TagMiller Creek(252)

Final draft meeting notes prepared by Rachel McCrea of Floyd & Snider Inc. for 401 Permit Decision-Making technical meetings on June 25 and June 27, 2001, regarding Sea-Tac International Airport Third Runway. Attendees included Ann Kenny and John Drabek (Dept. of Ecology), Kelly Whiting (King County), Keith Smith (Port of Seattle), Paul Fendt and Tom

A June 2001 technical memo from Pacific Groundwater Group to the Port of Seattle outlines groundwater modeling work related to the proposed Sea-Tac Airport third runway construction. The memo defines areas to be analyzed using Hydrus/Slice modeling software instead of the standard HSPF model, focusing on how new runway fill in the Miller Creek and Walker Creek basins will affect groundwater recharge. It also describes the selection of three representative hydrogeologic cross sections and methods for calculating effective recharge, accounting for runoff from impervious runway surfaces into surrounding pervious fill areas.

A biologist with Columbia Biological Assessments submitted a formal rebuttal in June 2001 challenging the Port of Seattle's environmental responses related to proposed Master Plan Update Improvements at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. The rebuttal argues that the Port failed to adequately assess impacts on Miller Creek, particularly regarding fish habitat, water temperature, and dissolved oxygen levels during summer months. The author contends that no proper baseline survey of fish and aquatic organisms was conducted, making regulatory approval and proposed mitigation measures scientifically insufficient.

A biologist from Columbia Biological Assessments submitted a rebuttal in June 2001 challenging the Port of Seattle's environmental justifications for proposed construction improvements at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. The letter argues that the Port failed to adequately assess impacts on Miller Creek, particularly regarding fish habitat, water temperature, and dissolved oxygen levels in a relocated section of the creek. The author contends that no proper baseline survey of fish and aquatic life was conducted, making regulatory approval of the project scientifically premature.

FAA Northwest Mountain Region letter dated June 19, 2001, from FAA to Ms. Muffy Walker, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Regulatory Branch Seattle District Office, following up on May 31, 2001 letter. Addresses three issues raised in April 30, 2001 Memorandum for the Record regarding the Port of Seattle third runway at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport

Final draft meeting notes from a 401 Permit Decision-Making technical meeting for Sea-Tac International Airport Third Runway, held June 18, 2001, prepared by Rachel McCrea of Floyd & Snider Inc. Attendees included Ann Kenny and John Drabek (Dept. of Ecology), Kelly Whiting (King County), Keith Smith (Port Of Seattle), Felix Kristanovich (Foster Wheeler), Paul Fendt

In June 2001, the EPA's Region 10 office submitted formal comments to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers regarding the Port of Seattle's Sea-Tac Airport Third Runway project, which proposed filling over 18 acres of wetlands and 980 feet of Miller Creek. The EPA raised concerns about unresolved hydrological impacts, including the effects of a proposed retaining wall on nearby wetlands and groundwater flows, the adequacy of buffers around borrow pits, and the Port's undisclosed plans for vacant land parcels in the project area. The agency urged the Corps to carefully review these wetland and Clean Water Act compliance issues before issuing a construction permit.

Email correspondence (June 4, 2001) from Andrea Grad, paralegal at Helsell Fetterman, to Ann Kenny at Washington State Department of Ecology (ECY), following up on a Public Disclosure Act (PDA) request for Parametrix’s 1999 draft report titled ‘Water Effects Ratio Screening Study of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport: Toxicity Evaluation of Site Water.’ The Port of Seattle

In May 2001, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) issued a biological opinion concluding that planned construction and expansion projects at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport — including a new 8,500-foot runway and other facility upgrades — were not likely to adversely affect threatened Puget Sound chinook salmon or their designated critical habitat. The review, requested by the FAA under the Endangered Species Act, examined potential impacts to nearby waterways such as Miller, Des Moines, and Gilliam creeks, as well as Essential Fish Habitat for coastal and groundfish species. NMFS concurred with the airport's own Biological Assessment, determining the projects could proceed with the mitigation measures proposed.

Letter dated May 31, 2001 from NMFS Northwest Region to FAA Airport Division Manager Lowell H. Johnson (NMFS No. WSB-00-318) concurring with the ‘may affect, not likely to adversely affect’ determination for threatened Puget Sound chinook salmon (Onchorhynchus tshawytscha) and designated critical habitat under ESA Section 7(a)(2), and finding STIA projects ‘not likely to adversely