TagArmy Corp of Engineers(124)

A October 26, 2001 transmittal from Parametrix, Inc. to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE) provides responses to the ACOE's request for additional information regarding the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (STIA) Master Plan Update (MPU) Natural Resource Mitigation project. The package includes maps and aerial photographs identifying wetland areas and acreages within Borrow Area 1, submitted on behalf of the Port of Seattle.

Letter dated September 19, 2001 from Lowell H. Johnson, Manager, FAA Airports Division, Northwest Mountain Region, to Thomas F. Mueller, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Regulatory Branch, Seattle District Office, responding to Mueller’s August 15, 2001 inquiry comparing operational data to SIMMOD model predictions for Sea-Tac Airport (KSEA). Enclosure paper titled ‘Delay at Seattle-Tacoma International

NMFS No. WSB-00-318. Letter dated August 9, 2001 from NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Acting Regional Administrator Donna Darm to Lowell H. Johnson, Manager Airport Division, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), regarding Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) consultation under Magnuson Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA) Section 305(b)(2) and 50 CFR 600 for Master Plan

FAA Northwest Mountain Region letter dated August 9, 2001, from Lowell H. Johnson (Manager, Airports Division) to Colonel Ralph Graves (District Engineer, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Seattle District Office) regarding Seattle-Tacoma International Airport third runway project. References May 22 meeting and April 30 Memorandum for Record. Describes two written environmental re-evaluations of the Final

In August 2001, GeoSyntec Consultants submitted technical comments to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Washington State Department of Ecology raising serious concerns about the geotechnical safety analyses for the proposed Third Runway expansion at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. The firm identified multiple flaws in the design work performed by the Port of Seattle's consultants, including underestimation of earthquake risk, incorrect seismic stability analyses, and overestimation of post-earthquake soil stability. GeoSyntec concluded that the Port's consultants had not adequately demonstrated that the embankment fill and retaining wall structures would perform safely under anticipated seismic loads over the facility's lifetime.

Deliberative memorandum dated August 3, 2001 from Katie Walter (Shannon & Wilson, Inc.) to Ann Kenny (Washington State Department of Ecology), transmitting revised draft 401 conditions for the Port Of Seattle Natural Resources Mitigation Plan (NRMP) Auburn Mitigation Site. Document 21-1-12020-001-M1 REVISED.doc covers Auburn Mitigation Site revisions including culvert placement issues on June 28, 2001

Deliberative memorandum dated August 1, 2001, from Katie Walter to Ann Kenny, Washington State Department of Ecology, re Draft 401 Conditions for the Auburn Mitigation Site. Covers culvert placement issues in the revised grading plan (June 28, 2001) including northwest corner drainage swale culvert (approximately 60 feet long), south central mis-located culvert, and two additional

Deliberative memorandum dated August 1, 2001 from Katie Walter (KLW@shanwil.com) to Ann Kenny, Washington State Department of Ecology, re Draft 401 Conditions for Auburn Mitigation Site revisions. Covers culvert placement issues in revised grading plan (June 28, 2001) at northwest corner and south central portion of site, drainage swale, maintenance pathway, and southwestern basin. Performance

Handwritten meeting notes dated 7-11-01 (AR 018377, Exhibit 164) regarding Army Corps of Engineers issues with wetland functional assessment, hydrology (Lisa Scott, Corps hydrologist), adaptive management, sewer lines, upper water shed mitigation, and Des Moines Dr. wetland. Notes reference a loss of 1/10 CFS, temporary impacts from stockpile soils and microbes, revised performance standards, buffer

A July 2001 letter from Azous Environmental Sciences to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Washington State argues that the Port of Seattle's proposed Third Runway expansion at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport fails to meet Clean Water Act requirements by inadequately compensating for the destruction of wetlands and streams in the Miller and Des Moines Creek watersheds. The letter contends that the Port's mitigation plan does not provide the required one-for-one functional replacement of lost wetlands, lacks quantitative analysis, and ignores cumulative environmental impacts. The authors warn that approving insufficient mitigation would set a damaging precedent for wetlands protection across the region.