TagNPDES(130)

A July 18, 2001 letter from Helsell Fetterman law firm to the Washington State Department of Ecology complains that the Airport Communities Coalition (ACC), representing over 150,000 residents near Sea-Tac Airport, had not received any Public Disclosure Act documents from Ecology's Northwest Regional Office for over a month during the critical review of the Sea-Tac Third Runway project. The letter specifically highlights that a key contaminants pathways analysis dated June 19, 2001 was withheld for weeks, preventing ACC's independent scientific experts from providing timely comments on potential environmental and contamination risks. The attorneys urge Ecology to halt issuing a Section 401 water quality certification decision until the document disclosure cutoff is reversed and ACC's scientists have had a fair opportunity to review and respond to the Port's latest submissions.

Memo dated July 18, 2001 from Tom Fitzsimmons, Director, Washington State Department of Ecology, to Governor Gary Locke regarding the status of the 401 Water Quality Certification decision for the Port Of Seattle proposed Third Runway and associated projects. Ecology is awaiting final technical information from Port consultants on stream low-flow mitigation requirements, expected by

In this June 2001 internal email, Tom Luster documents a conversation with Ann K. regarding Senator Patterson's request that he review an NPDES stormwater permit related to the Sea-Tac Airport expansion project. Luster notes concerns about whether construction Best Management Practices (BMPs) in the permit were sufficient to meet water quality standards under Section 401 requirements, stating that BMPs with a history of non-compliance should be replaced with proven alternatives. He also addresses his role as an independent reviewer, emphasizing his goal of ensuring a legally defensible decision rather than advocating for any particular party's position.

Washington State Department of Ecology Northwest Regional Office letter dated May 29, 2001, to Michael D. Feldman, Director of Aviation Facilities, Port Of Seattle, modifying NPDES Permit No. WA-002465-I for Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (expiration July 30, 2002). Modification authorizes discharge of construction stormwater to Walker Creek including tributaries and Gilliam Creek including tributaries; adds monitoring

In this April 2001 letter, Northwest Hydraulic Consultants raised technical concerns on behalf of the Airport Communities Coalition regarding a proposed NPDES permit modification for Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. The firm identified two key issues: a lack of clear, enforceable design criteria for stormwater overflows from the airport's integrated wastewater system (IWS), and an inconsistency between the permit's stormwater detention standards and the stricter standards sought under Section 401 Certification for the Third Runway and Master Plan Update projects. The consultants recommended that the permit be revised and republished for public comment to address these gaps and ensure consistent, enforceable stormwater management requirements.

A March 2001 letter from Water Resources Consulting LLC to the Washington State Department of Ecology raises concerns about a proposed NPDES permit modification for SeaTac Airport, arguing that the draft permit gives the Port of Seattle a 'blank check' to discharge pollutants at unspecified locations into unnamed water bodies without adequate public oversight. The letter also criticizes the airport's stormwater monitoring reports for obscuring potential water quality violations by mishandling hardness data used to evaluate dissolved metals concentrations. The author urges the Department of Ecology to require specific discharge locations and proper concurrent hardness reporting before issuing the modified permit.

These are prepared talking points for Washington State Department of Ecology officials attending public meetings on January 26-27, 2001, regarding the proposed Third Runway (3RW) at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. The notes address 17 anticipated public questions covering topics such as Ecology's 401 Water Quality Certification review process, the use of Port-funded consultants, SEPA compliance, wetlands impacts, and whether the project was receiving special political consideration. Officials emphasized that no approval would be granted until the project demonstrated full compliance with all applicable environmental laws and regulations.

The Port of Seattle requested regulatory approval to temporarily take Lagoon #3, part of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport's industrial wastewater treatment system, out of service from April through December 2002 for remediation and expansion work. The project aimed to increase the lagoon's storage capacity from 26 million gallons to 76 million gallons, add a protective liner, and rebuild berms to prevent untreated wastewater from seeping into the ground. During the construction period, some untreated industrial wastewater flows could potentially be released into Des Moines Creek as unavoidable bypasses.

Washington State Department of Ecology Water Quality Program Permit Writer’s Manual, Publication Number 92-109, revised January 2001, prepared by Gary Bailey. Covers NPDES permit writing procedures and water quality standards for Washington State. AR 032664, Exhibit-2077.

Section 4.5.2 of the Comprehensive Stormwater Management Plan for STIA Master Plan Update Improvements, December 2000, Port of Seattle. Documents stormwater quality monitoring data from SDS outfalls (1994–2000) under NPDES Permit requirements. Table 4-8 compares STIA runoff quality against regional and national urban stormwater benchmarks including Bellevue Sturtevant Creek, Bellevue Urban Runoff Program (BURP), King