May 29, 2020July 31, 2026

Surface water quality: Study of the current and ongoing effects of the operation of the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport

Notes

This section of a 2020 study reviews changes in surface water quality at and around Sea-Tac Airport from 1997 to 2019, including analysis of the airport’s NPDES stormwater outfalls and water quality data. It examines the effects of airport operations and developments—particularly the construction of a third runway—on nearby streams and wetlands including Miller, Walker, and Des Moines creeks. Water quality data was sourced from Washington Department of Ecology’s PARIS database and covers parameters such as copper, zinc, turbidity, pH, and biochemical oxygen demand.

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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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