Wednesday, October 22, 2014

The Mayor and Council continue to hear complaints about Watson Asphalt fumes

Dr. David Morton, a Redmond resident who lives near Watson Asphalt Paving Company has been speaking to the Mayor and City Council during Items from the Audience regularly for the past six months.  He complains about smelly gas fumes emanating from Watson Asphalt and claims they are carcinogenic.  At last night's Council meeting he spoke again and three other Redmond residents joined in with their similar complaints.  All four residents wanted the city to do something about the problem.

One of the residents complained she had five pets that came down with cancer.  Another resident complained she started getting debilitating migraine headaches starting in 2007. 

A third resident, Al, said his 6 year old asthmatic child had to be admitted to the ER five times, twice two times in one day.  He lives in the Woodbridge area.  He is a particle physicist and electrical engineer and said since the city isn't doing any air quality testing he will take it upon himself and publish the results on a web site.

The Mayor and Councilman Hank Myers said the city doesn't have jurisdiction over Watson Asphalt air quality and that Puget Sound Clean Air Authority has jurisdiction to enforce existing laws.  David Morton spent over an hour talking to Puget Sound Clean Air Authority with no results.  Al said the City "should stop deferring and start championing" the testing of air quality.

Watson Asphalt Paving Company is located in SE Redmond and the Mayor said any changes to the zoning code would not effect existing businesses.

During the Budget Hearing David Morton asked Council to consider funding $200,000 to upgrades of Watson's industrial refining processes.

Reported by Bob Yoder

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