Letter to the editor: This is not a good place for a new mine

Posted

Clark County councilors held a meeting on Tuesday, July 19, to convert 330 acres of forest land into a mining overlay in the Chelatchie Bluffs area. This process failed at a previous council meeting on March 15. Why is this coming up again?  Who is behind this back door proposal?

County maps indicate the area has critical environmental issues of wetlands, steep slopes and landslide hazard areas, severe erosion hazard areas, priority habitats and species, including three threatened and endangered listed salmonids.

This area is a critical groundwater recharge, supplying Chelatchie and Cedar creeks. The Department of Ecology requires surface mining areas to be evaluated as critical aquifer recharge areas (CARA). This has not been done.

The Cedar Creek and Chelatchie drainage system is quite dense. The drainage is highly dependent on ground and surface water flow from the headwaters areas of Chelatchie creeks. Mining activities will impact existing hyporheic flows, adversely impacting local wells and Endangered Species Act fish.

The county has ordinances in place to protect wetlands slopes, and fish and wildlife habitat areas. They have chosen to disregard them. Just as with the 179th Street expansion, they have failed to notify residents.

This is not a good place for a new mine.



Jim Byrne,

Ridgefield