The Seaport's Municipal Permit

The Seaport is a secondary permittee under the NPDES Phase 1 Municipal Stormwater Permit (Phase I Permit) issued by the Department of Ecology. The Phase I Permit regulates discharges to waters of the state from large and medium storm sewer drainage systems. The Port is regulated under the Phase I Permit because the stormwater system drains to the Duwamish River, Ship Canal, and Elliot Bay. The Port received secondary permittee status because it owns and operates its own storm water system within the incorporated area of the City of Seattle.

The Phase I Permit requires the Port to develop and implement a Stormwater Management Program (SWMP). The Port's SWMP includes the following components:

Education Program

Our Education Program is a key to the successful implementation of the Phase I Permit and provides a great opportunity for the Seaport Division to work more closely with our tenants. Through a grant from the Department of Ecology, tenants covered under the Port's Phase I Permit receive assistance with identification of permit requirements and Best Management Practices (BMPs) applicable to their business. The education program emphasizes reducing or eliminating behaviors and practices that adversely affect water quality. In addition, boat owners using the Port's marinas regularly receive information on practices that will improve water quality.

We encourage tenants and other Port users to:

Keep our watershed healthy by implementing BMPs.
Routinely inspect their stormwater systems for excess sediment and have the system cleaned when necessary.
Routinely check their stormwater systems for needed repairs.
Educate staff, customers and clients about the importance of a healthy watershed and water quality.
Keep pollutants from entering the storm sewer system.
Clean up spills (regardless of size) as quickly as possible, always following safety guidelines

Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination (IDDE)

The Seaport's Illicit Detection and Discharge Elimination (IDDE) program concentrates on the detection, removal and prevention of illicit connections and discharges, including spills, into the Port-maintained storm drain system. The goal of the program is to prevent anything other than clean rain water from entering the storm drain system which can eventually be washed into Puget Sound.

See a definition of illicit discharge.

The IDDE program contains several components.

An adopted policy prohibiting illicit discharges
An enforcement plan with mechanisms for ensuring compliance
An ongoing effort to create an electronic map of all outfall locations, land use, storm drain pipes and structures
A program to document operation and maintenance records for stormwater facilities
Field inspections of every outfall to identify and remove illicit discharges
A spill response plan with a qualified spill responder

Review the Seaport's IDDE Policy (77 KB, PDF).

The Seaport works with tenants to avoid spills and non-stormwater discharges to the drainage system. In the event of an accidental spill, follow the Environmental Incident Notification Guidelines (89 KB, PDF) to report the spill or discharge. The Tenants' Information page includes additional information on tenant responsibilities related to IDDE (77 KB, PDF).

Construction Site Stormwater Runoff Control

The Port is committed to enhancing water quality through reduction of sediment in construction site runoff. The Seaport Division addresses construction site runoff control through the following methods:

The Port requires designers to certify that suitable erosion and sediment controls have been incorporated into construction plans in accordance with current city code and Ecology requirements.
Contractors must comply with the Port's Temporary Erosion Control Specification standard for all projects.

Stormwater Management for New Development and Redevelopment

Tenant development activities are subject to the Port's review and approval process, and may also require City of Seattle review for necessary permits. The Port has developed a Project Design Guidance Manual that will be made available upon request from tenants or their consultants planning construction projects. The manual explains the Port review and approval process, and provides an overview of applicable regulations.

The Port also works to ensure compliance with the City of Seattle's stormwater ordinance to protect stormwater from contaminants during the construction and redevelopment of the Port's waterfront properties. Learn more about stormwater design and construction requirements.

Operations and Maintenance Program for Port-Operated Facilities

The Port of Seattle's Seaport Division is responsible for maintaining stormwater infrastructure, including pipes, catch basins, gutters, ditches and other stormwater facilities for Port-operated facilities. The Seaport employs a maintenance staff of some 60 crew members, who are responsible for parks maintenance, facility upkeep, snow and ice removal, pier and moorage system repair and utility (including stormwater facilities) maintenance.

The Port has developed an Operations and Maintenance Manual for its stormwater facilities that will assist with improving water quality. The manual outlines proper maintenance practices to remove pollutants from the stormwater system before they are washed downstream into Elliot Bay and Puget Sound. The manual conforms to both the Department of Ecology's requirements and the anticipated update to the City of Seattle Code (which will take effect in 2009). Beginning in 2009, all Port inspections and maintenance actions will comply with the new manual.

More information on the Operations and Maintenance Manual.

Source Control in Existing Developed Areas

Source control consists of Best Management Practices (BMPs) that prevent pollutants from coming into contact with stormwater. These practices may range from simple measures like keeping the lid of a garbage dumpster closed or sweeping instead of hosing down pavement to building a containment area with its own collection and treatment system for stormwater runoff.

The Port requires every tenant to develop a Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP) to outline source control practices. Learn more about SWPPPs (including a link to the SWPPP template) on the Tenants Information page.

Water Quality Monitoring

The Port of Seattle has developed a long-term monitoring program to evaluate the effects of its education and source control programs. Monitoring will be implemented during 2009, with results reported annually to the Department of Ecology. The program consists of three parts:

Stormwater monitoring to characterize water quality,
Program effectiveness monitoring to evaluate stormwater management efforts, and
Monitoring to determine BMP effectiveness.

The new program is in addition to water quality monitoring the Port is already doing at Sea-Tac Airport and data collected as part of the restoration efforts on the Duwamish River.

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