TagMiller Creek(42)

A 1995 letter from Allan M. Furney to Chester Beattie of the Airport Communities Coalition summarizes a 1974 settlement agreement between King County, the Washington State Highway Commission, and local citizens regarding flooding and drainage problems in the Miller Creek watershed. The settlement requires King County to improve water quality, prevent excess stormwater runoff into Miller Creek, and construct appropriate drainage facilities, while prohibiting full channelization of the creek. The letter raises concerns that proposed SeaTac Airport third-runway expansion plans, as outlined in the Draft EIS, would violate these settlement provisions by significantly increasing impervious surface area and stormwater flows into the Miller Creek drainage basin.

This collection of historical documents from 1948 to 1957 chronicles ongoing water pollution problems caused by Sea-Tac Airport's drainage of aircraft wash water, oils, and chemicals into nearby Miller Creek and Des Moines Creek. The records show repeated fish kills, contamination of private property, and years of failed or inadequate treatment solutions, prompting complaints from residents, state legislators, and wildlife agencies. Despite numerous proposals and temporary fixes, the Washington State Pollution Control Commission continued to pressure the Port of Seattle to develop a permanent waste disposal system throughout the period.