TagWater Quality(478)

A water resources consultant submitted comments to the Washington State Department of Ecology in September 2000, raising serious concerns about the Port of Seattle's proposed Des Moines Creek Flow Augmentation Facility, which was intended to mitigate water quality impacts from SeaTac Airport's third runway expansion. The consultant argues the plan is vague and incomplete, lacking secured water sources, hydrologic analysis, and finalized design details. Key technical problems identified include unreliable water temperature from one proposed source, dependence on continuous technological systems, and a disputed well design that may violate state groundwater protection guidelines.

A biological assessments consultant, writing on behalf of the Airport Communities Coalition, critiques the Port of Seattle's revised plan to use City of Seattle drinking water to boost summer flows in Des Moines Creek near Sea-Tac Airport. The letter raises concerns that the plan inadequately addresses the toxicity of fluoride and residual chlorine in treated drinking water, which can harm fish and other aquatic life at very low levels. The consultant also warns that differences in temperature, pH, and dissolved oxygen between the makeup water and the creek could cause serious ecological damage if not corrected before augmentation begins.

This September 2000 preliminary design report, prepared by Kennedy/Jenks Consultants for the Port of Seattle, outlines a plan to augment water flow in Des Moines Creek near Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. The report covers facility configuration, process components such as backflow prevention, dechlorination, and aeration systems, as well as an evaluation of chemical dechlorination alternatives. The project was designed to improve creek water quality by treating and releasing water in a controlled manner.

AR017487. Email from Chung K. Yee (Ecology, NWRO Water Quality Program) to Kevin Fitzpatrick dated August 24, 2000, commenting on draft clean fill criteria language for the 401 Certification for the Third Runway at Sea-Tac Airport. Comments address sections E6, E7c.2.(b), E7c.2.(e), and E7c.3, covering inappropriate fill, EPA databases, Confirmed & Suspected Contaminated Sites Report,

Internal email chain from Chung K. Yee to Kevin Fitzpatrick (Supervisor, Industrial Permit Unit, Water Quality Program, NWRO, Washington Department of Ecology) dated August 24, 2000, commenting on draft clean fill criteria language for the 401 Certification for the Third Runway at Sea-Tac Airport. Comments address sections E6, E7c.2(b), E7c.2(e), E7c.2(f), and E7c.3, covering issues

A fisheries biologist assessed the Port of Seattle's plan to use City of Seattle drinking water to boost summer flows in Miller and Des Moines Creeks when levels drop below 1.0 cubic feet per second. The report concludes that chlorine and fluoride in drinking water are toxic to fish and other aquatic life at very low concentrations, and that mixing drinking water into these small streams would far exceed Washington State water quality standards even with dilution. The biologist recommended against the plan and suggested that treated well water from within the local watersheds might be a less harmful alternative.

A fisheries biologist, writing on behalf of the Airport Communities Coalition, assessed the Port of Seattle's plan to use City of Seattle drinking water to boost low summer flows in Miller and Des Moines Creeks near Sea-Tac Airport. The report concludes that the drinking water's chlorine and fluoride content would be highly toxic to fish and other aquatic life, far exceeding Washington State water quality standards even after dilution in the streams. The biologist recommends against the plan and suggests that well water from within the local watersheds may be a less harmful alternative.

In August 2000, the Port of Seattle submitted a revised implementation plan to the Washington Department of Ecology for a flow augmentation facility on Des Moines Creek, near Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. The plan outlines two potential water sources — a Port-owned well used to irrigate the Tyce Valley Golf Course, or water purchased from Seattle Public Utilities — along with details on pipeline construction, dechlorination treatment options, and pump configurations. Construction of the facility was scheduled to begin in June 2002, with the well preferred as the lower-cost option pending resolution of water rights issues.

Letter dated August 18, 2000 from Keith R. Smith, Water Resources Manager at Port Of Seattle (Seattle-Tacoma International Airport), to Jillian Hoyt of Seattle Public Utilities, regarding the Des Moines Creek Basin Plan Flow Augmentation Facility. The Port seeks to purchase water from SPU as an alternate supply for the proposed flow augmentation facility, which

Memorandum from Brian Pippin (Parametrix, Inc.) to Linda Logan (cc: John Brooker), dated August 14, 2000, Project Number 556-2912-001, Port of Seattle WERs. Discusses critical conditions for Water Effect Ratio (WER) sampling per the Permit Writers Manual for the third runway treated stormwater discharge into Miller Creek. Uses HSPF hindcasting over 49-year period to evaluate