Des Moines History Timeline 1990s

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February 28 - The neighboring cities of Federal Way and Sea-Tac are incorporated.
April 1 - The 1990 Federal Census counted 17,283 residents in Des Moines.
After the Port of Seattle breaks its 1985 pledge not to build a 3rd runway at Sea-Tac Airport, organized opposition is formed.

May 20 - Des Moines Ordinance 888 annexed the Des Moines Creek north of the then existing city boundary.

April 1 - Des Moines Ordinance 933 annexed the North Hill area bounded by South 199th and 200th Street on the north, 1st Avenue South of the west, the City of Sea-Tac on the east, and South 216th Street on the south.
Cleanup of the Midway Landfill Superfund Site was completed. An engineered cap, methane gas collection system, drainage controls, and groundwater monitoring facilities were installed to protect public health and the environment.
November 4 - Des Moines Ordinance 986 clarified the city's western boundary in Puget Sound.

January 17 - The 562 foot tall ASARCO/Tacoma Smelter smokestack in Ruston was demolished by implosion. The smelter operated from 1890 until 1986 and its smokestack dispersed arsenic, lead, and other heavy metals through the south Puget Sound area. Des Moines lies almost directly downwind (south–southwest) of the former ASARCO smelter, which is why it contains some of the highest arsenic levels outside the immediate Tacoma/Ruston area. Levels in Des Moines were 100-290 ppm in many locations with isolated samples reaching 340-430 ppm. Typical natural background arsenic levels in Washington soils is about 5-10 ppm.
January 20 — The Inaugural Day Storm struck Des Moines and the Puget Sound region with winds exceeding 90 mph. Thousands of trees were blown down, more than 600,000 customers lost electrical power, and six people were killed. The storm caused widespread damage throughout Des Moines and Western Washington and is considered the region's most destructive windstorm since the Columbus Day Storm of 1962.
July 1 - Des Moines Ordinance 1026 annexed the North Hill area bounded by South 192nd Street on the north, 1st Avenue South on the west, the City of Sea-Tac on the east, and South 199th and 200th Streets.

July 1 - Des Moines Ordinance 1166 annexed the Woodmount and Redondo neighborhoods.

January 28 - The Des Moines News/Highline Times/Federal Way News ends publication. They were later reestablished under different ownership.
November - The current Des Moines Post Office opened on South 216th Street.

January 28 - The Des Moines News/Highline Times/Federal Way News ends publication. They were later reestablished under different ownership.
March 16 - The U.S. Department of the Interior and National Marine Fisheries Service listed nine Pacific Northwest salmon and steelhead runs under the Endangered Species Act, including Puget Sound Chinook, Hood Canal Summer Chum, and Lake Ozette Sockeye. The action affected most of Washington State and led to increased protection of salmon habitat, influencing shoreline management, development, and environmental planning throughout the Des Moines and Puget Sound region.