Thank you for all the emails to the Department of Permitting and Environmental Review (DPER) and other people (King County Councilmembers, etc.). They ARE making a difference!
We have many challenges ahead regarding the quarry and will be letting you know as they come up. Here's the latest:
Raging River Quarry is requesting to be allowed to conduct full operations for a one-month period to allow for noise monitoring and identification and application of noise mitigation, if necessary, to enable full operations of the facility to comply with the County noise limits.
"During the month-long period, sound level measurements will be taken a minimum of once per week." Download the Environmental Noise Monitoring Protocol – Download details here.
What you can do:
1. Do you think this is adequate testing and do you have thoughts about what the testing should really be?
Send emails to the following people (and others if relevant):
Include your comments about:
What you believe to be adequate testing (maybe you think continuous monitoring makes more sense, or maybe you think it is reasonable that someone from King County be onsite to monitor the testing to assure that the quarry is operating at full potential, maybe you think it is reasonable to expect testing be done at various locations and you have a location to suggest).
2. Whenever you hear noise from the quarry you believe is over the limit set by the noise ordinance, send in a complaint, being as detailed as possible, to the people listed above (under item #1).
You may send in complaints as often as you feel the noise is over the limit set by the noise ordinance or for other potential issues such as dust, rocks from trucks, speeding trucks, etc.
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The bigger picture: if the proposed expansion is permitted, the possibility of noise, dust, traffic issues, possible water issues, challenges to our wildlife will be likely.
Thank you!
Raging River Conservation Group
Please note the ANSWER from DPER regarding property issues:
24._The quarry operator shall be responsible for any damage to nearby properties, including domestic water supply wells, attributable to blasting on the subject property. Claims for any such damage shall be the responsibility of the affected property owner and the quarry operator to handle directly between themselves, but a failure of the quarry operator to respond in good faith to any such claim may be cause for denial of future grading permits, or prohibition or restriction upon future blasting.