The Port of Tacoma demolition program has won the 2010 Environmental Enhancement Award from the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA), a trade group representing leading port authorities throughout the Western Hemisphere.
The Port also received an AAPA Honorable Mention in the Environmental Mitigation category for Gog-le-hi-te II, a former city landfill along the Puyallup River that now provides valuable wetland habitat for native plants, shore birds, juvenile salmon and other critters.
The Port’s demolition program resulted in recovering or recycling an average 87 percent — and in some instances more than 98 percent — of materials from 57 structures on the Tacoma Tideflats. The 7,071 tons of recycled or reused material kept about 275 dump truck loads of waste out of community landfills.
The structures, including old piers, shuttered steam plant, abandoned office building and former chemical facility, were removed to make way for environmental cleanup and planned terminal, road and rail development. In addition to the AAPA environmental honors, ports also received recognition for information technology, facilities engineering and communications achievements.
The Port of Tacoma received communications honors for making commission meetings and presentations more accessible through webstreaming, and for its annual breakfast program featuring industry experts. The awards will be presented Sept. 22 during AAPA’s 99th Annual Convention in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
