Sumas Mountain has been losing weight.
For decades, a slow-moving landslide has been exposing the
side of Sumas Mountain, in Whatcom County. The landslide material contains
naturally-occurring asbestos and heavy metals – and it all ends up in Swift
Creek.
Can we stop the mountain from sliding? No dice.
The Sumas
Mountain landslide (upper center) is polluting
Swift Creek with naturally-occurring asbestos and heavy metals. |
Ecology originally considered engineering a “fix” to stop
Sumas Mountain from sliding and depositing asbestos into Swift Creek. Further
research and design revealed that Mother Nature would win that fight.
The slide can’t be stopped by a human-engineered approach,
no matter how massive. Sumas mountain, or at least one side of it, is slowly
coming down.
So Ecology and Whatcom County are left to
manage the effects: chronic flooding and huge volumes of landslide debris and
stream-born sediment damaging property and crops downstream.
Check out the Swift
Creek Action Plan to learn about this flood control and sediment management
plan.
A round peg in a square hole
Sediment in Swift Creek from the Sumas Mountain Landslide
is contaminated with
|
Meanwhile, we’re left with the challenge of fitting a round
peg into a square hole: a long-term project implemented with a MTCA-based legal
agreement, but with no PLP and no rigid MTCA process to guide management.
Twists and turns
Swift Creek public meeting October 9, 2019. Public input was a big part of the process. |
Given the unusual challenges and need for coordination
among Whatcom County, EPA and Canadian agencies, Ecology’s project manager,
Cris Matthews, relocated to the Bellingham Field Office years ago to better
manage the project.
Since Mother Nature wasn’t ponying up and Whatcom County didn’t
have the money to complete the project, outside funding was critical. Several
trips to the state legislature over the years for budgetary help were
eventually rewarded with appropriations to pay for the project. With funding available, Ecology and Whatcom
County crafted a grant agreement that allows flexibility to provide for the
complicated mix of property purchase, contracting, and long-term construction
goals.
The twists and turns
didn’t stop with the finances. The project requires the County to purchase
approximately 200 acres of private timberland, and those negotiations are
currently in progress.
Then there was keeping the
community involved and informed -- in two nations. Swift Creek flows into the
Sumas River and, eventually, the Fraser River, northeast of Abbotsford, British
Columbia.
Maintaining relationships with our Canadian agency counterparts and
proactively engaging the community were key. The public meeting was
well-attended and various outreach outlets helped spread the word. Our story even
landed on the front page of the local newspaper.)
Different flow, same goal
For all its differences, the end goal of the Swift Creek
project is the same as Ecology’s goal for any project: protect human health and
the environment. Since Ecology and Whatcom County can’t stop the asbestos
problem or remove it from the environment, we work to control the effects to stream
conditions, flooding and manage the sediment in a way designed to reduce risk.
To be where we are today took a team effort, dedication,
perseverance, more than a few cups of coffee, and a unanimous “yes” vote by the
Whatcom County Council on Tuesday, November 19 to sign the Consent Decree that
defines the relationship and responsibilities for Ecology and the County.
The Swift Creek project Consent
Decree signing on
Dec. 6, 2019 was an exciting milestone that allows us to move forward with solutions. |
Friday, December 6,
2019 marked a huge milestone with the Consent Decree signing. Unfortunately, a
photo couldn’t quite capture the satisfaction in the room, but you can see a
few smiles accompanying the pens.
Well done team.
Sumas Mountain keeps sliding. Sediment keeps accumulating.
Swift Creek keeps flowing.
Our team keeps innovating, managing
and persevering.
When Mother Nature gives us a “square hole,” we make that
“round peg” fit the best we can.
By Ian Fawley & Cris Matthews, Toxics Cleanup Program Bellingham Field Office
No comments:
Post a Comment