Department
of
Ecology
News
Release
­
Sept.
4,
2003
03­
179
Sea­
Tac
Airport
stormwater
permit
sets
new
standards
BELLEVUE
­
Seattle­
Tacoma
International
Airport
will
be
required
to
provide
its
highest­
ever
level
of
environmental
protection
to
nearby
streams
under
a
new
stormwater
permit
issued
today
by
the
state
Department
of
Ecology
(
Ecology).

The
five­
year
permit
will
regulate
how
storm
water
is
managed
on
the
airport
property,
which
is
operated
by
the
Port
of
Seattle.
The
three­
part
permit
addresses
flight­
line
and
industrial
operations,

general
stormwater
controls
and
how
storm
water
will
be
controlled
around
construction
projects.

"
This
permit
places
Sea­
Tac
Airport
at
the
cutting
edge
of
controlling
stormwater
pollution,"
said
Kevin
Fitzpatrick,
a
water­
quality
supervisor
for
Ecology.
"
It
sets
important
standards
and
represents
a
significant
investment
and
a
serious
commitment
to
clean
water."

The
airport
operates
an
on­
site
treatment
system
for
storm
water
that
drains
from
297
acres
of
tarmac
and
taxi­
ways.
The
system
removes
oil
drippings,
de­
icing
chemicals
and
other
pollutants
before
releasing
the
treated
waste
water
to
Puget
Sound
through
an
outfall
line
shared
with
the
Midway
Sewer
District.

The
new
permit
prohibits
bypassing
the
industrial
treatment
system
during
major
storms
and
releasing
untreated
storm
water
into
area
creeks.
The
port
recently
expanded
a
storage
pond
to
prevent
such
releases.
To
meet
more­
stringent
and
additional
pollutant
limits
for
biochemical
oxygen
demand
(
BOD),
the
port
will
build
a
pipeline
to
transport
treated
industrial
storm
water
that
doesn't
meet
these
limits
to
the
King
County
sewage­
treatment
plant
in
Renton
for
further
processing.

Under
the
permit,
storm
water
from
the
airport's
runways,
extensive
roads,
parking
areas
and
roofs
must
meet
strict
pollution
limits
before
flowing
directly
to
area
creeks.
Parts
of
the
airport
property
drain
into
the
Lake
Reba
stormwater
facility,
which
also
serves
nearby
freeways
and
city
streets.
The
port
must
use
control
measures
known
as
"
best
management
practices"
on
run­
off
that
drains
into
Lake
Reba,
which
empties
into
Miller
Creek.

The
port
also
must
monitor
pollutants
and
their
toxic
effects
in
area
creeks
that
receive
airport
storm
water.
The
monitoring
will
help
measure
the
effectiveness
of
the
permit's
pollution­
prevention
and
control
program.

The
permit's
construction
section
places
strict
limits
on
pollution
in
storm
runoff
from
several
projects
planned
or
under
way
on
airport
property,
including
the
proposed
third
runway.

Non­
industrial
waste
water
­­
coming
from
sources
such
as
restrooms,
food
preparation
and
rental
car
washes
­­
flows
to
the
Midway
Sewer
District
treatment
plant
via
sewer
lines.

#
#
#

Contact:
Larry
Altose,
public
information
manager,
425­
649­
7009;
pager,
206­
663­
1785
Ed
Abbasi,
water
quality
permit
manager,
425­
649­
7227
For
more
information:

http://
www.
ecy.
wa.
gov/
programs/
wq/
permits/
northwest_
permits.
html
(
The
permit
documents
will
be
posted
as
soon
as
possible.)
