By Brenda Sexton-The Courier-Herald
The White River School Board intends to host a public meeting where it will take comments regarding the proposal to allow septic waste to be sprayed on district-owned property between Wilkeson and Carbonado.
That date has yet to be set, but to help them get a better grasp of the pros and cons of the matter, district officials brought in a nine-person panel to present information to the board and the public during a Nov. 28 workshop.
A crowd of around 80, mostly Carbonado residents, squeezed into the White River School District board room to listen to three hours of details. The meeting was strictly to gather information and no decisions were made.
J.R. Inman of Northwest Cascade, the company proposing the spraying, and Chuck Henry, a former University of Washington professor who has studied the application of septage and biosolids for more than two decades, presented information about the process of taking human and household waste and turning it into a product to be sprayed on forests and fields.
Jim Frost of Lusignan Forestry presented specifics on the district's tree farm and the positive growth septage has on trees.
Jill Cartwright, a Fairfax resident and member of Friends of the Carbon Canyon, pointed out to the board how the proposed parcels of land are near state Route 165, the Carbon River, a future portion of Rails to Trails and the entrance to Mount Rainier National Park.
She said the terrain is steep, dotted with abandoned mine shafts, receives heavy rainfall and is speckled with endangered species.
“I can't believe this is even proposed,” she said. “This is an extremely sensitive area.”
Carbonado Mayor Richie Morgan and town water/sewer manager Dave Williams expressed concerns that the proposed spraying encroaches on the town's watershed and reservoir, which serves 240 homes.
The final group of speakers included Washington state Department of Ecology representatives Wyn Hoffman and Laurie Davies and David Bosch and John Sherman of the Pierce County Department of Health. One or both of those groups will eventually issue the permit and oversee setbacks, buffers, monitoring and reporting - if the project gets that far.
Bosch and Sherman said the nearness to the water supply is a critical and key issue.
Applying septage on the White River School District property would be the first application of its kind in Pierce County, aside from the University of Washington's experimental Pack Forest near Eatonville.
Northwest Cascade does have similar applications in Mason and Lewis counties.
“Clearly this is an emotional and scientific issue,” Assistant Superintendent Roger Marlow concluded. “And we have a ways to go before the state or county figures it out.”
Brenda Sexton can be reached at bsexton@courierherald.com.
