current project
June 14, 2023 - April 30, 2024
Skagit County Permit Application
Evergreen Islands opposes the Lake Erie Gravel Mine expansion on Fidalgo Island.
The Lake Erie Gravel Expansion Permit would authorize the tripling of a dormant mine from 17.78 acres to 53.5 acres: removing the trees, shrubs, and soils to expose and excavate approximately 2.25 million cubic yards of gravel, approximately 3.6 million tons, over a projected 60 years.
Evergreen Islands appealed the permit decision because the study of groundwater impacts and analysis to determine the potential for landslides was incomplete.
Lake Erie Gravel Pit Expansion
In 2021, Evergreen Islands led a major community effort opposing the Lake Erie Gravel Pit expansion. Attorney, Kyle Loring, represented Evergreens Island in the appeal before the Hearing Examiner and the Skagit County Board of Commissioners. In addition, we hired an expert hydrogeologist, Dan McShane, to review the permit application and to testify before the Skagit County Hearing Examiner.
As a result of Evergreen Islands’ appeal, Skagit County Board of Commissioners (BOC) directed the applicant provide a study on potential risks of the proposed expansion. The gravel pit owner submitted a “Geologic Hazard Site Assessment” dated August 11, 2022. Hydrogeology expert, Dan McShane, reviewed the assessment at our request and found that the report failed to meet the BOC’s directions. Dan McShane’s review summarizes his findings ” I reviewed the Wood Geologic Hazard Site Assessment for the proposed Lake Erie Pit expansion (dated August 11, 2022). The assessment does not address any of the areas outlined in the Skagit County Planning and Development Services (PDS) letter to Lake Erie LLC (dated March 21, 2021.)”
Skagit County hired a third party to review Evergreen Islands’ comments. The November 2022 memo from The Watershed Company to Skagit County Planning and Development Services states “I found no apparent reason to conclude the project would change the rate or volume of groundwater discharge from the seepage off the bluffs”. You can find the documents online here.
resources:
Evergreen Island’s Comment Letter on Lake Erie Gravel Mine Permit Application
9.5mb
October 13, 2020
Lake Erie Gravel Mine Expansion, Stratum Group’s Comments
1.9mb
October 13, 2020
Comments Regarding Geologic Hazard Assessment
157kb
November 15, 2022
Geologist, Dan McShane’s comments regarding the geologic hazard assessment submitted by the applicant for the Lake Erie gravel pit expansion.
Evergreen Islands comment letter Lk Erie Gravel Mine 6/23/2023
2.6mb
June 23, 2023
Lake Erie Gravel Mine Evergreen Islands Presentation June 2023
340kb
June 28, 2023
Tom Glade, President of Evergreen Islands Board of Directors, testified at the June 28, 2023 Public Hearing before the Skagit County Hearing Examiner regarding the permit application to expand the Lake Erie Grave Pit on Rosario Drive.