Terminal Wide Industrial Stormwater Treatment on a 200-Acre Container Terminal

One of the largest container terminals in the region—Terminal 5 in Seattle, Washington—is being redeveloped and modernized for ultra-large container vessels now typical in the shipping industry. As part of the redevelopment, SSA Terminals (SSAT) is proactively installing terminal-wide stormwater treatment in advance of fully operating on the site and ahead of any regulatory drivers. The project involved numerous risks: for example, limited influent stormwater data were available for treatment system evaluation and selection, existing stormwater infrastructure discharged via 11 outfalls, and other portions of the redevelopment were still in design or construction. To mitigate risks and select a treatment system that met project goals, the team leveraged data and design insights from another large container terminal stormwater treatment project of similar size and scale. The stormwater treatment project is currently under construction and anticipated to be complete early in 2023.