Showing posts with label agencies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label agencies. Show all posts

Monday, July 14, 2008

FINAL Updated Opinion; Do SE Redmond industries have a valid alternative to the city's regional plan for managing filthy industrial stormwater?

FINAL UPDATES: "And the answer is..." - it appears the industries & city will achieve a workable variation to the city regional stormwater plan to allow infiltration, if necessary. County Councilmember Kathy Lambert will tour parts of the Evans Creek county shoreline with me and other city officials on 7/16. Kathy is also a Redmond resident.

UPDATED, 7/14 - King County Environmental Health Manager Fay reassured me that fecal coliform bacteria issues should probably not be a big concern in SE Redmond city septic systems. Many thanks to county councilmember Kathy Lambert for her assistance in this matter. Dave Garland of Ecology reported inconsequential fecal bacteria in Evans Creek, at this time.

Two unintended consequences arose today during my meeting with staff:
1) The inaccurate city-county "zoning jurisdictional city web map" caused undue strain and waste of staff and citizen time during this fact-finding process. 2) Presently, no planner is assigned to the SE Redmond industrial district to review permit applications on site for either conforming or nonconforming uses. Photos are not required by permit to monitor "creeping" of uses onto the Evans Creek tree-lined banks in SE Redmond. (Yet, photos by homeowners are required in residential tree removal permitting. In addition, unannounced on-site residential tree inspections were made by planners and the code enforcement officer, during Ives Administration....my home and my neighbor's for my tree permit).

Councilman Hank Margeson, Chair Public Works Committee reported at a recent council meeting I was concerned about the integrity and safety of the county septic systems in SE Redmond. This is innacurate and a misunderstanding; and probably attributed to the outdated & confusing jurisdictional map on the city website. I've since edited my article to clarify my concern is about city septic systems. Mr. Jon Spangler, DNR, was aware of my intentions and concern about aging city septic in SE Redmond at: Cadman Gravel 'Olympian PreCast,' Skanska, Rainier Welding and most likely Genie Industries. I may be requesting public records to identify & confirm the location of these septic systems (and the newer sewer lines partially servicing 192nd Ave. Ne ) city industrial. In talking to city Dept. of Nat. Resources, East Redmond Properties, LLC (Watson Asphalt Co.) appears hooked up to the sewer line on 192nd Ave NE, though the department was unsure if All Wood Recycling, Inc. (AWR) was hooked up to sewer...hmmm.
UPDATED, 6/26
- after a 30 minute conversation with Jon Spangler of the Department of Natural Resources today I learned the SE Redmond city septic systems are safely operating and probably good for at least another five years.

During the June 17 council meeting, Public Works presented a proposal that could move forward plans for a critical new regional city stormwater facility for SE Redmond. Staff's Regional city Stormwater Facilities plan for SE Redmond can be found HERE with map in its entirety. Excerpts from the proposal are below. You may find these snippets astounding or laugh nervously; I'm ecstatic the Marchione Administration is proposing a regional stormwater system for SE Redmond. The facility would service over 300 acres in the vicinity of Union Hill and 192th Ave. NE adjacent Evans Creek. Find a helpful satellite terrain map HERE of Evans Creek running through a section of city, SE Redmond industrial park.

Below are excerpts from the staff report:


"Stormwater infrastructure in the area is primarily characterized as uncontrolled flow of stormwater from paved surfaces into sandy gravel areas where the water seeps into the ground to enter groundwater flowing towards the City’s municipal drinking water wells." !

"With minimal stormwater infrastructure, this contaminated stormwater can flow into the City’s groundwater (drinking water supply) and into Evan’s Creek, jeopardizing water quality for both of those resources." !

"In response to the need to end the practice of infiltrating potentially contaminated stormwater in this area, and in response to three currently proposed projects (Costco, extension of 188th Ave NE, and Union Hill Road Phase 3) City staff have worked to identify and size potential regional stormwater facilities to meet the current and future needs in this watershed."

This is something! In review of the archived tape of the 6/17/08 Council meeting, it sounds like most of SE Redmond's untreated stormwater currently flows slowly towards Wellhead #5. According to the Public Works director, Wellhead 5 is our most productive well and very important to our supply for affordable drinking water.

"R.I.C.E" -- "Redmond Industries for a Clean Environment" lobbied Council last Tuesday to water-down the proposal to allow existing infiltration practices (against new municipal code) and to not implement the 50 year flood capacity of the facility. SE Redmond city businesses lies in a 100 year floodplain above a shallow aquifer but fortunately, city sewer has been installed in the last 2 years at most city businesses along Evans Creek, according to DNR.

Council may make a decision on the RICE proposal in their their July 1 meeting. Tune into RCTV Channel 21 Tuesday, 7:30 to follow it. According to city Jon Spangler of the Depart. of Nat. Resources, within the last two years SE Redmond city businesses have partially converted to city sewer. In past decades the city businesses relied exclusively on city septic tanks and septic drain fields to treat wastewater. The drain fields are decades old and are buried near the shallow aquifer.

Think about the benefits of sewer and regional stormwater when you look at the photo of this filthy city stormwater pond. This detention pond is the only one I'm aware of in SE Redmond. It's located adjacent Evans Creek on 42nd Street on city property. According Jon Spangler of Redmond Department of Natural Resources the surface water, ground water, and Evans creek is free of significant fecal coliform bacteria; and all existing city septic fields are maintained and not failing. Now that's reassuring!!

Take a quick look at the Department of Ecology's "Citizen Guide to Monitoring Streams - fecal coliform bacteria". Does this answer some of your concerns? Click this link to read my last story on "Evans Creek - what went wrong?" As with any opinion story, I am always open to hearing and sharing your opinion in the comments section below.

And not to forget, the City of Redmond "2007 Water Quality Report" has city contact information. This 2007 report was printed & delivered this summer of '08. The city's new slogan is: "Safe Drinking water is our highest priority". It sure looks like they are working hard towards that end. Thank you, Department of Natural Resources & Council for your efforts!

cc: city council, mayor, city clerk, WDOE.