TagPort Of Seattle(2405)

Email chain (AR 033708–033710) among Washington State Department of Ecology staff Paula Ehlers, Tom Luster, and Raymond Hellwig, with ATG staff Tom McDonald and Joan Marchioro, dated June 1–13, 1999, regarding the Port Of Seattle third runway proposal and 401 water quality certification for Des Moines Creek. Discusses antidegradation requirements under Washington Water Quality Standards

In a June 1999 email chain, Washington State Department of Ecology staff member Roger Nye proposed bringing in an outside consulting firm (SAIC) to help review technical groundwater studies related to an environmental cleanup agreement (Agreed Order) at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (STIA). The goal was to add credibility and independence to Ecology's review process, particularly in response to public demands for an independent assessment. Nye also requested that the Port of Seattle agree to cover SAIC's costs as part of the overall project expenses under state cleanup regulations (MTCA).

These internal communication records from Parametrix, Inc. (dated around May 1999) document discussions between environmental consultants and Washington State Department of Ecology staff regarding sampling and analysis protocols for port discharge outfalls. Key topics include the need for Ecology to review a Site Assessment Plan (SAP) and Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP) before work commenced, the applicability of clean sampling techniques for measuring copper concentrations in discharge water, and the distribution of draft Water Effluent Regulations (WER) guidance to regional offices for review.

In May 1999, Washington State Department of Ecology staff exchanged emails discussing plans to hire consulting firm SAIC to review groundwater studies at Sea-Tac Airport, with the question of whether the Port of Seattle would fund the work remaining unresolved. The emails also note that state legislation signed by the governor allocated $250,000 to study how construction of Sea-Tac's proposed Third Runway would impact aquifers beneath the airport, a move the Port viewed as an attempt to block the runway project. This created an unusual situation where two separate Ecology divisions were conducting potentially duplicative groundwater modeling studies at the airport for different purposes.

A May 1999 email exchange between Washington State Department of Ecology staff discusses wetland mitigation challenges near an airport flight path, referencing a similar case in Petaluma, California where seasonal wetlands were allowed to remain near a municipal airport under strict conditions. The staff propose a framework involving monitoring for hazardous bird activity, defined management options, and contingency plans for replacement wetland sites if the existing mitigation proves unsafe. The emails emphasize that while the goal is to find creative regulatory solutions to approve the project under Section 401, denial remains a possibility if adequate safeguards cannot be agreed upon.

Email chain dated May 12, 1999 among Raymond Hellwig, Tom Luster, Erik Stockdale, and Paula Ehlers (Washington State Department of Ecology) regarding wetland mitigation strategy for the SeaTac Third Runway project (Port of Seattle). Tom Luster shares a Press Democrat article about Petaluma municipal airport’s Cross Creek subdivision wetland resolution with the FAA, proposing a

In April–May 1999, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (NWS) staff exchanged emails debating whether to use a Port of Seattle Third Runway construction site as a disposal area for roughly 60,000 cubic yards of excavated material from the Duwamish River Turn Basin #3 habitat restoration project. Officials weighed whether this arrangement could compromise the Corps' impartiality in its pending permit decision for the Third Runway Project, ultimately concluding it would not, since disposal would occur on upland areas outside Corps jurisdiction and King County bore responsibility for finding a disposal site. The collaboration was seen as potentially saving the habitat restoration project up to $200,000 in disposal costs.

This 1999 plan, prepared jointly by the Washington State Department of Ecology and the Port of Seattle, outlines how the public will be involved in a ground water study at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. The study was prompted by decades of jet fuel and petroleum product releases from underground storage tanks and fuel systems in the Airport's Aircraft Operations and Maintenance Area, which contaminated soil and ground water across 13 known sites. The plan describes required and additional public participation activities, community outreach roles, and the two-phase study approach, which included computer modeling of ground water flow to assess contamination risks to public water supplies and surface water.

Washington State Department of Ecology Agreed Order #97TC-N122 issued to Port Of Seattle for Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (STIA), pursuant to RCW 70.105D.050(1). Documents hazardous substance releases within the Aircraft Operations and Maintenance Area (AOMA), a half-square-mile southeast quadrant of STIA operational since 1944. Contaminants identified include jet fuel (most abundant by bulk volume), gasoline, industrial

Agreed Order #97TC-N122 issued by Washington State Department of Ecology under RCW 70.105D.050(1) directed to Port Of Seattle regarding hazardous substance contamination at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (STIA). Documents thirteen contaminated sites within the Aircraft Operations and Maintenance Area (AOMA), a 1/2 square-mile area in the southeast quadrant of the airport, contaminated with jet fuel, gasoline,