It is another beautiful day in the Maltby area of Snohomish County. Unfortunately, early one recent morning I had to go outside and take care of my livestock. I did not want to go outside because I cannot breathe the air. Every morning the hundreds of big trucks in our socked-in valley start up their diesel trucks and let them warm up.
On a good day it is raining or windy. On other days, the exhaust is so thick you can taste it. Being outside is an unhealthy experience. It wasn’t like this until the Growth Management Act stepped in a couple of years ago. All the industrial area is concentrated into a certain area with the next-door properties facing the outcome of the industrial growth. I can name dozens of trucking companies and industrial businesses that have sprung up here.
I am at a loss as to what can be done, but clean air and water should not be something that is taken away from you. Perhaps the Environmental Protection Agency or Snohomish County would be interested in taking a reading on the carbon monoxide levels in the air.
If you have jobs in this area and live somewhere else, you can say, “Oh well.” If you have a home here, you can only hope that any potentially naive buyers will come on a Sunday morning when it smells better and is quieter.
Snohomish
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
