TagDes Moines Creek(162)

In June 2000, the Port of Seattle submitted a formal application to the Washington Department of Ecology to add a new use to an existing groundwater right for a well located on Port property near Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. The well, originally drilled in the late 1940s and previously used to irrigate the Tyee Valley Golf Course, was proposed to also provide flow augmentation and temperature control for Des Moines Creek as part of a jointly funded basin restoration plan. The application addressed the well's ownership history, its continuous use for golf course irrigation since the mid-1960s, and the Port's agreement with Highline Water District confirming the Port's title to the associated water right (Certificate No. 2369).

The Port of Seattle filed an Application for Change/Transfer of Water Right with the Washington State Department of Ecology in June 2000, seeking to add flow augmentation for Des Moines Creek as a purpose of use to an existing well water right (No. 2369) originally used for domestic supply, golf course irrigation, and related uses at Tyee Valley Golf Course in SeaTac. The proposed change would extend the water right beyond 2000 to support creek flow augmentation alongside continued domestic supply and golf course irrigation, covering the Des Moines Creek corridor from the airport property to the creek's mouth at Puget Sound. This application reflects the Port's efforts to manage water resources in connection with environmental and operational responsibilities related to Sea-Tac Airport.

This April 2000 draft memorandum from the Port of Seattle summarizes range-finding toxicity tests conducted to evaluate water-effect ratios (WERs) for copper in streams receiving stormwater runoff from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (STIA). Water samples were collected from five sites—including Miller Creek and Des Moines Creek—during a storm event on April 15, 2000, and tested using Daphnia magna to measure how site water chemistry affects copper toxicity compared to clean laboratory water. The results were intended to help determine whether full definitive WER studies were warranted, which could support the establishment of site-specific water quality standards for copper in receiving streams.

A draft memorandum dated April 2000 summarizes range-finding water-effect ratio (WER) toxicity tests conducted for the Port of Seattle to measure copper levels in streams receiving stormwater runoff from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (STIA). Water samples were collected from five sites — including Miller Creek and Des Moines Creek — during a storm event on April 15, 2000, and tested using Daphnia magna organisms to compare copper toxicity in site water versus clean laboratory water. The results were intended to determine whether more expensive definitive WER studies would be warranted, and to help establish site-specific water quality standards for copper.

Handwritten notes from a BEATAC meeting at the Port on April 20, 2000, AR018447, involving City of Des Moines personnel including Tom Walsh, Tacie Borden, John Marchiloro, Jim Kelly, and others. Topics include: stormwater review at FCC starting 5-5-00; SR-509 temporary interchange issues (ESA/BA review, Jonathan Freedman indirect impacts, erosion/sediment control, no federal nexus); LWS#3

Draft memorandum dated April 20, 2000, authored by Doug Henderson and Linda Logan (job number 556-2912-001) for Port of Seattle project files, summarizing range-finding water-effect ratio (WER) toxicity tests for copper in streams receiving Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (STIA) stormwater. Tests used Daphnia magna as indicator species; copper was spiked into site water and synthetic laboratory

Email chain dated March 28, 2000 among Kevin Fitzpatrick (Ecology NWRO Industrial Permit Unit), Tom Luster, Pat Svoboda, Erik Stockdale, and Greg Wingard regarding groundwater and surface water issues related to the proposed Sea-Tac Airport Third Runway. Fitzpatrick disputes Greg Wingard’s claim that Ecology’s NWRO admitted the third lagoon expansion of the Industrial Waste System

A February 2000 draft memo from environmental consultants Parametrix summarizes testing and monitoring data concluding that stormwater runoff from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (STIA) does not harm aquatic life in nearby Miller and Des Moines Creeks. Three lines of evidence are presented: whole effluent toxicity tests showing most outfalls are non-toxic, water effect ratio studies demonstrating that creek water significantly reduces copper toxicity, and metals monitoring confirming that copper concentrations in the creeks fell below water quality standards. The one outfall found to be toxic (SDN1) was traced to zinc leaching from galvanized rooftops, with the Port of Seattle pursuing corrective measures.

A February 2000 draft memorandum from Parametrix, Inc. outlines a scope and budget for range-finding Water-Effect Ratio (WER) studies using receiving water from Miller and Des Moines Creeks, intended to help determine whether copper discharge standards at a Port facility could be adjusted through site-specific water quality criteria. The studies involve acute toxicity tests comparing copper-spiked site water to copper-spiked laboratory water, with estimated costs ranging from $2,110 for one site to $2,650 for two sites. Results from earlier 1999 range-finding tests suggested WERs high enough to potentially justify more definitive studies, but new tests without mixing zone assumptions were recommended to better assess achievable permit limits.

A February 2000 draft memorandum from Parametrix, Inc. outlines a scope and budget for range-finding Water-Effect Ratio (WER) studies using receiving water from Miller and Des Moines Creeks, conducted in connection with stormwater discharge permitting near the Port. The studies involve acute toxicity tests with copper-spiked water to determine whether site-specific water quality standards could be higher than generic state standards, potentially eliminating the need for a mixing zone. Estimated costs range from $2,110 for one creek site to $2,650 for two sites.