TagPort Of Seattle(2410)

The Port of Seattle filed this legal response opposing an emergency request to halt construction of a Third Runway at Sea-Tac Airport. The case centers on a water quality certification issued by Washington's Department of Ecology, which set environmental conditions the Port must meet under the federal Clean Water Act. After years of hearings and appeals — including reviews by the Pollution Control Hearings Board and a federal district court — the Port argued that construction should be allowed to continue as planned.

This March 2004 newsletter from the Regional Commission on Airport Affairs (RCAA) covers several key developments around Sea-Tac Airport, including the Port of Seattle's closed-door attempt to secure a $198.1 million federal bailout for its third-runway project and a $192.6 million construction bid from a local contractor consortium. The newsletter also reports on Southwest Airlines cutting Sea-Tac to Spokane flights due to high operating costs, King County denying two permits for a Maury Island gravel mining operation, and an upcoming public hearing on Boeing Field's Master Plan environmental impact statement.

This 2004 legal declaration, filed before the Washington Supreme Court, supports the Airport Communities Coalition's emergency request to halt construction at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport's Third Runway. Attorney Peter J. Eglick argues that the Port of Seattle's approved Work Plan for embankment construction and wetlands filling would cause irreparable environmental harm and violate a Pollution Control Hearings Board order. The filing includes exhibits documenting concerns about contaminated fill materials and requests that the Department of Ecology intervene to stop construction while the case remained under court review.

A public meeting for the Miller and Walker Creek Basin Plan was held on March 18, 2004, at the Criminal Justice Training Center in Burien, Washington, running from 6:30 to 8:30 PM. The meeting included a presentation and a question-and-answer session, covering stormwater and drainage planning for the Miller and Walker Creek watersheds near Sea-Tac Airport. The project was managed by a multi-agency team representing the City of Burien, City of Normandy Park, City of SeaTac, King County, Port of Seattle, and WSDOT.

A public meeting was held on October 2, 2003, at the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Center in Burien, WA, to discuss the Miller, Walker, and Salmon Creek Basin Planning Project. The meeting covered basin problems and potential solutions, and included an open house, a presentation, and a Q&A session. The project was overseen by a management team representing the City of Burien, City of SeaTac, Port of Seattle, King County, City of Normandy Park, and the Washington State Department of Transportation.

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.