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| Filthy stormwater treatment pond at All Wood Recycling 60 feet from salmon-bearing Evans Creek. B. Yoder/2006 |
I’d like to discuss a critical land use issue that affects Redmond's drinking water aquifer, and may cause PFAS contamination in Wells 1 and 2. PFAS is a man-made toxic chemical that never breaks down. It once was used to manufacture firefighting foam.
Last week, I testified before City Council about PFOS levels exceeding EPA's 4 ppt standard in these wells. Tonight, I want to focus on the land use aspect of this problem—specifically, the Evans Creek Relocation Project and the DTG Recycle site, formerly All Wood Recycling.
The DTG site sits within Redmond’s Critical Aquifer Recharge Area I (where groundwater contamination can reach municipal supply wells in under five years. In August 2013, a massive fire at All Wood Recycling required multi-day firefighting efforts. (See here, here, here, and here.) A former Redmond Natural Resources Manager informed the City Council that firefighting foam was used to extinguish that blaze and that about 1900 fish in Evans Creek were killed. *
The concern is straightforward: the foam likely contained PFAS, and those "forever chemicals" may have infiltrated Redmond’s aquifer. Bob Yoder's research suggests additional historic contamination sources at this industrial site—oil spills into Evans Creek, failing detention ponds, and septic systems that may have channeled PFAS-contaminated water underground.
Here's the land use policy problem: the Evans Creek Relocation Project will disturb soil on the DTG property. When the Department of Ecology sampled soil there in 2022, they did not test for PFAS. This is a significant gap in the environmental review process, especially given the site's MTCA contaminated cleanup status and location in Redmond’s CARA I (see the image below).
Since the Planning Commission advises the Mayor and City Council on land use policies, I urge you to recommend that the City require PFAS testing at the DTG site before any ground disturbance occurs. Identifying and remediating contamination sources is essential to prevent ongoing pollution of Redmond's drinking water.
With a 2029 EPA compliance deadline and costs for treatment of Wells 1 & 2 potentially in the tens of millions, Redmond cannot afford to overlook potential contamination sources in its CARAs. Sound land use policy demands testing before digging.
I ask that you advise Council to strengthen Redmond’s critical area protections by requiring PFAS assessment before approving projects in CARA zones, particularly on properties with known environmental violations or firefighting foam use.
* See the archived video of the Aug. 27, 2013, City Council Study Session beginning at 1:30:12. The comments about the fish kill and the firefighting foam use begin at 1:31:47.
-- David Morton, PhD, 2/11/2026
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| Neglected industrial district stormwater run-off pond 70 feet from Evans Creek Photo, Bob Yoder / 2006 |
Forty percent of Redmond drinking water comes from five wells, the remainder from surface waters like the Tolt River. At a recent Council meeting, the Director of Public Works Aaron Bert, announced Wells 1 & 2 in Anderson Park were contaminated with a man-made chemical called PFAS, coined a "forever chemical." It doesn't break down and can compromise immunity, lead to cancer, affect pregnancy and other health problems if consumed over a long period of time.
Council hired Hazon consultant ($284,000) to plan a pre-design of filtering infrastructure for Wells 1 & 2. Bert says the estimated cost will be $25-$30 million with projected completion by 2029.
Bert's scientist stated in a February 3 year council meeting they know the source was "historic." but haven't identified the site. Extensive community research concludes the source is likely from fire foam used in 2013 to extinguish a massive debris fire in the neglected SE Redmond industrial district. Jon Spangler, the Redmond Natural Resource manager saw fire foam floating in nearby Evans Creek and 1900 dead fish. Fire Captain John Stockman remembers fire foam was used.
Some fire foams can be highly concentrated with toxic PFAS. Per "aquifer hydrology studies" the contaminated water probably reached Education Hill and North Redmond water supply by 2018, at the very least. My family ordered a "reverse osmosis" water filter from Amazon and are VERY happy with the clarity and smooth taste of the water; and knowing it's PFAS free!
Two Redmond Neighborhood Park Forest Restoration Projects
NOW
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| Photo with Article by John Rienke |
Forty - five percent of our clean potable water is supplied by five water supply wells; and they are compromised. Very recent sampling efforts have detected "PFAS" contaminating Anderson Park's two water supply wells (#1 and #2.) PFAS - are found in paint, cleansers, fire extinguisher foam, other man-made chemicals and *historic spills. Public Works Director Aaron Bert said in a staff report, "the City doesn't know the source."
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| 2006 photo of the district's stormwater treatment pond connected to Evans Creek / Bob Yoder |
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| Redmond Watershed Preserve |
Our top winter hike picks to celebrate ‘Take a Hike Day’ in Redmond include the 800-acre Redmond Watershed Preserve, a nature preserve (accessible by bus) with beautiful fall foliage and diverse habitats, the Farrel-McWhirter Loop that connects to Juel Park for a post-hike picnic or round of disc golf, and the Redmond Powerline Trail for those looking for a full day adventure. If the idea of hiking in November is new to you, check out the packing list and other resources for trail safety from the Washington Trails Association.
Trump administration finalizes plan to open pristine Alaska wildlife refuge to oil and gas drilling
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — The Trump administration on Thursday finalized plans to open the coastal plain of Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to potential oil and gas drilling, renewing a long-simmering debate over whether to drill in one of the nation’s environmental jewels.
U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum announced the decision Thursday that paves the way for future lease sales within the refuge’s 1.5 million-acre (631,309 hectare) coastal plain, an area that’s considered sacred by the Indigenous Gwich’in. The plan fulfills pledges made by President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans to reopen this portion of the refuge to possible development. Trump’s bill of tax breaks and spending cuts, passed during the summer, called for at least four lease sales within the refuge over a 10-year period.
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| Internet photo |
"Maintenance is a crucial activity to the success of restoration and mitigation . Approximately 100-acres of maintenance sites are distributed around Redmond. Maintenance of restoration sites involves control of invasive weeds, litter pick-up, replacement planting, and other activities important to overall project success. This regular site maintenance enhances already completed projects, building on the initial investment, as well as improving the aesthetics of sites."
This project costs $289,880 and includes 4 extra weeks of crew time to assist with large scale noxious weed management and tree planting projects. WCC members are typically college-age students learning restoration techniques and gaining job skills. A crew consists of six staff that work a 40-hour work week, for 42 weeks, primarily managing noxious weeds and installing replacement plantings at City capital improvement projects. In addition, the crew helps with volunteer events, native tree planting, habitat assessment, small stream projects, site monitoring, and de-fishing stream projects.
-- Council Business Meeting memo, 9/14/25
-- Ettore Palazzo, CEO EvergreenHealth
One of EvergreenHealth’s core values is to provide high-quality health care while minimizing our environmental impact. The Greenhealth Partner for Change Award recognizes our ongoing dedication to improving our environmental performance and our efforts to integrate sustainability and resiliency into the operations and culture of our organization.
-- David Reed, EvergreenHealth Environmental Services Team
I really liked Deputy Park Director Dave Tuchek's presentation last night: His naturalized meadow growing efforts will develop this Priority habitat! His short explanation and education of pollinators was really interesting and brought things into a worldly perspective. Amazing in-house construction and design of the Anderson Community Gardens! And, Redmond wild flower seed packets to boot. ☝
Earth Day has been celebrated April 22 every year since 1970
"This year's Earth Day theme at EvergreenHealth is Our Power, Our Planet. We're encouraged to take action, protect and preserve our planet. Here in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, our own efforts – in concert with others around the world – will help protect our shared island home.
One of the purposes of Earth Day is to celebrate our natural environment, so let me share some of my personal story.
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| Cottages in Kirkland / photo Master Builders After removal, replacement trees must be planted on and *off-site. |
OPINION: The city has not updated their tree regulations in over 26 years. They are procrastinating to accomodate much-needed housing. The removed trees are replaced with saplings but at numbers that can't reach Redmond's 40% canopy goal. Off-site planting sites for replacement trees should be identified by Parks, Planning and Public Works to broaden canopy cover. The replacement trees are supplied by the developer and installations financed with one-time money and CIP funds.
*Suggested off-site planting sites: Parks, trails, Keller Farm (forested) wetland tree mitigation bank, streets, sidewalks and by-ways, urban growth easements, Light rail stations, M&O Center and other large city projects, the Heron Rookery and western open space, schools, "plant a tree" neighbohood programs, Hartman forested wetlands, Green Redmond, RTC open space, mouth of Bear Creek, and more.
According to the Master Builders Association "A good tree code responsibly maintains or grows the level of tree coverage in a city while also allowing much-needed housing for current residents. newcomers and future generations."
REDMOND, WA - City Council President Vanessa Kritzer was elected to serve as chair of the Lake Washington/Cedar/Sammamish Watershed (WRIA 8) Salmon Recovery Council, a partnership working to protect and restore salmon habitat in the region, including Redmond’s streams. The watershed is also referred to as Water Resource Inventory Area (WRIA) 8 and covers an area of Puget Sound near the shore and inland from the north end of Elliott Bay to south Everett and east to the Bear Creek basin, the Issaquah Creek basin, and the upper Cedar River basin.
The WRIA 8 Salmon Recovery Council is composed of elected representatives from 29 local governments in the WRIA 8 watershed, plus partners and representatives from community organizations, business, environmental interests, and state and federal agencies. The council oversees the implementation of the science-based Chinook Salmon Conservation Plan, a response to the listing of Puget Sound Chinook as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act.
Our watershed is home to multiple species of salmon, including Chinook, coho, and sockeye, as well as kokanee, a small red landlocked species native to Lake Sammamish. Salmon are an important environmental and cultural resource for our region, and their survival depends heavily on our choices. Recovery efforts seek to restore salmon runs to levels that would consistently support sustainable runs for tribal and recreational fishing year-to-year.
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Adopting a neighborhood storm drain is easy (and fun!) and can help reduce street flooding and keep pollutants like yard chemicals, pet waste, and garbage out of our lake and streams. Most stormwater in Redmond flows into a storm drain—the metal grate in the street – and is carried to a nearby waterway. By spending just 15 minutes a month removing leaves, garbage, and debris from the top of the storm drain, you can help prevent flooding and protect the waterways that are home to salmon, frogs, and other critters.
Sign up to adopt a drain
Help Redmond keep soap, oil, dirt, and other pollutants out of our streams, lake, and underground drinking water sources. Call the City's Water Pollution Hotline any time you see pollutants on the ground, in the street, or in the natural environment. Working together, we can stop pollution in its tracks. Report environmental concerns to Redmond's Water Pollution Hotline: 425-556-2868
Learn more about keeping our water clean
-- redmond.gov Posted by Yoder, 10/25/24
In response to this post the City posted this advisory on their website front page.
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| Redmond's pollution truck advertises their pollution hot line: 425-556-2868 photo by Yoder |
