Yacolt Mountain Quarry

Environmental Review

The Washington State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) requires a full Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to be completed for the YMQ proposed expansion application. An EIS will allow the county to identify the potential environmental impacts, alternatives, and mitigative options. The EFCC has recommended to Clark County that it require the fulfillment of an EIS. 

Additionally, the EFCC strongly urges Clark County to not grant a Determination of Non Significance (DNS). To grant DNS to a project application indicates that the proposal is not likely to have a significant environmental impact, and therefore an EIS is not necessary. Without completing an EIS, the county would not be able to comprehend the full extent of environmental impact to the YMQ and surrounding community. 

Community Health

Mining operations on the YMQ involve the use of large machinery that creates loud and disruptive noise. The crusher, for example, is a piece of machinery that breaks large pieces of rock into smaller pieces of gravel. The sound of breaking rocks, truck back up alarms, and other disruptive noises from the site can be heard from over two miles away. Residents have reported that noise from the YMQ has even awoken them from sleep. Chronic noise emitted from the machinery and activities at the YMQ poses a significant health risk to the communities and families residing in the surrounding region. Research has found that chronic noise can increase health risks, such as hearing loss, tinnitus, increased blood pressure, sleep disturbances, and cognitive impairment in children. The EFCC is concerned an expansion of the YMQ mining operations may even further jeopardize the long term health of these residents. 

Mining operations at the YMQ produce a variety of pollutants that can infiltrate the surface and groundwater along the East Fork of the Lewis River. Groundwater is a common public source of drinking water for the surrounding residents. Many households rely upon the groundwater supply from wells for drinking water. There is currently no program in place to monitor the quality and level of contamination from the quarry in the Yacolt groundwater. An expansion of mining operations may likely increase the pollution of critical groundwater supply.

In addition to groundwater contamination, the proposed quarry expansion also poses a significant threat to the quality of surface water. Surface water refers to bodies of water located above land, including lakes, rivers and streams. The proposed expansion of the quarry is situated on top of drainage watersheds that flow into the Lewis River. If preventative strategies are not implemented, pollutants and sediment produced by mining activities are likely to contaminate surface water and increase the erosion risk of the region. The current expansion application has not demonstrated adequate evaluation or mitigative measures to prevent the contamination of these important watersheds, drinking water sources and wetland habitats for wildlife. 

Wildlife and Endangered Species

The East Fork of the Lewis River is the habitat and spawning ground of multiple endangered species of fish, including chum, fall Chinook, coho, and steelhead trout. Contaminants from mining activities, including road dust, fines, silt and heavy metals, have detrimental effects on these species of fish. The expansion of the YMQ would also increase the risk of landslides, and surface and groundwater contamination that could create immense damage to the spawning grounds.