Cowlitz County must enact a moratorium of anything that leads to mining until the surface mining ordinance, which has been in legal review since 2015, is adopted. Cowlitz County and WSDOT have the responsibility to ensure that the addition of 600-plus gravel truck trips daily on Highway 503 (Lewis River Road) will not impede travel or create a safety risk, but each imputes the other. This highway is the only ingress and egress to the area, where, according to Skamania/Cowlitz fire district, the population can swell to 15,000 recreation seekers daily. The region is a tinderbox in the dry months and is in the “Red Zone” in the case of an eruption.
A property owner, who also serves as an advisor to the planning department of Cowlitz County, is proposing a rock quarry with daily blasting relatively close to a 75-year-old bridge with an overall condition rating of poor, under its current use.
These 600-plus additional heavy vehicles will definitely increase the safety risk on this winding, landslide-prone and bus-stop-lined road and add congestion, as well as an added danger on I-5’s exit 21, where cars trying to leave the freeway are often forced to be sitting ducks at the exit due to traffic volume.
WSDOT says that Cowlitz County has the responsibility to decide whether or not to require further investigation or regulation before approval. Under the current mining resolution 95-167, this quarry will have no county oversight, no permits required, and no county restrictions.
The residents and many recreation seekers may be subject to an unlimited number of dump trucks on the road. Motorcycle clubs may wish to avoid the area or risk wiping out on spilled gravel and potholes. Classic car drivers certainly would refrain from traveling there also or risk damage to their vehicle. What will this do to the small businesses that depend on the tourist trade in Cougar and beyond in order to make a living?
Our government is risking the lives of the citizens if they do nothing.
