TagEcology(797)

In July 2001, Washington State Department of Ecology staff circulated a confidential preliminary draft of a Section 401 Water Quality Certification related to the construction of a third runway at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. The draft certification, addressed to the Port of Seattle, confirmed that the proposed runway project complied with applicable provisions of the Clean Water Act and the Washington State Coastal Zone Management Program, subject to stormwater and other water quality conditions. The document was still under internal review, with sections on stormwater management and low-flow conditions pending further input before finalization.

Email from Ann Kenny (Washington State Department of Ecology, Northwest Regional Office) dated July 29, 2001, transmitting a preliminary draft 401 Water Quality Certification (WQC) for the Port of Seattle Third Runway construction at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (STIA). Recipients include Raymond Hellwig, Kevin Fitzpatrick, John Drabek, Ching-Pi Wang, Erik Stockdale, Joan Marchioro (ATG), Tom Young

Email from Ann Kenny (Ecology) dated July 29, 2001, to the 401 WQC team — including Raymond Hellwig, Kevin Fitzpatrick, John Drabek, Ching-Pi Wang, Erik Stockdale, Joan Marchioro (ATG), Tom Young (ATG), Katie Walter, and Kelly Whiting, cc Jeannie Summerhays — transmitting a preliminary deliberative draft 401 Water Quality Certification (WQC) for the Third Runway

Deliberative internal email chain dated July 27, 2001 from Erik Stockdale to Ann Kenny, forwarded to Katie Walter, transmitting draft language for additional mitigation on Miller Creek related to the SeaTac 3rd Runway project (AR 018239–018241). The draft document, titled ‘Mitigation for Temporary Impacts — SeaTac 3rd Runway,’ addresses Ecology’s determination that impacts characterized as

In this July 27, 2001 letter, attorney Kevin L. Stock of Helsell Fetterman LLP writes to the Washington Department of Ecology on behalf of the Airport Communities Coalition (ACC), protesting that the Port of Seattle submitted a massive two-volume Low Flow Analysis on July 24 while Ecology planned to issue its Clean Water Act 401 certification decision as early as August 6. The ACC argues that this timeline denies the public a meaningful opportunity to review and comment on a critical water quality report, as required by the Clean Water Act and state law. The letter urgently requests that Ecology grant the public a minimum of thirty days to comment on the Port's latest low stream flow analysis before issuing any certification decision.

Deliberative internal email chain dated July 27, 2001, from Erik Stockdale to Ann Kenny, forwarded to Katie Walter, transmitting draft language for additional mitigation on Miller Creek related to SeaTac 3rd Runway construction. Ecology determined that ‘temporary’ wetland impacts (up to 2.05 acres, including 1.25 acres from stormwater ponds) are permanent in nature and require

Letter dated July 25, 2001 from Keith R. Smith, Water Resources Manager, Port Of Seattle, to Ann E. Kenny, Washington Department of Ecology Northwest Regional Office, clarifying the Low Streamflow Analysis and Summer Low Flow Impact Offset Facility Proposal for Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Corrections address: embankment recharge calculation using ‘flat outwash grass’; non-contiguous groundwater contributions

Final meeting notes from July 24, 2001 conference call on 401 Permit Decision-Making for Sea-Tac International Airport Third Runway, Low Flow Analysis. Prepared by Kate Snider, Floyd & Snider Inc. Attendees included Ann Kenny (Dept. of Ecology), Kelly Whiting (King County), Keith Smith (Port of Seattle), Paul Fendt (Parametrix), Joe Brascher (Aquaterra). Discusses Port of

Port of Seattle letter dated July 23, 2001 to Ann E. Kenny, Washington State Department of Ecology, Northwest Regional Office, summarizing low streamflow impact analysis and flow impact offset facility proposal for Seattle-Tacoma International Airport Master Plan Update projects. Prepared by Parametrix, Inc. Analysis covers summer low streamflow impacts to Des Moines Creek, Miller Creek,

In a July 2001 letter to the Washington State Department of Ecology, Northwest Hydraulic Consultants raised concerns on behalf of the Airport Community Coalition that the Port of Seattle's ongoing low streamflow analyses for Des Moines, Walker, and Miller Creeks near Sea-Tac Airport were likely underestimating the airport's impact on local waterways. The consultants argued that the models were poorly calibrated for upper-basin conditions and failed to account for post-1994 improvements to the Industrial Wastewater System or the future loss of forested areas due to planned airport development. They requested that a final report on the streamflow analysis and any proposed mitigation measures be made available for public comment before Ecology used it to make its 401 Certification decision.