TagAuburn Wetland(93)

Email from Jim Kelley (Parametrix, Inc.) to klw@shanwil.com dated April 23, 2001, regarding wetland mitigation planning for the Auburn mitigation site associated with Seattle-Tacoma International Airport Master Plan Update Improvements. Kelley discusses shrub and emergent plant community design, water level management between 41 and 42 feet, planting elevations to out-compete blackberry and reed canary grass,

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Public Notice (Reference 1996-4-02325, dated 17 January 2001) amending the second revised public notice dated 27 December 2000 for a Department of the Army Section 404 Clean Water Act permit application by Port Of Seattle. Project located in Miller Creek, Walker Creek, and Des Moines Creek watersheds and wetlands at

Transmittal record dated January 11, 2001 from Elizabeth Leavitt, Environmental Manager, Port Of Seattle Aviation Environmental Group, to Ann Kenny, Department of Ecology, transmitting a revised Coastal Zone Management (CZM) Consistency Statement for Federal Project Number 96-4-02325. The CZM certification covers construction of a third runway and other improvements at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, including filling

This document outlines the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' analysis of a December 2000 mitigation plan developed by the Port of Seattle to offset wetland impacts caused by the construction of a third runway at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. The plan covers roughly 18.6 acres of on-site wetland restoration near the airport—including the relocation of a stretch of Miller Creek and improvements to Lora Lake's shoreline—as well as 23.39 acres of off-site wetland mitigation in Auburn. Key goals include improving water quality, restoring floodplain and fish habitat, and managing vegetation to reduce wildlife hazards such as bird strikes near the airfield.

Letter dated November 27, 2000 from Samuel R. Casne, Natural Resources Manager at Shannon & Wilson, Inc., to Erik Stockdale of the Washington State Department of Ecology (Shorelines & Environmental Assistance Program) in Bellevue, WA, proposing consulting services for review of the Natural Resource Mitigation Plan (NRMP) for the SeaTac Third Runway Project. The proposal,

Letter and proposal from Samuel R. Casne, Natural Resources Manager at Shannon & Wilson, Inc., submitted to Erik Stockdale of Washington State Department of Ecology (Shorelines & Environmental Assistance Program) on November 27, 2000, proposing consulting services for third-party review of the Natural Resource Mitigation Plan (NRMP) for the SeaTac Third Runway Project. Document AR018477

A October 30, 2000 internal memo from Erik Stockdale of Washington State Department of Ecology outlines recommended tasks for contractor Dyanne Sheldon, who was hired to evaluate the natural resource mitigation plan for a Port project near Sea-Tac Airport. The memo recommends an open-ended 'Time and Materials' contract and calls for a firewall between Sheldon and the Port, citing concerns about the Port playing Ecology and the Army Corps of Engineers against each other. Key tasks include reviewing wetland mitigation plans for the Des Moines, Walker, and Miller creek basins, evaluating stormwater consistency, and drafting Section 401 Clean Water Act permit conditions.

Deliberative memo dated October 30, 2000, from Erik Stockdale (Ecology) to Jeannie Summerhays and Ray Hellwig regarding tasks for contractor Dyanne Sheldon. Recommends open-ended ‘Time and Materials’ contract and a firewall between Sheldon and Port Of Seattle. Tasks include evaluating natural resource mitigation plan (NRMP) for compliance with Section 401 of the Clean Water Act

A September 2000 report by Azous Environmental Sciences, commissioned by the Airport Communities Coalition, critically analyzes the Port of Seattle's wetland mitigation plan for the SeaTac Third Runway construction project. The report identifies numerous errors in wetland acreage accounting, inadequate mitigation ratios, and flaws in the proposed compensatory measures, including out-of-basin mitigation that fails to replace lost wetland functions in the affected Miller, Walker, and Des Moines Creek watersheds. The author concludes that the Port's plan falls short of Washington State Department of Ecology standards and the regulatory goal of no net loss of wetland functions.

A wetland scientist hired by the Airport Communities Coalition reviewed the Port of Seattle's proposed wetland mitigation plan for the SeaTac Third Runway construction and concluded it was wholly inadequate. The report argues that the planned out-of-basin mitigation at an Auburn site fails to replace the wetland functions lost in the Walker Creek, Des Moines Creek, and Miller Creek watersheds, and that placing mitigation in a different drainage basin cannot scientifically compensate for local losses under Washington State environmental law. The reviewer also warns that the Auburn mitigation site faces multiple risks and is unlikely to be sustainable long-term.