Seattle, engineers sued over Magnuson Park

An advocacy group concerned about possible effects of planned athletic fields on wetlands at Warren G. Magnuson Park has filed a lawsuit against the city of Seattle and the Army Corps of Engineers.

The suit was filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Seattle by Friends of Magnuson Park. It claims that proposed city plans to fill 5.86 acres of wetlands for the development of five lighted athletic fields violate the Clean Water and the National Environmental Policy acts.

The lawsuit seeks an injunction to prevent construction on the fields until the corps, a federal agency, completes an environmental impact statement under NEPA guidelines.

Plaintiffs also want the corps to more completely analyze alternatives for locating athletic fields, preferably elsewhere in the city, rather than at the Sand Point Park on Lake Washington.

The corps last month gave Seattle Parks and Recreation the go-ahead for the project when it granted a permit, which included "special conditions" requiring the city to perform mitigations.

Citing drainage, wildlife and other effects, the plaintiffs say mitigations will not prevent wetland damage. Nor will city plans to create new wetlands offset the loss of natural ones, plaintiffs say.

"Our lawsuit is about environmental concerns," said Peggy Printz, president of Friends of Magnuson Park, a nonprofit group aiming to protect the park's natural habitat.

"We walk and see the current wetlands as a healthy ecosystem and shoreline habitat; not much is left in Seattle," Printz said.

Patricia Graesser, spokeswoman for the Army Corps of Engineers, said the city included in its permit application an environmental impact statement in accordance with the State Environmental Protection Act.

The corps also did an independent analysis of the wetland plan, Graesser said, and "determined it was adequate and that the site was the least environmentally damaging practicable alternative."

Graesser emphasized that the corps complied with NEPA. But she said the corps was not required under the federal act to do a separate EIS for the project because it did not involve a "major federal action that could significantly affect the human environment" according to NEPA criteria.

Reactions to the lawsuit ranged from environmental concern to disappointment among sports advocates who want more fields.

"It's frustrating," said Bill Farmer, board member for the Friends of Athletic Fields. The group has pushed for more fields at Magnuson Park to meet demand from baseball, soccer and other groups. Farmer said the plan for five fields represents a "paring down" of what was originally supposed to be up to 15 fields.

"We've already waited for years -- and this is all costing the parks department money."

Jeanette Williams, former city councilwoman and longtime resident of View Ridge, said many residents are concerned not only about the wetlands, but also the field lighting.

Although the city has established a 10 p.m. deadline for lights and has pledged to reduce glare, neighbors remain concerned.

Dewey Potter, spokeswoman for park department, could not comment on aspects of the lawsuit, but said in a statement that the city "is confident that the permit issued for this project by the U.S. Corps of Engineers under the Clean Water Act is valid and that it meets all requirements of the Clean Air Act and NEPA."