August 6, 2001August 2, 2026

Letter to Army Corps of Engineers and Washington State Department of Ecology Regarding Port Of Seattle Section 404 Permit Application, Sea-Tac Airport

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Water Resources Consulting LLC, on behalf of the Airport Communities Coalition, submits comments criticizing the Port Of Seattle’s ‘Low Flow Analysis – Flow Impact Offset Facility Proposal’ as incomplete and lacking reasonable assurance that the airport expansion will meet water quality standards in Miller Creek, Walker Creek, and Des Moines Creek. The letter argues the proposal is unfinished, relies on unproven best management practices, fails to allocate required stormwater storage volumes, and offers unenforceable promises rather than concrete water quality protection plans. The letter calls on regulators to reject the proposal as a basis for 401 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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