TagPCHB(607)

This legal declaration by fish biologist Donald E. Weitkamp was submitted to Washington's Pollution Control Hearings Board in a case involving Seattle-Tacoma International Airport's expansion, including a proposed third runway. Weitkamp argues that the project's stormwater controls and water quality conditions under the §401 Certification are adequate to protect nearby streams, and disputes claims that salmon species are present near the airport's property along the headwaters of Miller, Walker, and Des Moines Creeks. He contends that these streams have already been significantly altered by surrounding urban development, making them more suitable for warm-water fish species than for salmonids.

Fish biologist Donald E. Weitkamp submitted this declaration opposing a legal challenge to Sea-Tac Airport's expansion plans, arguing that the airport's stormwater controls and water quality measures adequately protect nearby streams. He concluded that the headwater portions of Miller, Walker, Des Moines, and Gilliam Creeks near the airport are unlikely to support chinook or chum salmon, as urbanization has altered those streams to favor warm-water species instead. The declaration supports the Port of Seattle's position that its Master Plan Update projects meet environmental standards and will not significantly harm local aquatic resources.

This document is a professional biography and project experience summary for Dr. Don Weitkamp, a fisheries biologist with a Ph.D. from 1976, who has spent decades studying salmon habitat, water quality, and shoreline restoration in the Pacific Northwest. His work has focused on rivers, estuaries, and coastal areas including Commencement Bay, the Green-Duwamish River, and Elliott Bay, involving biological assessments, habitat restoration, and hydroelectric dam impacts. This document does not contain information related to Sea-Tac Airport noise policy.

This document contains the Port of Seattle's formal objections and responses to interrogatories filed by the Airport Communities Coalition (ACC) before Washington State's Pollution Control Hearings Board (Case No. 01-160). The Port identifies over a dozen expert witnesses it intends to use, including specialists in geotechnical engineering, toxicology, hydrology, and groundwater science from firms such as Parametrix, Inc. and Hart Crowser, Inc. The case involves a dispute between the ACC and the Port of Seattle regarding environmental and pollution control issues related to Sea-Tac Airport operations.

This document outlines Washington State water quality standards for surface waters, including criteria for total phosphorus levels in lakes across different ecoregions (Cascades and Columbia Basin) and limits for toxic substances such as heavy metals, pesticides, and radioactive materials. It establishes trophic state classifications and action values that trigger lake-specific studies when exceeded, and sets numerical criteria for aquatic life protection in both freshwater and marine environments.

This document is the curriculum vitae of Dr. Peter Willing, a water resources consultant based in Bellingham, Washington, who was retained to review surface and ground water hydrology related to the possible construction of a third runway at Sea-Tac Airport from November 1999 to February 2001. His investigation addressed issues including stormwater management effectiveness, compliance with the King County Surface Water Design Manual, and potential project effects on wetlands, stream flows, and anadromous fish. Dr. Willing holds a Ph.D. from Cornell University and has broad experience in flood analysis, water rights, and geohydrologic investigations across the Pacific Northwest.

In this legal declaration, ecologist James C. Kelley, Ph.D., testifies about the environmental impact of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport's Master Plan Update, which permanently fills 18.37 acres of wetland. He describes a comprehensive mitigation plan designed to replace lost ecological functions in the Miller, Walker, and Des Moines Creek basins. Kelley also notes that the affected wetlands and streams were already significantly degraded by decades of logging, farming, and urban development before the airport expansion.

Joseph Brascher, a hydrologic modeling expert at Aqua Terra Consultants, submitted this declaration in a 2001 Washington State Pollution Control Hearings Board case involving the Port of Seattle's Master Plan Update for Sea-Tac International Airport. He describes how the HSPF (Hydrologic Simulation Program – Fortran) computer model was used to analyze stormwater runoff and flow impacts on Miller and Walker Creeks resulting from planned airport construction. The declaration also outlines additional studies and design details requested by the Washington State Department of Ecology as conditions of its §401 water quality certification for the project.

Prefiled direct testimony of Dr. Charles S. Wisdom (Senior Project Manager, Parametrix, Inc.) before the Pollution Control Hearings Board (PCHB), case No. PCHB 01-160, filed on behalf of respondents Department of Ecology and Port Of Seattle against appellants Airport Communities Coalition (ACC) and Citizens Against Sea-Tac Expansion (CASE). Wisdom holds a Ph.D. in Chemical Ecology

Prefiled direct testimony of Donald E. Weitkamp, Ph.D., filed in PCHB case 01-160 before the Pollution Control Hearings Board for the State of Washington. Appellants are Airport Communities Coalition (ACC) and Citizens Against Sea-Tac Expansion (CASE); respondents are Department of Ecology and Port Of Seattle. Testimony covers aquatic habitat impacts of the STIA Master Plan