3b
PORT OF SEATTLE MEMORANDUM COMMISSION AGENDA Item No. 3b SPECIAL ORDER Date of Meeting June 28, 2016 DATE: June 20, 2016 TO: Ted Fick, Chief Executive Officer FROM: Elizabeth Leavitt, Senior Director, Environment and Sustainability Bob Duffner, Senior Manager, Environment and Sustainability SUBJECT: Special Order of Business Salmon-Safe Certification Presentation to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport SYNOPSIS Seattle-Tacoma International Airport has been granted certification under the industrial standards developed by Salmon-Safe. Salmon-Safe is an independent 501(c)3 nonprofit organization and has established the nation's first certification program linking urban land management practices and the protection of water quality and imperiled native fish populations. Following a detailed assessment and independent verification process, Salmon-Safe has certified that Airport operations, environmental policies,and programs meet its infrastructure standards for sustainable land management that protect water quality and salmonid populations. This certification is a significant validation of the Airport's efforts towards environmental sustainability and is a complementary guideline to the Airport's Long Range Plan and Century Agenda strategies and objectives. The Airport is the largest Washington urban site to be reviewed by Salmon-Safe and will be the first major transportation facility in the United States to receive certification. BACKGROUND In 2000, Salmon-Safe expanded beyond agricultural land certification to apply the Salmon-Safe assessment and certification process to land and water management within the urban realm. This initiative significantly advanced restoration efforts in urbanized watersheds by developing urban aquatic protection guidelines and a citizen education campaign throughout the Pacific Northwest. In 2014, Salmon-Safe developed certification standards for infrastructure sites (e.g., airport, road, rail, water and wastewater, energy). These Infrastructure Certification Standards are applicable across a variety of urban development landscapes, ranging from high-level master planning processes to single-site infrastructure projects. While the standards are designed as a stand-alone program, they can also complement other leading certification standards (e.g., LEED), by certifying project activities that specifically address ecological function and the quality of habitat for fish, wildlife, and people. Template revised May 30, 2013. COMMISSION AGENDA Ted Fick, Chief Executive Officer June 20, 2016 Page 2 of 2 Upon completing the full site assessment which included a facilities review and a review of key policies and environmental management procedures, the Salmon-Safe team of independent experts recommended the Airport be certified Salmon-Safe, subject to the conditions detailed in their assessment report. The evaluation team documented the Airport's watershed, stormwater, and landscape-related management policies and programs and concluded that it met Salmon-Safe's core requirements for certification, thereby serving globally as an example of environmental innovation. Specific environmental practices leading to this certification include the Airport's comprehensive stormwater management program, habitat restoration within salmon-bearing streams and water conservation efforts. Overall the Salmon-Safe standards complement the Airport's Long Range Plan and Century Agenda strategies and objectives. Key Airport initiatives supporting the standards and continued certification include the application of Low Impact Development techniques that manage stormwater in ways that avoid or reduce runoff, and conservation of potable water through a variety of means including rainwater capture and reuse, the use of high efficiency fixtures and recycling of water. NEXT STEPS David Burger, Executive Director of Stewardship Partners, the Seattle based organization leading Salmon-Safe implementation in Washington, will provide a brief presentation and a plaque to the Commissioners during the June 28, 2016, Commission meeting. ATTACHMENTS TO THIS SPECIAL ORDER None.
Limitations of Translatable Documents
PDF files are created with text and images are placed at an exact position on a page of a fixed size.
Web pages are fluid in nature, and the exact positioning of PDF text creates presentation problems.
PDFs that are full page graphics, or scanned pages are generally unable to be made accessible, In these cases, viewing whatever plain text could be extracted is the only alternative.