By Robert L. Candiotti

In October, 2005, transportation and environmental consulting firm Vanasse Hangen Brustlin (VHB), Inc., was chosen by the Federal Aviation Administration and the Bureau of Land Management to prepare the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed Ivanpah Valley Airport, to be located in Southern Nevada near of California border of San Bernardino County.
FAA and BLM are the Joint Lead Federal Agencies for the project which is also referred to as the Southern Nevada Supplemental Airport.

In VHB's news release dated October 5, 2005, the company states it "was awarded the $14.2 million contract by the Clark County [Nevada] Department of Aviation in part because of the firm's unprecedented success in expediting the EIS process required by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)."
In the same news release VHB says Ivanpah Valley Airport is the firm's eighth airport contract in three years. It notes the company's EIS involvement with the Philadelphia International Airport NEPA process, an additional study in Philadelphia, the T.F. Green Airport in Providence, Rhode Island, Manchester Airport in New Hampshire and the Baltimore Washington International Airport.

The Ivanpah EIS is currently ongoing. In the Southern Nevada Supplemental Airport EIS Newsletter Number 1, published by FAA and BLM in June, 2007, the Joint Lead Agencies state there are plans to hold public information meetings in late 2007. The final stage of the new airport's EIS - which is known as the Record of Decision (ROD) - is scheduled to be reached in 2010.

Corporate headquarters of Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc., is in Watertown Massachusetts.

By Robert L. Candiotti

Yesterday, September 6, 2007, on National Public Radio's Day to Day show, I heard a piece on "greywater." Greywater, I learned, is basically slightly dirty water (dish, shower, sink, laundry) that is reused.

The radio piece centered on a resident of Berkeley, California, who initiated a "grey water lifestyle" to irrigate her home gardens. The story got my attention. She is recycling used sink water to irrigate the grounds around her house.
Unfamiliar with greywater reuse systems, I was inspired to go to the Internet to see what is there about greywater. At the very top of the list of greywater web-sites is oasisdesign.net with enlightening explanations of what greywater is all about. It also offers instructions for greywater installations. Looking the web-site over, you can see right away, these people are deep into grey water (no pun intended). In fact, beyond greywater, oasisdesign.net is a stunning and impressive site. I recommend you check it out.
The web-site features a book by Art Ludwig titled Create an Oasis with Greywater. As one reviewer of the book says the book is "the best must-have resource on greywater. This thorough book presents almost every design variation on greywater systems..."

The Oasis Design web-site states, "Most water used indoors can be reused outdoors for irrigation." I started thinking that Ivanpah Valley Airport could be set up with a complete, elaborate, airport-wide greywater system to irrigate the entire land of the airport. It could accomplish complete outdoor plant and tree irrigation solely from water reuse. Very cool.
Amazingly, I then came across on the Internet a long document written very recently by a geologist regarding water use efficiency at Stansted Airport in England. Apparently, the airport authorities there are determined to improve water management and promote much-improved water efficiency at Stansted Airport. Stansted's water use systems need to be revised. Grey water use is mentioned. But the thing is, Stansted already exists.
Ivanpah Valley Airport is barely in the planning stages. It could be the first international airport actually constructed with an elaborate, state-of-the-art greywater reuse system.
That certainly would be in the realm of possibility. The landscaping of the entire airport could be irrigated with greywater. If Ivanpah Valley Airport does get built, this is the type of futuristic design that it will deserve and require in order to be a successful 21st Century airport.