of use of
fresh asphalt necessary for construction of the new taxiway, aircraft aprons and dust emissions during the
narrowing of Runway 14-32. Additional construction vehicle traffic and activity would also have a
temporary impact on air quality resulting from fugitive dust emissions as well as short-term emission of
air pollutants originating as the by-product of construction equipment fuel combustion during the
construction and demolition phases. Air pollutant emissions would be minimized by the relatively short
duration of the proposed projects and the limited amount of earth disturbance associated with each
project. In addition, air quality impacts are not expected to extend beyond the immediate vicinity of each
project area and no impacts are expected following completion of the projects.
The appropriate mitigation measures identified in FAA AC 1505370-10, Standards for Specifying
Construction at Airports, should be followed during the proposed projects. In addition, FAA
specifications included in FAA AC 1505370-10, Item P-156 Temporary Air and Water Pollution, Soil
Erosion, and Siltation Control should be included in the project contract documents to ensure that
construction impacts to air quality be minimized.
5.4 Water Quality
Any new development, such as the construction of new aprons or hangars will require that water runoff be
properly collected and treated. As such, the proposed improvement projects at WVL would require
consultation with federal, state, and local agencies as well as adherence to Maine Department of
Transportation (DOT) Best Management Practices for Erosion and Sedimentation Control with respect
to water quality. The coordination process requires that a description of the proposed development be
sent to the appropriate agencies requesting a determination of water quality impacts. This coordination
will occur for any short term projects requiring an EA. As per FAA Order 5050.4B, once approved, an
EA is valid for 3 years. Consequently, the anticipated projects for WVL with the likelihood of occurring
within 3 years of an approved EA, having the potential to affect water quality, and therefore require an
EA include:
Airport obstruction removal;
Alternative R1- Narrow the existing crosswind runway (14-32) from 150 feet to 60 feet;
Alternative A1- Construct an aircraft apron adjacent to the existing terminal apron;
The City of Waterville Maine
Environmental Review – Page 5-3
Airport Solutions Group, LLC & The Louis Berger Group, Inc. December 2011