Dozens of construction programs taking place at fast-expanding Seattle-Tacoma Airport are causing an unwanted problem – a rat infestation.
More than 100 projects around the airport have driven the rodents inside the terminal area and the increasing numbers of passengers are producing mountains of trash – rich pickings for hungry rats.
The airport authority is working with food outlets to keep the rodents away.
"A lot of the food spaces are doing some new deep cleans in their spaces, some of the spaces that are in and around construction, they’ve got to make sure they have holes sealed up that wildlife may end up getting into," airport spokesman Perry Cooper said.
Cooper said pest traps have been set up around the terminal and an extra $449,000 is being added to the airport’s pest control budget.
It will pay for extra staff members to provide a round-the-clock 24 hour service.
The Seattle Public Health agency is monitoring the situation but says there is no immediate threat to public health.
"So far, nothing we’ve seen has risen to the level of an imminent health threat, and they are making progress on correcting the issue," the agency told news station KIRO 7 in a statement.
Health inspectors are conducting visits to the airport on a weekly basis.
