TagPort Of Seattle(1845)

The Port of Seattle filed a Notice of Appeal against the Washington State Department of Ecology challenging the terms of a 2003 water discharge permit issued for Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (Sea-Tac). The permit, which governs industrial wastewater and stormwater runoff from airport operations and construction activities, was contested by the Port as imposing undue burdens without corresponding environmental benefits. Over the following six years, the Port faced more than $150 million in projected costs to implement water quality and stormwater control measures under the permit's requirements.

This is a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) water discharge permit issued by the Washington State Department of Ecology to the Port of Seattle for Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, effective October 1, 2003 through September 4, 2008. The permit governs how the airport is authorized to discharge industrial wastewater and stormwater runoff into surrounding water bodies, including Puget Sound, Des Moines Creek, Miller Creek, and Walker Creek. It sets out special conditions covering discharge limitations, monitoring requirements, toxicity testing, and operations and maintenance standards to protect water quality in the region.

This is a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) waste discharge permit issued by the Washington State Department of Ecology to the Port of Seattle for SeaTac International Airport, originally effective October 1, 2003. The permit regulates the discharge of industrial wastewater and stormwater into receiving waters including Puget Sound, Des Moines Creek, Miller Creek, Walker Creek, and other local waterways. It sets effluent limits, monitoring requirements, and operational standards for the airport's Industrial Wastewater System to protect water quality in the surrounding region.

The Airport Communities Coalition (ACC) asked a federal court to reconsider its ruling that allowed the Army Corps of Engineers to issue a wetlands fill permit for a Port of Seattle project. ACC argued the court overlooked a December 2001 Washington State Pollution Control Hearings Board order that effectively blocked the required water quality certification within the legally allowed one-year window, which under the Clean Water Act should have prevented the permit from being granted.

In September 2003, the Port of Seattle Commission considered authorizing a $3.69 million program to sound-insulate 98 single-family homes near Sea-Tac Airport that fell within the projected 2010 65 DNL noise contour and were built before local noise codes took effect. The project, stemming from a 1997 Environmental Impact Statement related to the airport's third runway, aimed to reduce interior noise levels by at least 5 decibels in eligible homes in Des Moines and unincorporated King County. Funding was to come primarily from federal Airport Improvement Program grants (80%), with the remainder drawn from the Airport Development Fund, and homeowners were required to grant the Port an avigation easement in exchange for the insulation work.

A federal court ruled in favor of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Port of Seattle, rejecting a legal challenge by the Airport Communities Coalition — a group of cities near Sea-Tac Airport — over a Clean Water Act permit issued in December 2002 for the airport's Third Runway Project. The permit authorizes filling approximately 50 wetlands with over 23 million cubic yards of material to support construction of a new 8,500-foot runway. The court found the Corps' decision was not arbitrary or capricious under the Administrative Procedures Act's standard of review.

A 2003 Port of Seattle memo updates the Commission on the ballooning costs of the Sea-Tac Third Runway project, which had grown from an approved budget of $773 million to an estimated $1.1–1.15 billion due to environmental permitting delays, litigation, and stricter regulatory requirements. The project, intended to reduce airport congestion by allowing simultaneous landings on two runways during poor weather, was projected for completion in 2008 if construction contracts were advertised promptly. Key cost drivers included $151 million in additional environmental permit requirements, $55 million in delay costs, and $55 million in project scope additions.

This June 2003 Capital Improvement Program briefing provides an update on the Third Runway project at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. It outlines the revised 1999 project cost of $773 million, a target completion date of Fall 2006, and the assumption that an Army Corps of Engineers 404 Permit would be obtained by December 1999. A project schedule chart shows the planned phases—permitting, runway embankment, and runway pavement—spanning from 1999 through 2006, along with progress made to date.

This document is a public responsiveness summary from Washington State's Department of Ecology regarding an NPDES wastewater discharge permit issued to the Port of Seattle for Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. It compiles and responds to comments received during a March 2003 public meeting and hearing, covering concerns about the airport's treated industrial wastewater, stormwater runoff, and construction runoff discharges. The summary addresses feedback from a range of stakeholders, including the Port of Seattle, local legislators, advocacy groups, and individual residents.