Growth Fuels Gas Line Into East King County -- Carnation Residents Get A Pipe Of Their Own
CARNATION
In another example of growth in East King County's rural areas, a natural gas pipeline has been routed to the town of Carnation.
Development in the Ames Lake area made the Puget Sound Energy (PSE) extension to Carnation possible, said David Matulich, project manager. "Until recently, that's been the outer bounds of the system," he said.
Installation of the line will clear the way for three subdivisions to be converted from propane to natural gas later this month.
A different line will bring natural gas to Weyerhaeuser's Snoqualmie Mill and the Salish Lodge in the Upper Snoqualmie Valley.
About 18 months ago, PSE crews buried a 6-inch main under Tolt Avenue as the state was resurfacing Carnation's major thoroughfare. A gas line near Ames Lake was extended eastward along Northeast Tolt Hill Road to the Snoqualmie River. The two lines - mostly medium-density polyethylene pipe - were connected last week, after the company tunneled under the Snoqualmie River.
On Aug. 21 and Aug. 28, 164 homes in the Swiftwater, Cascade and Carnation Meadows subdivisions will switch from a community propane tank to the gas line.
"Everybody is very, very happy that it's finally going to be happening," said Kim Lisk, former president of the Swiftwater Homeowners Association.
Homeowners had hoped that the installation of the line under Tolt Avenue in 1997 would bring natural gas sooner to Carnation. A number of permits were needed first, however, for the river crossing and installing the pipe in Carnation, which is in a flood plain.
Flooding was one of the concerns of Swiftwater residents, who were worried that the propane-tank system that serves their neighborhood couldn't be refilled when Carnation is isolated by floodwaters.
Located on a fenced-in lot in the middle of the development, Swiftwater's propane-tank system is an "eyesore," Lisk said.
The tank system was installed by Washington Natural Gas when the subdivision was built 12 years ago; the gas company merged with PSE in 1997.
The line under Tolt Avenue is now filled with pressurized air.
"If everything goes well, that's scheduled to be 100 percent natural gas on the 12th," Matulich said.
In Snoqualmie, Weyerhaeuser's conversion will bring big environmental benefits, said Mike Stimson, construction project engineer for the company's Cascade operations.
Hog fuel - ground-up wood waste such as stumps and construction debris - has been burned in the mill's power plant to provide 180-degree steam for the wood-drying kiln. "It's not the most environmentally friendly fuel," Stimson said.
A gas-fired boiler was installed in March; the conversion should be complete before the end of the month.
About 250 million board feet of wood is dried in the Snoqualmie kiln every year, and the change will mean an 86 percent reduction in carbon-monoxide emissions.
But the conversion also meant fewer workers were needed in the powerhouse; the staffing has been reduced from 14 to one. Employees were relocated or offered retirement packages.
PSE will hold two meetings later this week for those interested in hooking up other Carnation houses and businesses to the line.
Brian Kelly's phone message number is 206-515-5629. His e-mail address is bkelly@seattletimes.com
---------------------- Informational meetings ----------------------
For businesses interested in converting to natural gas: 8:30 a.m. Thursday at the Carnation Fire Station, 3600 Tolt Ave. Contact Dom Amor, 206-287-3853.
For homeowners: 7 p.m. Thursday at the Sno-Valley Senior Center, 4610 Stephens Ave. Contact Mike Shapley, 206-287-3985.