Sea-Tac Airport's Stormwater Program
Clean water is a priority for businesses and citizens in Seattle and surrounding communities. The importance of water quality encompasses agriculture, commerce, tourism, recreation, and wildlife; all key drivers of the regional economy. Water quality is influenced by stormwater runoff and management. Sea-Tac Airport is responsible for 1,600 aces of drainage area that flows directly into three local streams and the Puget Sound.
Contamination of surface water can occur as a result of the storage, use, handling, and disposal of fuel and hazardous products on airport property. Because a substantial amount of the airport property is impervious, stormwater that falls onto runways, ramp areas, and buildings on the site runs off through drainage ditches and culverts and into the stormwater collection system. Aircraft washing, equipment cleaning, rental car washing, oil and fuel spills, and maintenance activities are among the activities that can contaminate stormwater and runoff into surrounding streams if appropriate measures are not taken to prevent it. Sea-Tac’s network of stormwater collection piping, retention ponds, wastewater treatment facilities, and water quality monitoring activities effectively manage the risk to local waterways.
Learn more about the Stormwater Management at the Seattle Tacoma International Airport Stormwater runoff from the Airport 1,600 acres drains to three local streams Miller Creek, Des Moines Creek and Gilliam Creek as well as directly to Puget Sound. In order to protect these aquatic resources, the Airport has implemented numerous Best Management Practices (BMPs) to remove pollutants, reduce flooding and prevent spills from discharging into the environment.
Airport stormwater runoff is collected into two conveyance systems: Industrial Waste System (IWS) or Stormwater Drainage System (SDS) depending upon the activities that occur in that place. The IWS collects and treats stormwater from areas where aircraft or vehicle maintenance activities occur such as aircraft fueling and deicing. The SDS collects, detains and treats stormwater from the remaining portions of the airport including runways, expressways, the airport terminal and service roads areas.
As part of the recently completed Master Plan improvements, the airport stormwater management systems have been completely retrofitted and upgraded to meet the most stringent environmental standards. Through these improvements runoff containing high concentrations of deicing fluids are captured and treated before being discharge to Puget Sound. Metals and other pollutants harmful to salmon and other aquatic organisms have been reduced to safe levels before entering local streams.
The Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology) regulates the discharge of stormwater runoff from industrial facilities through the issuance of a
National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits. Ecology has a number of permit types it can use to best manage facilities. For complicated facilities such as the airport, Ecology often chooses to issue individual NPDES permits tailored to specific conditions at the site. The airport has been operating under an individual NPDES permit since the mid-1990s. The permit is renewed approximately every five years and has grown to be one of the more comprehensive ones issued by the state. The
NPDES Permit Fact Sheet contains NPDES permit histirical information for STIA’s NPDES Permit.
The current permit is broken up into three different Parts:
Part I- Industrial Wastewater System Runoff
Part II-Stormwater Drainage System Runoff
Part III-Construction Stormwater Runoff
Airport Stormwater Reports
Regular monitoring of all stormwater runoff generated at the airport is a critical component of our program. These testing requirements are the cornerstone of one of the most comprehensive National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits issued by the Washington State Department of Ecology for an industrial facility. In addition to testing and reporting, the permit requires airport stormwater quality to meet stringent effluent limits established to protect aquatic resources in our local streams as well as Puget Sound.
The NPDES permit under with the airport operates requires the submittal of monthly and/or quarterly Discharge Monitoring Reports that compare stormwater runoff quality against effluent limitation concentrations, and annual reports that summarize each year’s monitoring results as well as improvements to our treatment programs. In addition to these performance reports, the airport regularly maintains a comprehensive Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan. Download the PDF's below.