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The Port of Seattle has dual and, at times, competing challenges - to protect and enhance water quality in our region while operating both our Airport and Seaport as efficiently as possible, continuing to build needed facilities, and serving our local economy.
Seaport operations from container and cruise terminals to recreational and commercial marinas impact fish and other wildlife in Elliott Bay and the Duwamish Waterway.
Our region's aquatic environment, especially salmon habitat, is one of the Northwest's greatest resources. Around Puget Sound, stewardship of near shore and estuarine salmon habitat is of critical importance. Over 150 years ago, south Elliott Bay and the Duwamish estuary included nearly 8.2 square miles of tide flats, marsh and forested wetland, with a 19-mile-long, meandering river channel entering south Elliott Bay — an ideal home for fish and wildlife. Today less than two percent of the historic estuarine habitat remains, replaced by the five-mile-long Duwamish Waterway and surrounding industrial area. Protecting, enhancing and, when possible, expanding this remaining habitat is crucial to fish and wildlife survival, especially as our region becomes increasingly urban.
When the Port of Seattle designs and constructs marine facilities, plans to avoid, minimize, and, when appropriate, compensate for any anticipated effects on aquatic habitat are always key parts of our work.
As integral parts of major infrastructure projects, the Port has:
Pier 66 - Built with the Environment in Mind
A great example of the Port's strategy of incorporating environmental improvements into development projects is Pier 66. When this area was redeveloped as a public use area - complete with restaurants, marina, maritime museum, conference facilities and a cruise ship terminal - concrete pilings replaced creosote-treated wooden ones and the structure was designed to provide more light and corridor improvements for salmon and other sea life. The project was awarded an Environmental Improvement Award from the American Association of Port Authorities.
Terminal 5 Project Includes Restoration of Aquatic Habitat
When the Terminal 5 redevelopment project doubled the cargo terminal area and capacity, it also made possible restoration of approximately1.6 acres of aquatic habitat in the upstream portion of the Duwamish Waterway, where habitat important to juvenile salmon was once abundant but had been greatly diminished.
Catch Basin protection 
Gravel Entry Way 
Storm Drain Inspection 
Silt Fencing 
Sweeping |
Brochure on the Seaport program (274 KB, PDF)
Stormwater Plan (3 MB, PDF)
Annual Report (46 KB, PDF)
Managing stormwater runoff on Port property is a critical responsibility. Covering 1,560 acres, the Seaport's paved surface is more than 20 times larger than Seattle Center and almost twice the size of New York's famed Central Park. It requires managing 1.2 billion gallons of surface water run-off annually.
Most of this property is leased to commercial and industrial tenants. The Seaport works closely with the Washington Department of Ecology and our tenants to minimize the impact of stormwater runoff on local waters and their habitat.
Implementing the Phase I Municipal Permit and Protecting the Waters of Elliott Bay and the Duwamish
The Seaport operates under a Phase I National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) General Permit for Municipal Stormwater, issued by the Washington State Department of Ecology under the Federal Clean Water Act (CWA) and applicable to municipalities with populations of 100,000 or more. This permit establishes a framework for controlling pollutants from stormwater to the maximum practical extent. Its goal is restoring and maintaining the chemical, physical and biological integrity of our region's waters including rivers, streams, lakes, wetlands and marine waters.
Implementing this permit requires a Comprehensive Management Plan for the Seaport that includes:
First Step: Mapping
The Seaport will first focus on mapping. Mapping the stormwater systems is the foundation needed to develop the other components of the Municipal Permit. Done primarily by site inspections, the mapping process includes:
Educating Our Tenants and Employees
Our Education Program is a key to the successful implementation of this Permit and provides a great opportunity for the Seaport to work more closely with our tenants. We encourage them to:
Learn more about what Port businesses and individuals can do.
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.
The cruise business is booming in Seattle. It has grown from just six ships and 615 passengers in 1999 to 190 ships and more than 759,000 passengers in 2007. This growing business has brought with it tremendous economic benefits. In 2007, Seattle's cruise business generated $268 million in revenue for the region's economy, supported more than 2,000 local jobs and contributed $6.7 million in state and local taxes. But these ships also create waste.
An agreement signed in 2004 between the Port of Seattle, the Washington State Department of Ecology, and the Northwest Cruise Ship Association set strong standards for wastewater treatment and discharge in Washington waters, exceeding the federal requirements that ordinarily apply to cruise ships. This agreement, which was extended in 2006 to include the entire Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary, prohibits all untreated cruise ship wastewater discharges. Only wastewater passed through advanced treatment systems can be discharged. These systems remove virtually all bacteria and solids, rendering it non-toxic in the environment and harmless to humans. It's not just treated water - it's cleaned water.
Learn more:
Memorandum of Understanding and its appendices:
Marina and boating activities introduce pollutants such as oil, metals and bacteria, into local waters and can cause other environmental damage including shoreline erosion.
The Port of Seattle environmental teams are on hand at boating events, such as the annual Maritime Festival and the Fishermen's Fall Festival, to educate boaters on everything from alternative fuels to environmentally friendly waste disposal. Boaters at Shilshole Bay Marina have access to biodiesel fuels and a free wastewater pump out service.
The Port's three marinas serving recreational boaters - Bell Harbor, Harbor Island and Shilshole Bay - participate in the Clean Marina Initiative which encourages both marina operators and boaters to follow sound environmental practices.
Port Marinas Awarded EnviroStar Rating
Three Port marinas - Bell Harbor, Harbor Island and Shilshole Bay - have earned EnviroStar ratings for their environmental practices. In King County, three of the five EnviroStar marinas are owned and operated by the Port of Seattle.
EnviroStars is a regional program that gives businesses incentives and recognition for reducing hazardous wastes and provides consumers with a way to identify businesses working to protect the environment.
To qualify as EnviroStar facilities, Shilshole, Bell Harbor and Harbor Island marinas demonstrated that hazardous wastes are stored, contained, handled, labeled according to specific guidelines. They also provided a materials spill and response plan, safety information for hazardous products and documentation of appropriate off-site handling of hazardous materials related to the marinas' operations. In addition, each facility demonstrated that its operations generated less than 220 pounds of hazardous wastes per month and at no time accumulated more than 2,200 pounds of hazardous wastes on site.
Environmental Improvement Award
Shilshole Bay Marina's Best Management Practices earned them the 2005 American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) Environmental Improvement Award in the category of "Environmental Enhancement." The goal of marina's Best Management Practices is to protect and enhance the environment by revising, implementing and enforcing new practices to achieve zero discharge to water and air as well as increase efforts to reduce and recycle solid and hazardous waste.
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