Years ago under "mid-2000's" Wetland Regs you could "exchange" wetland areas-- if you had a wetland area that you needed to develop, you could rehabilitate or "adopt" another wetland of equal value through a complicated Federal tapdance. So they are not locked into having to not use the protected wetlands and there is way out. And if the neighboring cities objected, which they could reasonably do, the objection could be overruled on the basis of safety concerns at this airport demonstrated by this incident. I'm all for saving Bugs and Bunnies, but I'm more for saving human lives.
FWIW.