HomeMy WebLinkAboutPublic Services February 23 1993WHATCOM COUNTY COUNCIL
PUBLIC SERVICES AND SOLID WASTE COMMITTEE
February 23, 1993
The meeting was called to order at 5:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers, 1000 N.
Forest St., 2nd floor, by Bob Imhof, Chair.
Also present: Absent:
Dennis Vander Yacht
Barbara Brenner
1. UPDATE ON BUILDINGS & CODE BY NATE BROWN (15 MINUTES)
Topics discussed: Potential revenue; requests for additional staffing, especially in the
area of the Critical Areas Ordinance; supplemental budget requests; preliminary analysis
of performance measures; some of the items that will be contained in the supplemental
request; Development Standards and the request for a delay in the documents coming
before the Council.
Speakers: Nate Brown, Buildings & Code; Brenner; Imhof.
2. DISCUSSION OF THE RECOMP COMPOST PROPOSAL (AB93 -031)
Imhof laid out some ground rules before the discussion was continued. He stated
that there have been some misunderstandings from both sides. This is not the place to air
these, but rather a place to have questions answered.
Topics discussed: Comments on the question of who set the standards for the lab
work; the lab being chosen by RECOMP rather than having a neutral lab do the lab work;
the use of a certified lab; the use of the University of Washington lab and the ETI lab; the
product tested being immature rather than a mature product; the lead content of the mature
sample; how maturity is determined; fewer pickers this year compared to other years; the
use of three pickers at all times; the addition of people to the front of the line to sort
metals; WATCH being told months ago that RECOMP would begin following Minnesota
Regulations on sampling law because Washington has no laws; sending results to the Health
Department from last October onward; who picks the samples ( RECOMP does this now);
possibility of maturity after on site and the adding of nitrogen to the soil to aid in the
growth of vegetation planted on the site; the measuring of inorganics in the soil; what
materials will leach, if any; the result of the lead content in last year's test; stabilizing of the
metal contents in the piles after approximately four weeks; restricted use of the soil product
with high lead and other metal contents; dry weight basis; why the use of parts per million
rather than other types of measures; who developed the criteria of the Honcoop operation
site; changes, if any, that have changed between the Honcoop site and the new site; criteria
that was developed since the first site was developed; what is considered "mature" compost
and the definition difference between what the Health Department considers "mature" and
what RECOMP considers "mature'; what happens when the nitrogen that is added to the
compost begins to work; other areas that have tried this type of composting and failed;
geohydrology of the site; the lack of Deming sand at the site; shallow wells in the area of
the site and the lack of a public water system in the area; concerns noted by Ken Bell of
RECOMP while visiting the Owen property; calculations of how much lead would be
dumped on the site, equating to 418 pounds per acre; the need for an E.I.S. and why there
will not be one (according to State law, a SEPA review or an E.I.S. can not be done on a
product and the Health Department has determined the compost to be a product); Compost
Health Risk Assessment; the loading limit at the site; ceiling rates; will RECOMP answer
all the questions asked before applying the product; RECOMP must have results by
September 1, 1993, meaning that they must have a growing season before that date to
demonstrate that they have a product; RECOMP stated that they have not been
unreasonable in meeting demands from the public; exceeding levels of various other
compounds; the question of whether the criteria has been changing over time; the question
of whether there is a market for the compost product now (at this time, the answer is no);
if there is not a market, than there is not a product, it is a waste; will the owners of
RECOMP take financial responsibility for the clean up if there is need; the possibility of
a need for zoning changes in the area of the site form R5 (residential) to something else;
179 tons per acre of the compost will be added to each acre of the site; the state has told
Russ Alway that they are in the process of coming up with guidelines for the disposal of
compost materials; the guidelines will not be ready until early June or July, and regulation
will not be ready until late 1994.
Persons speaking: Brenner; Imhof; Regina Delahunt, Health Department; Ken Bell,
RECOMP Inc.; Nancy Keene; Henderson; Frank Moscone, RECOMP Inc.; Russ Alway;
Kim Brook; Harriet Beal, Lummi Nation; Dave Owen; Nate Brown; Bob Jurica, Solid Waste
Manager; Wayne Larson; Collins Stevensen, D.O.E., Joy St. Jermain, D.O.E.
The meeting was adjourned at 6:45 p.m.
ATTEST
PUBLIC SERVICES & SOLID WASTE
COMMITTEE
Dana ro - avis, sistant Clerk Bob ",r
Public Services Minutes, 2123193, Page 2