Canal company and airport staff discuss enclosing Hyde Park Canal to reduce waterfowl hazards
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Summary
A Hyde Park Irrigation Company representative briefed the board on options to enclose segments of the Hyde Park Canal that run through airport property to reduce wildlife attractants; the board asked for diagrams, updated capacity estimates and cost projections, and noted potential wetland mitigation and FAA funding limits.
A representative of the Hyde Park Irrigation Company told the Airport Authority Board the canal that runs onto airport property could be enclosed to reduce standing water and associated waterfowl that pose a hazard to aircraft. The representative said the company and engineers have an older drainage study (about 11 years old) but that updated engineering would be needed to size enclosed structures and to determine environmental and mitigation requirements.
Airport staff said the airport has an existing wildlife hazard plan and documented waterfowl problems; they reported recent bird strikes (including a hawk about six months ago and other incidents reported within the last three months) and described enclosing open waterways as an approach to reduce attractants. Board members raised environmental and cost concerns, noting wetland mitigation and the likely need for extensive permitting if enclosure extended into historically marshy western areas.
Engineers and board members said the FAA will cover works where the channel is currently covered (for example, under the runway) but may not fund additional enclosure beyond those FAA-eligible areas. The canal representative offered to return with aerial visualizations, diagrams, capacity estimates (reported rough range of 25'35 cubic feet per second for the section under the runway) and preliminary cost figures for phased options so the board could evaluate coverage per dollar and prioritize accordingly.
Board members generally expressed interest in exploring solutions, asked the canal company to coordinate further with airport staff and requested a follow-up presentation with maps and rough cost estimates.