Atlanta airport reaches agreement with EPD on de-icing

ATLANTA - The state Environmental Protection Division and Hartsfield International Airport reached an agreement Friday on steps to prevent de-icing fluid from affecting the environment downstream. <br> <br> The airport&#39;s de-icing system malfunctioned during a Jan. 2-3 snowstorm because of a clogged drain pipe in the underground system. An undetermined amount of the de-icing chemical ethylene glycol flowed into the Flint River, the source of drinking water for thousands of Fayette County residents. <br> <br> The pipe was designed to hold up to 80,000 gallons of ethylene glycol. <br> <br> Officials with the EPD have said botched communications, human error and poor judgment caused the state to react slowly in handling the spill. <br> <br> Airport officials said almost $150,000 has been spent on fixing the problem, including construction of a piping system that allows de-icing fluid to be pumped into tanker trucks, if necessary.