Efficient water use was an important consideration in the airport design and continues to be an important environmental management work area.

Limited freshwater

A limited water supply dictated the need for a good water conserving infrastructure and efficient water usage at Hong Kong International Airport. For example, seawater is used for flushing toilets in all buildings as well as in cooling systems of some large buildings. A treatment system treats greywater collected from aircraft catering facilities and terminal building kitchens along with water run-off from aircraft washing activities. Treated water is re-used for irrigation.

Potable water

HKIA is committed to ensuring that all drinking water meets World Health Organization standards as well as local standards set by the Department of Health. To ensure compliance, we manage comprehensive ongoing maintenance and cleaning efforts supported by a water quality monitoring effort covering all drinking fountains in the terminals.

Stormwater runoff

We have taken measures to minimise or eliminate the potential impact that stormwater discharges may have on our surrounding marine environment. These include:

• A network of petrol / oil interceptors in areas where a pollution risk exists;
• Several large capacity (10,000 litre) oil separation and pumping stations covering apron areas;
• Spill traps at all stormwater outfalls; and
• Diverting run-off from areas where there is a pollution risk away from the potentially sensitive southern sea-channel.

Voluntary marine environmental monitoring

A baseline of water and sediment quality was established around HKIA before it opened. Rounds of monitoring since then have confirmed that run-off from HKIA has had a negligible impact on the surrounding marine environment.