The King County Department of Natural Resources is planning to build a huge sewage treatment plant in one of two sites in Snohomish County that will service both King County and Snohomish County residents. This project for handling human waste is euphemistically called “Brightwater.”
Though Snohomish County residents have no vote on the matter, to give at least the appearance of fairness prior to its final decision, King County has been holding a series of what it calls “scoping meetings.” I recently attended one held in Edmonds, where I asked one of the Brightwater experts why they were even considering the Edmonds-Unocal site, which is located directly over an earthquake fault known as the Kingston Arch. He professed not to know that. So did the other Brightwater people of whom I asked the same question. Why is a multi-billion-dollar project, which affects the physical and fiscal health of thousands and thousands of people, in the hands of people who don’t know the topography which they are going to raze? The answer, I found, is that the people in charge of this project do know that the Edmonds-Unocal site is above the Kingston Arch.They don’t care.
In addition, areas of the Edmonds-Unocal site are reported to be contaminated with unexploded military ordnance. How will the site be cleared of unexploded ordnance? If the areas containing unexploded ordnance are not to be cleared, how does King County expect to contain the ordnance and what certainty does the public have that it will not jeopardize plant or public safety? An explosion on such an uncleared site, besides the immediate casualties, would have the potential for spewing untreated waste over the surrounding residential area. The threat of disease from this source would be a Damoclesian sword hanging over the community.
King County’s arrogance borders on the criminal and needs to be met with every resource at a civilized community’s hand. I call on the Legislature to pass legislation forbidding the siting of Brightwater at the Edmonds-Unocal site.
Edmonds
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