PORT ANGELES — Neighbors of the site of a proposed rock quarry on Olympic Hot Springs Road urged the Clallam County hearing examiner not to repeal the categorization of the property as an “erosion hazard” during a hearing earlier this week.
During the appeal before Pro Tem Clallam County Hearing Examiner Lauren Erickson at the Clallam County Courthouse on Wednesday, the owners of the 40-acre Little River Quarry — George and Susan Shaw and George and Patricia Lane — challenged the county’s criteria on which it based its decision not to approve the operation.
The gravel quarry owners said the chance of nearby streams being affected by erosion is minimal. They say much of the soil is shallow and sits upon consolidated rock.
Erickson delayed his decision to allow the owners until June 5 to provide expert testimony on what qualifies as consolidated rock. He is expected to make a decision two weeks after that date.
Erickson stepped in for Hearing Examiner Chris Melly to avoid a potential conflict of interest, since Melly previously represented the county in a lawsuit by one of the quarry owners.
The erosion hazard designation requires the owners to develop a storm water management plan that would show how the quarry’s operation would protect streams from loose sediment.
Neighbor Josephine Pedersen said the quarry shouldn’t be approved by the county because it would affect habitat for salmon and elk berthing.
“Any disturbance to the land is going to affect the salmon,” she said.
“I agree with the county, and I oppose the appeal for the river.”
Keith Peters, who lives near the site, said the erosion hazard designation is appropriate.
“In my professional opinion, it has landslide and erosion potential,” he said.
While the county determined the property to be a risk for erosion, it does not consider it to be a hazard for landslides.
Erosion potential
Clallam County Planning Manager Steve Gray said the county considers the property to be an erosion hazard because it has slopes with a grade of at least 40 percent with soil.
The county exempts such slopes from the designation if they are made up of consolidated rock, such as rock outcrops, without soil.
But quarry owner George Shaw said the county does not properly define what is consolidated rock.
“While we think it’s consolidated rock, the county thinks the overlying soil requires a critical area and erosion hazard,” he said Wednesday.
Shaw said the slopes should be considered consolidated rock and exempt for designation because the slopes are made up of stable rock with little soil.
Gray said it doesn’t matter how much soil there is, as long as there is soil on top of rock.
Quarry owner George Lane said the county did not use “best available science” in its determination because it didn’t incorporate a report from engineering consultant, ADA Engineering, that said based on the Universal Soil Loss Equation, the property has a “very minor susceptibility of any soil erosion.”
Gray said the county’s criteria is limited to whether the slope’s grade is at least 40 percent and contains soil.
He added that the consultant’s report is an accurate characterization of the site as long as it is was left forested and not used for mining.
The quarry previously operated without needing county approval under the Forest Practices Act for about a year until March 2008.
That month, the state Department of Natural Resources withdrew the quarry’s permit after an appeal from nearby residents.
The state found that the operation did not meet the requirements of the act because its primary purpose was to mine and sell rock rather than forestry.
The owners have sought a mine at the location since 1998.
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Reporter Tom Callis can be reached at 360-417-3532 or at tom.callis@peninsuladailynews.com.
