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Neighbors file appeal of solar septage facility with BOCC

posted 06/07/00
Two appeals of the Hearing Examiner's ruling denying an earlier appeal of the county Public Works solar septage facility's conditional use permit were filed June 5.

(For background on the proposed facility, see other stories on this page.)

Jack Cory, a San Juan Island designer, filed a 14-point appeal. He claims the technology is experimental, there is no way to control the amount of septage delivered to the site, the site is in a potential critical aquifer recharge area, and no evidence was submitted to show that sewage from boats won't disturb the processing of the septage.

Victor and Phebe Smith, San Juan Island residents, also filed an appeal. They claim the hearing examiner made decisions not supported by evidence. They say the county experts relied on erroneous information and systematically downsized all aspects of the project.

"We would like to see a judicial review of this hearing before it goes to court. The examiner's job is to rule impartially based upon the evidence on record, not to function as a proponent for the county," they wrote in their appeal.

The Board of County Commissioners will hear the appeal at a date still to be determined.

Solar aquatic septage facility appeal denied

The solar aquatic septage facility planned for port property on San Juan Island is one step closer to reality. San Juan County Hearing Examiner Wick Dufford denied an appeal filed by neighbors of the Mullis Street project.

The conditional use permit the county permit center granted the county public works department is valid according to Dufford. The Public Works Department will have to abide by a list of conditions spelled out in the permit and in Dufford's order.

One of the issues raised by the appellants, Victor and Phebe Smith, concerned drainage problems. In his ruling Dufford said: the appellants concentrated much of their attention on the stormwater drainage problems experienced in the neighborhood. Their position is that the detention pond is too small to contain even smaller storms and that in the past it has overflowed and contributed to flooding on their property... The Examiner finds no persuasive evidence that the detention pond has ever overflowed...In any event, the influence of the detention pond on downstream runoff patterns has nothing to do with the proposed project unless that project is likely to add appreciably to the storm water flow or sediment load. As proposed, it will not."

There is a 21-day period in which an appeal of Dufford's ruling can be filed with the BOCC.

To read the complete ruling click on the link below.
complete ruling...

Neighbors question plans

A hearing was held appealing the Permit Center's determination of non-significance (DNS) on the conditional use permit application for the solar aquatic septage facility project. Appellants Victor and Phebe Smith claim drainage from the site goes through their property and ends up in Argyle Lagoon.

Wick Dufford, county hearings examiner, held a hearing Dec. 10. It was continued several times and wrapped up on Feb. 18.

The Smith's cited three reasons for their appeal. According to them

1. No county staff are qualified to evaluate the proposal.
2. The technology is unproven and unreliable.
3. information supplied by the consultant is incomplete, wrong and misleading.

Lee McEnery, county associate planner, disputed the lack of qualifications. She told Dufford, the county sanitarian and a licensing firm consultant had researched the proposal.

According to McEnery, questions about solar aquatic septage technology are not part of the permit center's review process. The center's staff deal only with conformity to land use regulations and siting issues.

The neighbors claim drainage from the area goes through several ponds and then through the Smith property, to Argyle lagoon on North Bay.

Stuhr says the Smith's do have a problem with drainage but it is unrelated to the county's project. According to him, the drainfield for the solar aquatic facility will be more than adequate. "We checked and tested the drainfield plans," he said. "We've put a lot of effort into this. The drainfield is very conservatively designed."

The site has a pond on it which has been there for years and is used for storm drainage for the whole area.

A decision on the appeal is expected from Dufford, in the first two weeks of March.

Under the terms of the conditional use permit, the Public Works department must start construction within two years and finish within five years.

County plans to process San Juan Island's sewage naturally

By Sharon Kivisto

updated 03/04/00
Construction on a "very neighbor friendly" solar septage treatment facility on Mullis Street just outside Friday Harbor town limits could start this spring if the hearing examiner approves.

Plans call for a solar aquatic septage facility. A discharge shed, a sump tank, a greenhouse, tanks, a compost shed, an office, a laboratory, a clarifier shed and an equipment building would be built on the site.

Ed Stuhr, solid waste manager for the county Public Works Department, explained, "This is basic biology. These are constructed wetlands. No chemical are used in the process."

Septage would be pumped from trucks into the sump tank. It moves through the three artificial wetlands in a 30' x 60 ' greenhouse. Bacteria, snails, fish, vegetation and sunlight break down the effluent. Solids are composted and shipped off-island. The liquids -- clear water -- flow into a drainfield.

The property is owned by the Port of Friday Harbor and is zoned rural general use. Previously the site was approved for a long-term parking lot. "The port suggested this site," said Stuhr. "We picked it because it is already off the tax rolls, it has solar access, the drainage is excellent and the port had the area designated for utilities. "

The process is designed for northern climates, Stuhr said. It needs enough sunlight to grow plants. "It may need some extra heat in the winter depending on the weather," he said. "This past winter it wouldn't have needed any."

Sewage pumped out of septic tanks on San Juan Island will be processed through this plant. Nothing will be shipped in from other islands. Orcas and Lopez islands have septage lagoons.

If the plans are approved, the next step is to finish the design work and put the project out to bid. Initial estimates of the cost of the project were $345,000. Stuhr believes the facility could be constructed by local construction firms. He hopes to have the facility operating before the end of the year.

The decision on who would run the facility has not been made. Estimates are it would require less than a half-time person. Operation of the plant could be bid out to the private sector.