I’m deeply concerned about the activity at the Zimmerly gravel mine in Washougal. Over the past year, activity has increased steadily with more than 200 trips per day now rocking the neighborhood. Trucks create noise, dust and danger on the road. The loads are damaging Southeast Evergreen Highway and Highway 14, making driving difficult.
Who will pay? The taxpayers. The trucks are in a terrible hurry, cutting corners to make one more trip. There’s already been one terrible accident when a loaded double dump truck lost control, crossed Evergreen and crashed onto the railroad tracks, shutting down BNSF for hours. If this level of activity continues when school starts, the possibility for a tragic accident increases, as two schools are located next to the pit road. Imagine a runaway truck hitting a school bus. Or a rig racing to the pit hitting a child walking home from school.
The county has issued orders to cease operations, yet the mine continues to violate the law, operating without permits. The illegal activity must stop. The community deserves a business that follows the rules, and operates legally and safely. I hope the hearing board chooses to protect our environment and our children by closing this operation down.
