Quarry Near Monroe Has Green Light To Expand -- Neighbors May Fight Examiner's Decision To Let Mine Double Size

Citizen activists in a semirural area south of Monroe voiced dismay yesterday over a hearing examiner's decision to allow Cadman to double the size of its sand, gravel and rock quarry.

Cadman plans to expand its 115-acre mine off Highway 203 to 236 acres and add plants to manufacture asphalt and concrete, and to recycle concrete. The expansion will be on land owned by the state Department of Natural Resources.

Neighborhood opposition to Cadman's operations soared in 1993, when quarry workers punctured an aquifer. Within 10 days many neighborhood wells, water pipelines and streams went dry.

"We're very disappointed there is not protection for the High Rock aquifer," Peg Ferm, executive director of People for the Preservation of Tualco Valley, said of the hearing examiner's decision this week.

"We thought there ought to be some sort of contingency in the event they draw down the wells again or contaminate the water supply."

Ferm said her group is considering filing an appeal.

Wick Dufford, a hearing examiner for the city of Bellevue, handled the case because Snohomish County Hearing Examiner John Galt recused himself. Galt, who initially had ruled against a controversial new quarry outside Granite Falls, was concerned about public perception of bias.

Dufford on Tuesday rejected the citizens' challenge of Cadman's environmental-impact report for the project. He also granted Cadman permits for expansion.

"We feel great about it," said Robin Hansen, Cadman's project manager. "We'll probably begin expanding right away, in the spring."

The ruling followed a public hearing in December and January.

Dufford restricted Cadman's mining hours to between 7 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. weekdays, excluding federal holidays. Only maintenance work will be done on Saturdays.

The company initially sought permission to mine from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays and Saturdays, but later offered instead to mine from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The citizens group was pleased by Dufford's operating restrictions.

"I think that shows some decent consideration for the fact that these homes have been here longer than the quarry," Ferm said. "And there is not going to be any more of this after-hours maintenance, which is good for people who like to sleep at night."

The new portion of the mine is expected to yield up to 2.6 million tons of material a year. Over 20 years, it is projected to yield 20 million tons of sand and gravel, and 22 million tons of rock. The mine now produces about 1.1 million tons annually.

The 1993 aquifer break created a permanent stream, called Cadman Creek, which flows from the quarry wall. To compensate for the dry wells, Cadman dug or deepened five wells for neighbors and built a new community water supply for seven homes and a farm in Tualco Valley, across Highway 203.

Cadman officials say that as a result of that accident, their mine is the best-monitored quarry in the state. They say they are confident the expansion's design will protect the aquifer.

The quarry is monitored by the state Department of Ecology, among other agencies.

Dufford imposed many conditions, including that:

-- A 10-foot buffer must be maintained between excavations and the seasonal high ground-water table. Ferm was skeptical that was enough protection.

-- Blasting will be allowed only five times a week, on weekdays, at noon or 3 p.m., excluding federal holidays.

-- A 200-foot setback must be maintained to provide a forest screen.

-- Cadman must pay Snohomish County $143,840 for road mitigation.

Diane Brooks' phone message number is 425-745-7802. Her e-mail address is dbrooks@seattletimes.com