Pierce County leaders want 2 rural sites scrapped from new airport short list. Here’s why
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New airport in Pierce County?
Two sites in Pierce County, south of Tacoma, will be analyzed as a site for new passenger, cargo flight operations by 2040 to accommodate Sea-Tac overflow.
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Pierce County government leaders expressed their “strong objection” to the possible construction of a new airport in the rural county, citing significant infrastructure and environmental concerns, in a letter sent Wednesday, Oct. 12 to the Commercial Aviation Coordinating Commission.
Two expanses of land — one south of Graham, the other south of South Creek — are among three so-called “greenfield” sites being explored in the region for a new two-runway airport capable of accommodating growing domestic passenger and cargo traffic in the region.
“Development of either of these greenfield sites faces significant infrastructure and environmental barriers, as well as other challenges, and Pierce County requests that these sites be eliminated from further consideration,” the Pierce County Council and County Executive Bruce Dammeier wrote in the letter dated Tuesday, Oct. 11.
The two sites under review in Pierce County were deemed attractive by the Commercial Aviation Coordinating Commission because they could potentially accommodate 20 million and 19 million annual passengers, respectively. The commission is tasked by the state with finding a viable site to take on additional flight operations that Seattle-Tacoma International Airport is expected to be unable to support in the future.
The county greenfields were chosen as finalists last month, along with a location in Thurston County, for the site of a potential new airport to be constructed by 2040. Expanding Snohomish County Airport (Paine Field) also remains an option. A final recommendation is expected in June.
In their letter, Pierce County officials note that both county greenfield sites lack the transportation, sewer and water infrastructure needed to support an airport. There are no plans to build the necessary infrastructure or transit service in those areas, they said.
Officials also said they were concerned such a large-scale development could cause pollution in the Central Pierce County Aquifer, which both sites sit atop, potentially compromising groundwater quality.
“The aquifer is the main source of drinking water for many Pierce County communities,” they said.
They said they were also worried about the potential adverse effects to local salmon populations — some of which have a federal “threatened” status.
The objection comes after county Councilmember Amy Cruver, who represents the district encompassing both greenfield sites, told The News Tribune last month that she would seek to prevent a new airport from being built at either location.
“It’s huge, and it’s anti-everything that everybody has worked for,” she said. “It’s very disheartening.”
A spokesperson for the Washington Department of Transportation, Christina Crea, said the letter would be forwarded to the Commercial Aviation Coordinating Commission once it was received, which had not happened as of Oct. 12.
“The CACC has not received the letter, so they are unable to comment,” Crea said.
This story was originally published October 12, 2022 at 1:39 PM.
