ANACORTES — A gravel mine expansion near Lake Erie south of Anacortes has been appealed to the Skagit County Board of Commissioners.
Representatives of the nonprofit Evergreen Islands will argue on Feb. 9 that Skagit County Hearing Examiner Wick Dufford was wrong to approve a permit for the expansion. Skagit County Planning and Development staff will defend their work that led to Dufford’s decision.
Evergreen Islands argues that the county’s review of the permit application was insufficient because it did not take into account groundwater impacts and related landslide risks, the Skagit Valley Herald reported.
Dozens of residents in the area have expressed concern in regard to the mine’s potential to influence groundwater, landslides and traffic.
The permit allows Lake Erie Gravel Pit to expand its operations from 17.7 acres to 53.5 acres, according to project documents. The permit allows the pit to produce 60,000 tons of material a year over a 60-year period. The material would be hauled from the site in up to 13 trucks per day.
Dufford approved the expansion Nov. 30, stating that as an existing use and under county land-use rules, the proposal could not be denied despite the outcry from neighbors.
Evergreen Islands, represented by attorney Kyle Loring, has appealed the permit’s approval on the basis that public health and safety were not adequately considered.
“Remarkably, even though the mine would completely strip 35 acres of water-absorbing material like trees and shrubs, the applicant never evaluated whether groundwater flows west toward documented unstable slopes that have suffered recent landslides,” the appeal states.
