October 21, 2002August 2, 2026

EXH AR016791: Prefiled Direct Testimony of Steven J. Swenson — Stormwater Management at Sea-Tac Airport (PCHB No. 01-160)

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Prefiled direct testimony of Steven J. Swenson, licensed civil engineer at R.W. Beck, submitted in PCHB No. 01-160, Airport Communities Coalition (ACC) and Citizens Against Sea-Tac Expansion (CASE) v. State of Washington Department of Ecology and Port Of Seattle. Swenson testifies on stormwater management at SeaTac International Airport (STIA) during construction and operation of Master Plan Update Improvement projects, comparing airport stormwater systems against the Puget Sound Stormwater Manual and applicable regulatory requirements. Topics include detention facilities (vaults, lagoons, ponds), infiltration facilities, conveyance systems, NPDES compliance, and hydrologic impacts of urbanization. Swenson’s clients include cities of Bellevue, Lynnwood, Kent, Mount Vernon, Burlington, Des Moines, Bellingham, Kirkland, and Seattle, plus King and Snohomish Counties.

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As the source for federal transportation grants, the Puget Sound Regional Council was charged with developing a system to meet the growing need for commercial aviation. When the search for a second airport failed, they authorized the Port of Seattle to build the Third Runway, with a mandate to develop a noise abatement and mitigation program. In their effort to stop the Third Runway, the ACC argued over every detail of the Port's efforts--including property buyouts and sound insulation. The dispute was meant to be settled by a three member Expert Arbitration Panel. This is their final report. It finds 2-1, that the Port's program was insufficient in several respects. Despite that, funding for the Third Runway was approved by the PSRC, and the 'Port Package' program, proceeded largely unchanged. Expert Arbitration Panel's final decision finding that the Port of Seattle had not shown sufficient reduction in real on-the-ground noise impacts to satisfy noise reduction conditions required for approval of a third runway at Sea-Tac International Airport. The majority decision concluded the Port's noise abatement programs were insufficient despite being impressive in scope.

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