Comment Letters

Environmental Impact Statement

  • True or False?

    “Stormwater contaminants that enter Puget Sound and other marine areas are almost immediately diluted to concentrations too low to have any discernible effects on species in that environment.”

    - Seattle FEIS 3.3 (p. 18-19)

  • Answer: False

    “It is very well established that stormwater is the primary source of contaminants to Puget Sound (and the surrounding watershed) and has significant effects on aquatic life, including endangered salmon and orca.”

    -Deb Lester, Retired Water Toxicologist

  • True or False?

    "Managing habitats in the city to maintain wildlife populations in numbers comparable to past estimates is not feasible..."

    - Seattle FEIS: 4-33, Comment Response 20-6b

  • False

    NOAA’s Southern Resident Killer Whale Recovery Plan was written to guide the recovery of this critically endangered population of orca.

  • True or False?

    "The only ESA-listed or state-listed species known or expected to use habitats in the city are fish (steelhead and Chinook salmon)."

    - Seattle DEIS 3.3-3

  • False

    Southern Resident Killer Whales, and Marbled Murrelets, and other listed species.

Lynne Barre, Retired NOAA Fisheries Recovery Coordinator for Southern Resident killer whales and Protected Resources Branch Chief

“I served as the NOAA Recovery Coordinator for Southern Resident killer whales from their listing as a distinct population segment under the Endangered Species Act in 2005 (70 FR 69903; November 18, 2005) until earlier this year when I retired from NOAA. I live in Seattle and am concerned about the environmental review under SEPA for the City of Seattle’s One Comprehensive Plan. I am very concerned that the City’s EIS does not adequately consider the potential impacts of loss of tree canopy cover, increased impervious surfaces, and associated stormwater runoff carrying contaminants, which are harmful for local salmon, the critical prey for endangered Southern Resident killer whales. My concerns have been significantly heightened by the increased density included in the One Seattle Plan by both the Mayor’s Office and you (the City Council) since the publication of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement in January 2024 without further impact analysis or review.

The 2008 Southern Resident Killer Whale Recovery Plan includes actions to rebuild depleted populations of salmon and other prey to ensure an adequate food base for recovery of the Southern Residents. The Recovery Plan identifies specific actions related to habitat management, such as:

“necessary components of habitat improvement programs include expansion of local land-use planning and control (such as shoreline management plans and critical areas ordinances), including management of future growth and development to protect watershed processes; better management of streamflow through water allocation processes; water quality enhancement through prevention of chemical contamination, stormwater management, and other actions; and adequate regulatory mechanisms.””

Read more

Birds Connect Seattle Public Comment on Seattle’s Comprehensive Plan Environmental Impact Statement. Best viewed in full screen mode.

TreePAC Public Comment on Seattle’s Comprehensive Plan Environmental Impact Statement. Best viewed in full screen mode.

EIS Public Comments from Rob Zisette, Aquatic Scientist, Representative Gerry Pollet, 46th District, and Seattle Green Spaces Coalition on Seattle’s Comprehensive Plan Environmental Impact Statement. Best viewed in full screen mode.

Thornton Creek Alliance public comment on Seattle’s Comprehensive Plan Environmental Impact Statement. Best viewed in full screen mode.