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Northwest Hydraulic Consultants (NHC), retained by the Airport Communities Coalition (ACC), writes to the Washington State Department of Ecology expressing concern that Ecology’s March 9, 2001 memorandum endorses the SeaTac Airport low streamflow analysis without addressing substantial technical concerns raised by NHC and King County. The letter identifies specific flaws in the analysis, including improper use of future conditions to define ‘existing’ conditions, missing hydrology model input files, and failure to account for seepage impacts and gravel mining operations. NHC requests Ecology revisit its review and require the applicant to respond to previously raised issues before regulatory certification.

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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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