November 1, 2001August 2, 2026

EXH AR052531: Memorandum from Port Of Seattle to Army Corps of Engineers — 404 Review of On-Site Borrow Areas

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Memorandum dated November 1, 2001 from Elizabeth Leavitt (Port Of Seattle) to Muffy Walker (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers) regarding Army Corps Section 404 review of on-site borrow areas for Sea-Tac Airport Third Runway embankment fill. Covers Borrow Areas 1, 3, and 4 located in Des Moines and SeaTac; combined 6.1 million cubic yards of fill reducing off-site imports by 46% of 17.2 million cubic yard total requirement. Documents traffic impact reductions (VMT reductions of 4.6 million miles for Areas 3/4, 7.0 million miles for Area 1), air quality benefits, $45 million cost savings, wetland impacts (1.03 acres in Borrow Area 1), ASARCO smelter arsenic concentrations in Borrow Area 4 soils, WSDOT right-of-way coordination, stormwater management, groundwater protection, and site reclamation. References February 1996 FEIS and May 1997 FSEIS for Master Plan Improvements.

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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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