TagClean Water Act(23)

On December 13, 2002, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued a federal permit allowing the Port of Seattle to build a third runway at Sea-Tac Airport as part of its Master Plan Update. The project includes an 8,500-foot runway, two Runway Safety Areas, and related construction that will permanently impact nearly 20 acres of wetlands and up to 980 linear feet of Miller Creek. After weighing input from government agencies and the public, the Corps determined the project was not contrary to the public interest and approved the permit.

This document chronicles the Port of Seattle's second Section 401 Clean Water Act permit application, submitted in September 1999, which was on the verge of being denied by the Washington State Department of Ecology due to multiple shortcomings related to wetlands and water quality. On September 28, 2000, a private, unannounced meeting was held between Port, Ecology, and Governor's office officials, after which the Port strategically withdrew its application to avoid a formal denial. A series of closed-door negotiating sessions followed in October 2000, none of which were publicly announced, raising concerns about political influence and lack of transparency in the permitting process for Sea-Tac Airport expansion.

This legal document covers a 2002 Washington State Pollution Control Hearings Board case in which the Airport Communities Coalition and Citizens Against Airport Expansion challenged the water quality certification issued by the Department of Ecology for the construction of a Third Runway at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. The hearing examined 20 issues related to stormwater management, water quality standards, and whether adequate assurances existed that the runway project would comply with Section 401 of the Clean Water Act. The case involved the Port of Seattle as a respondent and centered on whether proper environmental safeguards were in place before construction could proceed.