The October 2020 completion of a new stormwater and de-icing infrastructure at the Indianapolis International Airport in Indiana (USA) provided additional capacity as well as environmental benefits. PENETRON ADMIX was chosen to replace a competitive product and provide a superior waterproofing solution.
An international airport located seven miles (11 km) southwest of downtown Indianapolis, the Indianapolis International Airport (IND) is the sixth busiest U.S. airport in terms of air cargo throughput (2020) and the second largest FedEx Express hub in the world. As the owner and operator of the airport, the Indianapolis Airport Authority (IAA) maintains an infrastructure system of storage basins, pipelines, and associated equipment to manage the airport’s stormwater and de-icing fluid runoff.
“About three years ago, FedEx announced a sizeable expansion at their Indianapolis facility,” adds Christopher Chen, Director of the Penetron Group. “At that point, the IAA realized the previous stormwater and de-icing facilities at IND would also need to be modified and enlarged.”
Separating Stormwater From ADF
Wessler Engineering was asked to prepare an overall concept for the de-icing runoff controls and airport stormwater treatment facilities. A key aspect of the project was segregating stormwater runoff contaminated by aircraft de-icing fluid (ADF) and sending it to the existing de-icing control facility roughly two miles away, while also removing total suspended solids (TSS) for all runoff from the new aircraft apron. A further advantage of the new system was minimizing the volume of contaminated runoff sent to the wastewater treatment plant.
The $102 million project consisted of relocating and increasing the capacities of the stormwater and de-icing facilities. These upgrades included replacing two previous (open air) lined basins with a 10 million-gallon subgrade storage tank for the ADF runoff and installing new pipes and pumping stations to redirect the stormwater and de-icing flow to the new tank.
Bowen Engineering, responsible for the project’s subgrade concrete structures, needed a robust waterproofing solution for the underground stormwater and ADF storage tanks. Because PENETRON ADMIX featured a more concentrated dosage rate and is set neutral (no negative effects on the concrete properties and no alterations needed for the mix design), it was chosen to replace an originally specified competitive product.
Massive Pour Took 15 Hours
The actual placing and finishing of the concrete – approximately 20,000 cubic yards – required a carefully planned process that involved four ready-mix plants, 40 ready-mix concrete trucks, a concrete washout site, and dozens of workers on-site. IMI, the ready-mix supplier, began concrete deliveries at 3 a.m. Just over 15 hours later, they were done.
“The superior performance of PENETRON ADMIX simplified the application of a waterproofing solution for Bowen Engineering,” says Christopher Chen. “The new, enhanced stormwater and de-icing facility also provides an environmental benefit that was recognized by the EPA.”
After completion of construction, the IAA received a Performance and Innovation Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for their stormwater and de-icing capacity project. The IND project was honored for excellence and innovation within the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) programs that showcase water quality improvements and enhanced public health protection. In addition, the project was also named as the 2nd place “Project of the Year” by the Indiana Ready-Mix Concrete Association (IRMCA).
When it absolutely has to be waterproof: The stormwater and de-icing facilities at the Indianapolis Airport were upgraded and enlarged as part of the expansion of the airport’s FedEx hub.
