Environmental checklist: Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) Industrial Wastewater Treatment Plant (IWTP) Enhancement Project

The Port of Seattle is proposing upgrades to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport's Industrial Wastewater Treatment Plant (IWTP) to better handle wastewater from aircraft deicing operations, with construction planned from 2026 to 2030. The project involves replacing aging treatment equipment at the existing facility and building a new aerated gravel bed (AGB) treatment system on a 10.6-acre site nearby to process high levels of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) on-site. These upgrades are required to comply with tightening discharge limits set by King County and state environmental permits.

Notes

This SEPA environmental checklist prepared by the Port of Seattle describes the IWTP Enhancement Project at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, which involves upgrading the existing Industrial Wastewater Treatment Plant and constructing a new aerated gravel bed (AGB) treatment facility to handle high-BOD wastewater from aircraft deicing operations. The project is driven by tightening permit conditions from King County and Ecology, which are reducing the allowable daily BOD discharge limits from 60,000 to 12,000 pounds per day. Construction is scheduled to begin in Q2 2026 and be completed by Q2 2030.

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