I’ve met with Algona Mayor Dave Hill twice to discuss the location of the garbage transfer station on West Valley Highway. At the time Algona opposed situating the transfer station there.

At the second meeting, Mayor Hill referred me to an attorney retained by Algona to challenge the EIS (environmental impact statement) submitted by the county. I talked to that attorney twice. On the second call, he informed me that Algona and King County were in a settlement negotiation, and so any legal processes involving the EIS were on hold. I contacted the Mayor’s office for clarification and got no response.

Because the negotiations involve only the City of Algona and King County, I conclude that the interests of those living on the West Hill will not be considered.

King County closed 56th Place South and 58th Place South in the last couple of years because of a landslide that blocked 56th Place South and because of the high landslide risk. Both roads show much damage from slumping and slides. This hillside is less than a mile south of the proposed site and the homes of hundreds of Auburn and King County citizens.

The geological characteristics of the slide area are the same as the hillside above the proposed site. Construction activities and ongoing operations with heavy equipment can exacerbate landslide risks, endangering many homes.

Yet the EIS does not require any geotechnical field study of the hillside above the proposed site. Why not?

– Bill McCauley