The Port of Seattle announced the selection of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport as the winner of the 2008 Environmental Achievement Award from Airports Council International - North America (ACI-NA). The award in the Mitigation Category recognized Sea-Tac's Comprehensive Stormwater Management Program (CSMP) addressing storm-water issues for the airport's multi-year expansion project.

Sea-Tac Airport's program was recognized as reflecting the priorities of an environmentally sensitive community by focusing on surface-water runoff quality, flooding and endangered salmon. Working cooperatively with local cities and regulatory agencies, using regional basin planning, optimizing systems and value engineering, achieved cost savings of $250 million.
 
"The control of stormwater runoff is becoming a more critical issue as the Puget Sound region develops strategies for restoring the health of our waterways. The Port's Comprehensive Stormwater Management Program exemplifies how airports can creativity to not only mitigating for project impacts, unite the airport and the community in a common goal, delivering significant improvements to the local watersheds," said John Creighton, Port of Seattle Commission President. "The results have been dramatic."
 
The Port of Seattle implemented a $4.2 billion Capital Improvement Program (CIP) at Sea-Tac Airport which included a third runway with associated taxiways, major expansion of the main terminal, additional parking facilities, and infrastructure improvements. Sea-Tac overcame challenges such as adhering to a four-year timeline, using regional basin planning, optimizing systems, and value engineering, so as to achieve all water-quality treatment and flow-control objectives. The airport was able to reduce the required flow-control storage volume, enable the use of ponds rather than expensive vaults.
 
"Faced with stringent stormwater regulations, I am extremely proud of the creative efforts of everyone who was involved in developing the CSMP," said Tay Yoshitani, Port of Seattle CEO. "This award highlights our continuing and successful efforts to be the greenest Port in the nation."
 
"Airports have many innovative programs designed to alleviate the environmental impact of their operations," said Jessica Steinhilber, ACI-NA's Senior Director of Environmental Affairs. "The ACI-NA Environmental Achievement Awards recognize those airports that set an example for the industry by going above and beyond regulatory compliance standards to protect and preserve the environment."
 
Additional 2008 award winners included Boston Logan International Airport for Environmental Management and Minneapolis - St. Paul International Airport for Outreach, Education, and Community Involvement. 
 
More on ACI-NA's Environmental Achievement Awards
Created in 1997, the Environmental Achievement Awards program contest has generated tremendous interest throughout the industry and has been the springboard for numerous environmental programs at airports. Award winners will be recognized at the 2008 ACI World/North America Conference & Exhibition in Boston, MA, Sept. 24, during the Chairman's Honors & 60th Anniversary Luncheon.

Winners in each category are selected by a three-judge panel based on the project's environmental benefits, innovation, effective implementation, widespread applicability and cost-effectiveness.  Judges for the 2008 Awards Program were Ashraf Jan, national resource expert for land use compatibility at the Federal Aviation Administration, Anne Kohut, editor of Airport Noise Report, and Robin Sobatta, associate professor and department chair of the College of Business at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.