Port Contractor Dredges Outside Scope of Corps of Engineers Permit

Port staff suspected violation, reported it to Corps in March

In March, the Port of Seattle alerted the Army Corps of Engineers to a possible violation of the Port's permit for navigational dredging at Terminals 30 and 91. Today, the Corps of Engineers issued letters to the Port and its contractor, General Construction, confirming that the contractor dredged material outside the scope of the permit. Preliminary indications are that the over-dredged material is clean sediment, but prior to receiving the violation letter, the Port voluntarily agreed to test the surface at Terminal 30 to ensure that no contaminated sediments were released.

"When Port staff suspected that a dredging violation had occurred, they immediately notified the Corps of Engineers," said Port CEO Tay Yoshitani. "We provided the necessary information to our contractor when the project began, and instructed them to adhere to the conditions in the permit. We are very disappointed that a dredging permit was violated."

The Port received permits to perform navigational dredging at Terminal 30, so that it can be used again as a container terminal, and at Terminal 91, which will be used to support the Port's growing cruise business. The permit allowed 9,400 cubic yards of dredge material to be removed at Terminal 91 and a final depth of 35 feet; records show that the contractor dredged a total of 10,768 cubic yards to a depth of 36 feet. At Terminal 30, the contractor dredged to 51.5 feet, violating the depth permit by six inches.

"The Port Commission has voiced its commitment to strong environmental protections, and we are very concerned that over-dredging occurred at these locations," said Commission President John Creighton. "The Port has been in contact with General Construction today, notifying them of our expectation that they comply with all requests by the Corps of Engineers and provide us with their plan to rectify the situation."

The Port will work closely with the Corps of Engineers, providing any information necessary and ensuring that General Construction complies with any necessary remedies.