TagACC(1531)

This is a procedural desk manual for Washington State Department of Ecology's Federal Permit Team, outlining how staff should review and process Section 401 Water Quality Certifications and Coastal Zone Management (CZM) consistency determinations for federally permitted projects. It covers application procedures, public notice requirements, review timelines, and technical guidance for evaluating impacts to water quality, wetlands, and sediments. This document does not contain content related to Sea-Tac Airport noise policy.

Draft modeled till thickness map around the Aircraft Operations & Maintenance Area (AOMA) at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, WA, prepared by Associated Earth Sciences, Inc. on 01/24/00. Contour map showing till thickness in feet (0–90 ft range) with data points from 01-24-00, depicting existing runways, main SeaTac buildings, tunnels, streets, and streams. Administrative Record document AR

Internal email from Tom Luster to Kevin Fitzpatrick dated January 12, 2000, discussing the legal distinction between Clean Water Act Section 401(d) and Section 402(a) as applied to Sea-Tac Airport water quality (WQ) and State Environmental Policy Act (SEA/SEPA) policies. Email quotes statutory language verbatim: 401(d) uses mandatory ‘shall’ language for effluent limitations and monitoring

Email dated January 3, 2000 from Raymond Hellwig (WQ Program) to Tom Luster (SEA Program), cc’d to Ron Langley, Dave Garland, Erik Stockdale, Gordon White, Jeannie Summerhays, John Glynn, Kevin Fitzpatrick, Paula Ehlers, Megan White, and Dan Silver. Responds to Luster’s December 23, 1999 message regarding premature death of Coho salmon in Des Moines Creek

A January 2000 internal email from EPA's Raymond Hellwig to Tom Luster addresses concerns about premature deaths of Coho salmon in Des Moines Creek near Sea-Tac Airport, in the context of the proposed third runway project. The email clarifies that stormwater discharge regulation will be handled through NPDES permits rather than Section 401 Water Quality Certifications, as the NPDES permit provides the only mechanism for ongoing regulatory oversight under the Clean Water Act. Hellwig directs Luster to defer to the Water Quality Program on stormwater issues and to stop raising the 401 Certification as an alternative avenue for addressing water quality standards.

EPA report (EPA 821-R-00-001, January 2000) presenting a preliminary data summary of airport deicing operations. Covers aircraft and pavement deicing/anti-icing fluids including ethylene glycol-based compounds, fluid types, fluid application methods, variables affecting fluid use, nonchemical deicing methods, and NPDES/Clean Water Act wastewater concerns. Data collected via 1993 screener questionnaire, airport/vendor/POTW mini-questionnaires, EPA site visits, EPA

VS2DI is a graphical software package developed by the U.S. Geological Survey for simulating how fluids flow and how solutes or energy move through variably saturated porous media such as soil and rock. The software includes a preprocessor for entering simulation data, a postprocessor for visualizing results, and a numerical model engine. It was published in 2000 as part of the USGS Water-Resources Investigations Report series.

NMFS (National Marine Fisheries Service) Office of Counsel comments dated 12/17/99 on the Biological Assessment (BA) for Seattle-Tacoma International Airport Master Plan Update Improvements. AR 043243. Comments identify deficiencies in action area definition (50 CFR 402.02), matrix/checklist completeness, direct and indirect effects analysis, and cumulative effects regarding Puget Sound Chinook salmon critical habitat, Coho salmon,

A December 1999 letter from Port of Seattle Senior Environmental Program Manager Paul W. Agid to the Washington Department of Ecology transmits a 'potential sites' table and map identifying locations at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport where historical operations may have caused soil or groundwater contamination. The document, compiled in compliance with an Agreed Order under Washington's Model Toxics Control Act (MTCA), lists twelve potential sites including former gas stations, fuel tanks, hydrant lines, and maintenance areas. The sites were identified based on past operational activities that had since been discontinued or modified prior to current environmental regulations.

A December 1999 environmental assessment prepared for Citizens Against Seatac Expansion (CASE) concludes that the Port of Seattle failed to provide sufficient scientific evidence to assure compliance with Clean Water Act water quality standards for its Seattle-Tacoma International Airport expansion project. The report found that stormwater runoff from the airport was causing ongoing violations of toxic substances criteria — particularly for copper and zinc — in nearby Miller and Des Moines Creeks, with pollutant levels sometimes exceeding EPA limits by more than tenfold. The author argues that Ecology therefore lacked a scientifically defensible basis to issue a Section 401 water quality certification for the proposed wetland-filling and stormwater management improvements.