TagArmy Corp of Engineers(24)

An index document listing contents of Box 15, containing videotapes of various public meetings and hearings from 2000-2001. Includes KIRO 7 news coverage, Army Corps of Engineers public hearing, hydrology study workshops, NPDES permit modification meetings, and Miller Creek wetlands/migratory birds documentation.

This U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Record of Decision evaluates a permit application from the Port of Seattle (case 1996-4-02325) for construction work in the Seattle area, assessing environmental impacts including effects on wetlands, fish habitat, water quality, air quality, and noise. The document reviews compliance with numerous federal and state laws—such as the Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act, and National Environmental Policy Act—and addresses public and agency concerns, including those related to airport and aircraft safety. It ultimately documents the Corps' findings and determinations regarding whether to issue, conditionally issue, or deny the requested permit.

This document assesses the ecological functions of wetlands and aquatic resources in the Miller Creek and related basins near Sea-Tac Airport, evaluating their roles in water quality, flood storage, and wildlife habitat. Wetlands in the Runway Safety Area and Vacca Farm areas are rated across functions such as nutrient trapping, groundwater exchange, and habitat for fish, waterfowl, amphibians, and small mammals. The assessment finds that interconnected wetland complexes like Lake Reba provide high-value flood attenuation and baseflow support for Miller Creek, while farmed wetlands perform at lower functional levels due to sparse vegetation and agricultural runoff.

This document explains the regulatory approval process required for filling wetlands as part of Sea-Tac Airport's third runway expansion, which requires both a federal permit under Section 404 of the Clean Water Act and a state certificate under Section 401. The Port of Seattle filed its third application in October 2000 after two previous attempts failed, facing significant environmental obstacles including contaminated fill material, threats to stream flow and salmon habitat, destruction of nearly 20 acres of wetlands, flooding risks, embankment stability concerns in an earthquake-prone area, and existing pollution levels that already exceed allowable limits. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers must also weigh the public need for the project against these environmental harms, raising broader questions about whether the expansion is justified at all.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has been reviewing a permit application related to a proposed third runway at Sea-Tac Airport, described as the largest Section 404 proceeding the Corps had handled and the biggest public works project in Washington State since the Grand Coulee Dam. Key issues under consideration include the replacement of lost wetlands, streamflow impacts, and the seismic stability of the proposed runway embankment. No deadline exists for the Corps to render its final decision, though draft permit conditions were reportedly being prepared by civilian technicians in the Seattle District Office.

This U.S. Army Corps of Engineers document reviews the environmental impact of construction projects at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, including the Third Runway and related Master Plan Update improvements, focusing on impacts to wetlands and waterways. The Corps conducted an independent assessment of wetland functions and evaluated whether the Port of Seattle's proposed mitigation plans adequately compensated for the destruction or alteration of aquatic resources. After finding the Port's initial December 2000 mitigation plan insufficient, the Corps worked with the Port to develop a revised plan, accepted in November 2001, that better addressed the loss of wetland functions caused by airport construction.

This document analyzes the environmental impacts of construction projects at a north airfield area on wetlands and waterways in the Miller Creek Basin. It details how filling approximately 2.75 acres of wetlands and 980 linear feet of Miller Creek will affect water quality, hydrology, fish habitat, wildlife, and plant communities. It also describes a compensatory mitigation plan at the nearby Vacca Farm site, where Miller Creek will be relocated and wetlands restored to offset the project's ecological losses.

The Airport Communities Coalition (ACC) appealed a federal court decision regarding the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' approval of a third runway at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. At issue was whether the Corps was required to incorporate all water quality conditions set by Washington State's Pollution Control Hearings Board (PCHB) into its Clean Water Act Section 404 permit, including protections against polluted fill and wetland impact mitigation measures. The case, heard by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, centered on whether the Corps acted unlawfully by selectively excluding key state-mandated environmental safeguards from the construction permit.

The Airport Communities Coalition (ACC) filed a motion with the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals requesting permission to submit a legal brief that exceeds the standard 14,000-word limit, seeking to file one of 15,195 words instead. The case challenges the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' approval of the Sea-Tac Airport Third Runway Project, one of the largest public works projects in Washington state history, involving the importation of over 23 million cubic yards of fill material. ACC argued the extra length was necessary due to the extreme complexity of the case, which spans a 100,000-page administrative record and raises multiple legal issues under the Clean Water Act and NEPA.