Notes
EPA Region 10 letter dated February 3, 1998, from Fred Weinmann (Aquatic Resources Unit) to Colonel James M. Rigsby, District Engineer, Seattle District Corps of Engineers, regarding Public Notice 96-4-02325 (Port of Seattle, December 19, 1997). EPA reviewed the proposal to fill 11.42–12.23 acres of wetlands for construction of a third parallel runway at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, including 5.46 acres for the runway, 1.92 acres at on-site borrow sites, 2.34 acres for Runway Safety Areas, and 1.70 acres for the South Aviation Support Area (SASA). Also involves filling and rechanneling approximately 980 feet of Miller Creek, 2,280 feet of drainage channels in the Miller Creek basin, and 2,200 feet of Des Moines Creek. EPA recommends the permit be denied as proposed, citing failure to identify appropriate compensatory mitigation in the Des Moines Creek and Miller Creek watersheds, inadequate alternatives analysis for the SASA and on-site borrow areas, and non-compliance with Clean Water Act Section 404(b)(1) Guidelines. Off-site mitigation proposed in the Green River Valley Watershed near Auburn, Washington is deemed insufficient. Exhibit AR024347.