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Department of Ecology News Release - Oct. 18, 2000
00-205
OLYMPIA - The public is invited to a meeting to discuss wastewater and stormwater discharge permits for the new Tacoma Narrows Bridge project.
The meeting will be on Wednesday, Oct. 25, at Goodman Middle School, 3701 38th Ave. N.W., in Gig Harbor. A 6 p.m. workshop will be followed by a public hearing where formal testimony will be taken.
"Major construction projects like this one generate a lot of waste water and storm water, and we need to minimize the environmental damage it could cause," said Sue Mauermann, who manages the Department of Ecology's southwest region. "It's important that citizens get involved so we can make informed decisions about the environmental permits that will be required."
Public comments will guide Ecology in completing the project's wastewater discharge permit (called a National Pollution Discharge Elimination System permit). The permit will oversee the discharge of waste water from four concrete batch plants as well as storm water from the construction site. The permit applicant is United Infrastructure of Washington, the public-private partnership overseeing the construction project.
Ecology issued the company shoreline construction permits for both the Tacoma and Pierce County sides of the waterway on Sept. 8 and 22.
The department anticipates making decisions on the project's water-quality certification (also known as the 401 permit) and its consistency with the federal Coastal Zone Management Act about 30 days after the Oct. 25 meeting, depending on the volume of comments received.
The state Fish and Wildlife Department has not yet issued a hydraulic permit for the project.
The NPDES application, draft permit, and fact sheet are available upon request from the Department of Ecology by calling 360-407-6960, by e-mailing mawi461@ecy.wa.gov, or by writing Department of Ecology, Loree'Randall, P.O. Box 47600, Olympia, Wash., 98504-7600.
Comments about the permits can be sent to this mailing address or e-mailed to lora461@ecy.wa.gov by 5 p.m. on Oct. 27.
Contact: Sandy Howard, public information officer, 360-407-6239; pager, 360-786-3136
Copyright © Washington State Department of Ecology. See http://www.ecy.wa.gov/copyright.html.
