MONROE — A dam that spilled millions of gallons of manure earlier this week was built in line with federal and state guidelines.
Even so, a Monroe environmental group is pointing to the accident, saying it sounds the alarm about unregulated lagoons.
Citizens for Sustainable Development said those sites could pose a hazard to people living in the flood plains of Snohomish County.
“It seems to me that if one that is supposedly built properly is susceptible to catastrophic failure like this, the ones not permitted are even more susceptible,” said DeWelle F. Ellsworth III, an attorney representing the environmental group.
The safety of lagoons was called into question earlier this week after an earthen dike at Bartelheimer Brothers dairy burst southeast of Snohomish. Roughly 21 million gallons of untreated manure spilled onto farm fields and into French Slough, which feeds into the main channel of the Snohomish River.
Larry Altose, a spokesman with the state Department of Ecology, said the breach of the dairy farm’s lagoon wasn’t necessarily related to enforcement at sites without proper permits, however.
“It didn’t harm any people and there wasn’t anyone at risk,” he said of the breach.
An aerial survey of Snohomish County conducted by the state ecology department in the past two years found 11 nonpermitted dams, Altose said.
Inspections revealed that four of those were low-hazard sites, posing no risk to residents. The remaining seven were initially identified as posing no risk, Altose said.
The cause of the breach at the dairy farm remains unclear, Altose said. It may take weeks to figure out why it happened. It’s possible the site was slowly seeping fluid, weakening the structure over time.
“You know how you get a foot in the door,” Altose said.
Meanwhile, water quality levels continued to improve in areas affected by the spill, according to the state Department of Agriculture.
Oxygen levels were recovering in French Slough, and were at healthy levels for fish in the Snohomish River, the agriculture department said.
No dead fish have been found in either waterway. Additionally, no drinking water is at risk from the spill.
Officials are awaiting test results on levels of disease-causing bacteria. No human illness has been reported, however.
Officials reminded residents to never swallow untreated surface water and to thoroughly wash their hands after coming into contact with it.
Andy Rathbun: 425-339-3455; arathbun@heraldnet.com.
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