October 21, 1999August 2, 2026

Port Of Seattle Sea-Tac International Airport Dissolved Oxygen De-Icing Study (Final Draft) Review Letter

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The Washington State Department of Ecology reviews the draft final Dissolved Oxygen De-Icing Study submitted by the Port of Seattle regarding impacts of de-icing agents from airport stormwater runoff to Miller and Des Moines Creeks. The letter outlines several concerns including improper water quality classification, insufficient sample size, inadequate sampling design, and problematic correction factors applied to dissolved oxygen measurements. Ecology concludes it cannot make a fully informed decision on whether the Port is properly managing de-icing agents without an addendum addressing these deficiencies.

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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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