The Port of Seattle has announced the selection of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport as the winner of the 2008 Environmental Achievement Award from Airports Council International - North America.

The award in the Mitigation Category recognized Sea-Tac's Comprehensive Stormwater Management Program addressing stormwater issues for the airport's multi-year expansion project.

Sea-Tac Airport's program was recognized as reflecting the priorities of an environmentally sensitive community by focusing on surface-water runoff quality, flooding and endangered salmon. Working cooperatively with local cities and regulatory agencies, using regional basin planning, optimizing systems and value engineering, achieved cost savings of $250 million, according to Port officials/

The Port operates the airport.

"The control of stormwater runoff is becoming a more critical issue as the Puget Sound region develops strategies for restoring the health of our waterways. The Port's Comprehensive Stormwater Management Program exemplifies how airports can creativity to not only mitigating for project impacts, unite the airport and the community in a common goal, delivering significant improvements to the local watersheds," said John Creighton, Port commission president. "The results have been dramatic."