TagThird Runway(200)

This document is Volume 6 of the Final Environmental Impact Statement for the proposed Master Plan Update at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, published in February 1996. It covers planned airport improvements from 1996 to 2020, including the construction of a third parallel runway, terminal expansions, and parking upgrades, while assessing impacts on noise, air quality, wetlands, and surrounding communities. The appendix compiles public hearing transcripts and approximately 250 written comments submitted in response to the Draft EIS, addressing key concerns such as aircraft noise, air pollution, and surface transportation impacts.

A 1995 letter from Allan M. Furney to Chester Beattie of the Airport Communities Coalition summarizes a 1974 settlement agreement between King County, the Washington State Highway Commission, and local citizens regarding flooding and drainage problems in the Miller Creek watershed. The settlement requires King County to improve water quality, prevent excess stormwater runoff into Miller Creek, and construct appropriate drainage facilities, while prohibiting full channelization of the creek. The letter raises concerns that proposed SeaTac Airport third-runway expansion plans, as outlined in the Draft EIS, would violate these settlement provisions by significantly increasing impervious surface area and stormwater flows into the Miller Creek drainage basin.

A 1995 letter from the Regional Commission on Airport Affairs to airport-interested parties summarizes two reports submitted to an arbitration panel deciding the Sea-Tac Airport third runway issue. The reports argue that alternatives to the third runway—such as regional airport system use and peak-hour pricing—were not fairly considered, that flight delay figures cited to justify the runway were overstated, and that the project itself may never be buildable due to cost, financing, and construction obstacles. A separate shorter report addresses noise concerns related to the proposed runway.

In April 1993, the Puget Sound Regional Council adopted Resolution A-93-03, amending its 1988 Regional Airport System Plan to address long-term commercial air transportation needs in the central Puget Sound region. The resolution established a preferred strategy of pursuing both a major supplemental airport within the four-county area and a third runway at Sea-Tac Airport, with the third runway to be authorized by April 1, 1996 subject to conditions including noise reduction performance objectives and demand management efforts. The resolution also eliminated small supplemental airports such as Paine Field as a preferred alternative and called for site-specific environmental impact studies on the proposed Sea-Tac third runway.

In April 1993, the Puget Sound Regional Council adopted Resolution A-93-03, amending its Regional Airport System Plan to address long-term commercial air transportation needs for the central Puget Sound region. The resolution established a dual-track strategy of pursuing both a major supplemental airport within the four-county area and a third runway at Sea-Tac Airport, with the third runway to be authorized by April 1, 1996 unless a viable supplemental site could eliminate that need. Key conditions attached to the third runway approval included independent evaluation of demand management programs and measurable noise reduction performance objectives, while small supplemental airports such as Paine Field were eliminated as preferred alternatives.

The Regional Commission on Airport Affairs (RCAA) was a coalition of cities and citizen groups in the Puget Sound region that opposed the proposed third dependent runway at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in the early 1990s. The organization compiled expert research and white papers covering noise impacts, public health effects, environmental and social consequences, and economic costs associated with airport expansion. Their goal was to identify financially feasible and environmentally responsible alternatives to meet the region's air capacity needs without further expanding Sea-Tac.