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EIS PUBLIC SCOPING MEETING
The Army Corps of Engineers has announced that they have initiated the development of the Court ordered Glacier NW Environmental Impact Statement(EIS). The first step of this process requires the Corps to invite the public to help scope the range of issues and concerns that will be evaluated in the EIS document.
A public scoping meeting [...] Read More
Funding For Potential Property Acquisition
Nearly a year ago - well before winning the federal court case- POI invited a coalition of the region’s top environmental groups, agency heads and elected officials to join together and work with us in the development and implementation of a plan to purchase the Glacier site.
The Cascade Land Conservancy, a statewide organization specializing in [...] Read More
Court Case Victory!
On August 13, 2009 U.S. District Court Judge Ricardo Martinez ruled in favor of Preserve Our Islands appeal of the Army Corps Permit. The Judge’s decision invalidated the Federal permit and remanded the issue back to both the Army Corps of Engineers and the National Marine Fisheries Services.
To read the Judge’s decision click here
In his [...] Read More
The Fight Moves Into The Courtroom
In recent weeks the fight to protect Maury Island has moved into the courtroom.
The lawsuits related to our appeal of the Federal Army Corps permit and the State DNR aquatic lands lease have both begun.
We have asked the courts to overturn the approvals granted and expect a decision in upcoming months.
Click here to read Preserve [...] Read More
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In 1994 The EPA designated the aquifer under Vashon-Maury Island as a sole source aquifer under the Federal Safe Drinking Water act. There are only 68 EPA designated sole source aquifers in the Nation.
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When designating the Island aquifer as sole source, the EPA determined that contamination of the system would create a significant hazard to the public health.
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This aquifer, along with water captured from springs that run under and adjacent to the proposed mine site, is the only available source of clean drinking water for thousands of people.
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The EPA has determined that glacial deposits, like those found at the proposed mine site, make the underlying aquifer system particularly vulnerable to contamination from activities occurring on the surface of the land.
- The soils at the Glacier Northwest site are contaminated with high levels of arsenic and lead, both of which are identified as toxic carcinogens by the EPA under the Clean Water Act and the Safe Drinking Water Act.
- The section of aquifer that runs below the proposed mine site is currently protected from contamination by the filtering action of the hundreds of feet of sand and gravel that Glacier Northwest would remove during mining operations.
- Glacier Northwest is proposing to remove all but 15 feet of this protective layer, leaving an inadequate system in place to filter out contaminates.
- Leaving only a 15 foot buffer also puts the aquifer at risk of direct breaching by mining operations.
- In recent years, sand and gravel mining operations in the Puget Sound region have breached aquifers on multiple occasions causing neighboring wells to go dry.
- Because the water in a sole source aquifer is a limited resource, recharge rates as well as water conservation are both extremely important.
- Studies have shown that mining impacts would alter the aquifer recharge cycle and cause the water levels in the aquifer sections near the mine site to drop - creating a negative impact to nearby drinking water systems.
This Proposal Doesn't Make Any Sense
It Doesn't Make Environmental Sense
It Doesn't Make Economic Sense
It Doesn't Make Sense For
The People Of Washington State