TagClean Water Act(23)

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.

The Puget Soundkeeper Alliance challenged the 2003 water discharge permit issued to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, arguing that the Port of Seattle had been releasing harmful pollutants — including aircraft de-icing fluids — into Puget Sound without proper treatment or enforceable limits for nearly a decade. The group contended that Washington State's Department of Ecology improperly extended the airport's compliance deadline beyond the legally allowed 10-year period, pushing it from 2004 to 2007. The case centered on whether the permit violated both Washington State law and the federal Clean Water Act.

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.

This legal brief was filed by Citizens Against Sea-Tac Expansion before the Washington Supreme Court, challenging a decision by the Pollution Control Hearings Board regarding the expansion of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. The group argues that state regulators improperly allowed the Port of Seattle to rely on future, unwritten stormwater permits as proof that airport runoff would meet water quality standards, and that regulators wrongly pre-authorized pollution mixing zones in nearby waterways without sufficient oversight. The case centers on whether proper environmental protections were in place before approving the airport expansion project.

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.

This document is a draft National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) waste discharge permit issued by the Washington State Department of Ecology to the Port of Seattle for Sea-Tac International Airport. It governs the discharge of treated industrial wastewater into Puget Sound and stormwater runoff into nearby waterways including Des Moines Creek, Miller Creek, and Walker Creek. The permit sets effluent limits, monitoring requirements, and reporting obligations to protect water quality in the receiving waters.

The Port of Seattle requested $720,000 in Commission authorization to improve the Auburn wetland mitigation site, a nature area created to offset environmental impacts from Sea-Tac Airport's Third Runway construction. The project involves removing roughly 6,171 feet of temporary internal roads, planting approximately 5,000 native trees and shrubs in their place, and installing a new chain-link security fence to stop ongoing trespassing, vandalism, and illegal dumping. These enhancements are required to comply with Clean Water Act permits tied to the 1997 Master Plan Update and are intended to reduce long-term maintenance costs.