Water and Wetlands

The Port of Seattle has a strong record of building large public projects while protecting the environment

Mitigation Projects Help Undo the Effects of Urbanization

To prepare for the future, the Port of Seattle has launched the most ambitious capital improvement program ever undertaken at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. While the renovation and terminal expansion will create a modern, efficient and memorable airport, the Port must compensate for environmental impacts on wetlands by protecting and restoring other wetlands and creeks in project areas, and constructing replacement wetlands elsewhere.

The capital improvement projects provide funds for needed environmental work that otherwise might not be done.

Wetland mitigation projects will:

Restore important wetland and stream ecological functions
Help protect areas from future human impacts
Help undo some of the effects of urbanization

Off-site Replacement Wetlands

The replacement wetlands that will restore lost wildlife functions will be located away from the airport. Water bodies and wetlands attract birds that can threaten the safety of aircraft.

Total Wetland Mitigation

The 20.42 acres of wetlands filled or temporarily impacted during construction of the third runway will be replaced by the combination of:

Offsite wetlands in Auburn to replace lost wildlife functions
On-site rehabilitation to restore stream habitat and water quality in existing degraded wetlands

The total mitigation area includes 65 acres offsite in Auburn plus 113 acres on-site at Sea-Tac Airport.

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