TagClean Water Act(245)

A 1998 internal email from Washington State Department of Ecology staff raises concerns that standard stormwater Best Management Practices (BMPs) may not provide sufficient water quality treatment to meet state and federal Clean Water Act standards for projects requiring 401 Water Quality Certification. The author warns that issuing 401 certifications while knowingly allowing water quality criteria to go unmet would be legally indefensible, and calls for updated policy guidance, better technical assistance, and clearer requirements for applicants. The email proposes that projects involving waters of the state be held to stricter stormwater treatment standards than upland projects not requiring a 401 certification.

Letter dated September 10, 1998 from Christine O. Gregoire’s Attorney General of Washington Ecology Division (author not individually named) to J. Tayloe Washburn of Foster Pepper & Shefelman responding to an August 11, 1998 memorandum requesting clarification and minor revisions to Ecology’s 401 certification (Order No. 96-4-02325) for Sea-Tac Airport improvements including the third runway.

In July 1998, the Washington State Department of Ecology issued a Water Quality Certification and Coastal Zone Consistency Determination (Order #96-4-02325) to the Port of Seattle for construction of a third runway and other improvements at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. The project would impact between 8 and 12 acres of wetlands, 980 linear feet of Miller Creek, and 2,280 linear feet of unnamed tributaries, requiring mitigation measures including stormwater management enhancements, stream restoration, floodplain improvements, and construction of 16 to 24 acres of replacement wetlands in Auburn, Washington. The certification was granted with specific conditions and penalties for non-compliance, reflecting concerns about environmental damage to local waterways.

Order #96-4-02325 dated July 20, 1998, from Washington State Department of Ecology (Gordon White, Program Manager, Shorelands and Environmental Assistance Program) to Barbara Hinkle (Port Of Seattle) and Tom Mueller (Corps of Engineers Regulatory Branch). Ecology certifies that proposed work in and adjacent to Miller Creek and Des Moines Creek at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport complies

NPDES Waste Discharge Permit No. WA-002465-1 issued by Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology) to Port Of Seattle for Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, effective March 1, 1998, expiring June 30, 2002. Authorizes discharge of industrial wastewater to Puget Sound (Outfall 001) and stormwater to Des Moines Creek (Outfalls 002-005, 009, 010, 014, 015), Miller Creek (Outfalls

In February 1998, the U.S. EPA Region 10 wrote to the Army Corps of Engineers recommending denial of a permit for the Port of Seattle's proposed third parallel runway at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, citing concerns over the filling of more than 11 acres of wetlands and portions of Miller Creek and Des Moines Creek. The EPA objected that the applicant's mitigation plan relied almost entirely on off-site wetland replacement in the Green River Valley rather than within the affected watersheds, and questioned whether alternatives to wetland fills for the South Aviation Support Area and on-site borrow areas had been adequately explored. The agency indicated it was willing to work with the Corps and the Port to identify solutions that would satisfy both aviation safety needs and Clean Water Act Section 404(b)(1) requirements.

US Army Corps of Engineers Seattle District public notice of permit application 96-4-02325, filed by Port Of Seattle (contact: Barbara Hinkle, (206) 439-6606) under Section 404 of the Federal Clean Water Act. Proposes filling 7.38 acres of wetlands to construct an 8,500-foot parallel third runway at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (Sea-Tac), plus 2.34 acres for Runway

State of Washington Department of Ecology notice dated 19 December 1997 of application for Water Quality Certification under Section 401 of the federal Clean Water Act of 1977 (PL 95-217), certifying compliance with Sections 301, 302, 303, 306, and 307, and for Certification of Consistency with the Washington State Coastal Zone Management Program under Section

Article by John C. Hall, William T. Hall, and Charles J. Simmons published in Water Environment & Technology (June 1997) arguing that EPA’s 1984 and 1993 copper water quality criteria should not be applied directly to municipal effluents (POTWs) because dissolved copper in biologically treated effluents is complexed with organic and inorganic matter and is

This 1996 document summarizes public responses to a proposed modification of the water discharge permit (NPDES Permit No. WA-002465-1) for Sea-Tac International Airport, operated by the Port of Seattle. It addresses concerns raised at a June 1996 public hearing in Burien, WA, including questions about self-monitoring of water samples, erosion and water flow in Miller Creek, and the Department of Ecology's enforcement and fining process. The document outlines how Ecology responded to community concerns and describes permit changes, such as a new condition requiring the Port to assess the airport's impact on local creek hydrology.