To help prevent a bird strike like one that led to a Hudson River splash landing this year, researchers in Atlanta are studying how to keep birds away from retention ponds around airports while still meeting water-quality standards.
Researchers working with the Atlanta office of the Federal Aviation Administration are experimenting with dyes and plants and even considering pond shapes to try to make them unattractive to birds.
It's one of a number of efforts to prevent bird strikes, including the use of avian radar.
Bonnie Baskin, an FAA environmental program specialist in Atlanta, is working with Auburn University and others to design ponds for runoff from airport runways and parking lots that don't attract birds.
The ponds must meet clean-water standards; but that means they may attract birds in search of food, increasing the risk of bird strikes. While the FAA recommends no retention ponds within 10,000 feet of an airport, runoff from airports may contain chemicals and must be cleaned before it enters streams and rivers. City codes also call for retention ponds for various types of runoff.
"If you started to really look at water bodies around the airport, you would see that there's quite a large number," Baskin said.
An ongoing bird survey at Auburn focuses on what kinds of ponds attract birds. Auburn researchers have also started a three-year, $796,000 study with retention ponds on campus.
They are adding things like de-icing fluid to see how the chemicals break down and adding dyes to see if they prevent birds from recognizing water.
Another theory is that an oblong pond may deter ducks and geese that need space to take off and land.
Eventually, they will build a prototype airport storm-water retention pond with a chemical mix or method that cleans runoff water but does not attract birds.
The FAA will use the research to make recommendations for local governments' land-use planning. Pond owners may use the research on methods of deterrence such as mowing grass to a certain length or using nets or covers.
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