May 9, 2001August 2, 2026

EXH AR029170: 401 Permit Decision-Making Sea-Tac Airport Third Runway — Low Flow Analysis Meeting Notes, May 9, 2001

Notes

Final draft meeting notes prepared by Kate Snider (Floyd & Snider Inc.) from a May 9, 2001 technical meeting on Low Flow Analysis for the Sea-Tac Airport Third Runway 401 Permit Decision-Making process. Attendees included Ann Kenny and Dave Garland (Dept. of Ecology), Kelly Whiting (King County), Keith Smith (Port Of Seattle), Joe Brascher (AquaTerra), and Pony Ellington (Pacific Groundwater Group). Topics covered: revised embankment seepage calculations using Hydrus model on 25-foot square cells across Miller and Walker basins, revised HSPF basin modeling approach, Hydrus-Slice modeling technique, daily precipitation records for 1991-1994 dry years, and process forward steps for confirming low flow mitigation proposal. ECY00007390, AR 029170.

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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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