Port Receives Clean Water Certification for Third Runway

"Critical transportation project" moves forward

(Seattle) -- The Port of Seattle today received a clean water certification from the Washington Department of Ecology (DOE) for the planned third runway and other master plan projects at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. DOE's approval of the Port's mitigation plan leaves only one additional environmental permit to be obtained before the project can move into high gear.

"This critical transportation project is now one step closer to completion," said Port of Seattle Commission Chair Clare Nordquist. "Our thanks go out to the staff at Ecology and other agencies who worked so long and so hard on this vital regional project."

The certification, issued under Section 401 of the federal Clean Water Act, affirms that the Port's environmental mitigation plan complies with the Act. The Port's next goal is a companion permit issued by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers under Section 404 of the Act.

Through the environmental mitigation program for this project the Port will provide stormwater management programs to protect Des Moines, Miller and Walker creeks, protection and restoration of wetland habitats, including a creating new wetlands, enhancements along Miller Creek and protections to mitigate low flows in drier periods.

"This has been a long time coming," said Port of Seattle CEO Mic Dinsmore. "We spent many hours with Ecology's technical staff working out environmental protection and mitigation measures. This will be a project that both solves a transportation problem and provides significant environmental mitigation and improvements for the project area.

"The need for this piece of regional transportation infrastructure is critical," said Dinsmore.

Arrival delays at Sea-Tac continue to increase. Fully one-third of all inbound flights arrive more than 15 minutes late-- a figure that planners expect to grow dramatically if the third runway does not come on-line as soon as possible.

"Passengers have a right to arrive at the time that appears in the published airline schedule," said Gina Marie Lindsey, Managing Director of Aviation for the Port of Seattle. "They plan business meetings, flight connections, and even important family events based on that schedule.

"The runway isn't about bringing more aircraft to Sea-Tac. It's about meeting current demand and solving our current delay problem," Lindsey said.

Construction has been under way since 1997, with crews avoiding the 20 acres of wetlands in the project area. More than 3 million cubic yards of dirt has been placed for the embankment on which the runway will sit.

The airport's current capital improvement program involves $3 billion worth of work, including the third runway, renovation of the main terminal, reconstruction of Concourse A, rebuilding of the airport subway system, installation of technology infrastructure, and more than 100 other projects. Most of these projects will be completed between 2004 and 2008.