Issaquah’s only locally owned newspaper
THE ISSAQUAH PRESS
117th Year, No. 34
Thursday, August 25, 2016
issaquahpress.com
PFOS present in four production wells The potentially hazardous chemical perfluorooctane sulfonate has now been found in four production wells and three monitoring wells that draw water from the Lower Issaquah Valley Aquifer.
EPA lifetime health advisory level for PFOS and PFOA combined: 0.070 parts per billion
The residents of Newburgh, N.Y., have no idea how long they have been drinking water laced with perfluorooctane sulfonate. The same uncertainty exists in Issaquah, where it’s possible residents may have consumed municipal water containing unknown levels of PFOS for more than 25 years. Unlike what has transpired to date in Issaquah, federal, state and local officials in New York are asking for blood testing to be made available to any resident of Newburgh who desires it. “I urge the National Center
0.460 parts per billion
Most recent test for PFOS (June 2016):
N
wy. Pk sh mi ma am eS Lak E. SE
City of Issaquah Monitoring Well 3
Sammamish Plateau Water Well 7
By Lizz Giordano lgiordano@isspress.com
0.015 parts per billion
NW Gilm an
Most recent test for PFOS (May 2016):
Trace amounts of perfluorooctane sulfonate, commonly known as PFOS, have been detected in a second Sammamish Plateau Water well that draws water from the Lower Issaquah Valley Aquifer. The detection is at a level significantly below what the Environmental Protection Agency considers unsafe. According to the water district, this was the first time Well No. 8 had been tested since coming online in July. Two samples, taken on July 27, detected PFOS levels of .026 and .029 parts per billion. The EPA has set a lifetime
. st Pl 221
By Scott Stoddard sstoddard@isspress.com
n Water significantly exceeds federal safety standard but well is for monitoring only and water is not distributed
nd 62 E S
City of Issaquah Gilman Well No. 4
Most recent test for PFOS (June 2016):
0.602 parts per billion
n Water is treated to remove PFOS before distribution; untreated water significantly exceeds federal safety standard
City of Issaquah Gilman Well No. 5
Most recent test for PFOS (June 2016):
0.029 parts per billion
n Water meets all federal safety standards
7th Ave.
See TESTING, Page 12
Two Issaquah wells, two Sammamish Plateau Water wells affected; water continues to meet EPA guidelines
How large is the PFOS plume?
➣
In a New York contamination case similar to Issaquah’s, U.S. senator calls for blood testing of residents
Most recent test for PFOS (July 2016): n Water meets all federal safety standards
Sammamish Plateau Water Monitoring Well 7-3 0.019 parts per billion
n Water meets all federal safety standards; well is for monitoring only
NW Juniper
Sammamish Plateau Water Well 8
City of Issaquah Monitoring Well 5
Most recent test for PFOS (July 2016):
0.390 parts per billion
n Water meets all federal safety standards
Most recent test for PFOS (June 2016): n Water significantly exceeds federal safety standard but well is for monitoring only and water is not distributed
0.029 parts per billion
Scott Stoddard / sstoddard@isspress.com
Sources: City of Issaquah, Sammamish Plateau Water, Environmental Protection Agency, Esri, DeLorme, IPC, NAVTEQ, NRCan
It took a full-sized imagination to create a miniature train set this detailed
See PFOS, Page 12
City considers eliminating its truck routes south of I-90 By Lizz Giordano lgiordano@isspress.com
Photos by David Hayes / dhayes@isspress.com
Bob Smyth stands in the center of his massive N-scale model railroad layout in a storage room at the Timber Ridge at Talus senior living community.
He’s been working on a railroad By David Hayes dhayes@isspress.com Tucked away in an anonymous storage room on the sixth floor of the Timber Ridge at Talus senior living community, Bob Smyth’s hobby took on a life of its own. Inside is an N-scale miniature railroad town featuring 38 houses, 59 buildings, eight trains, two tracks and details railroad
enthusiasts rarely see anywhere else, from the working three-color street lights to a fully populated football field and cemetery. When Bob and his wife of 67 years, Patricia, moved from Bellevue in 2011, he needed to find a place for his train set. “I had trains at the old place
Laundry hangs from a clothesline on the roof of a multi-story building in Smyth’s model railroad layout. Although the layout appears to be complete, “it’ll never be done,” he says.
See RAILROAD, Page 6
Standing on the corner of Newport Way Northwest and East Sunset Way on a weekday morning, it’s not uncommon to see a gravel truck hauling a double load pass by at an average of one per minute. Enormous trucks cruise by the fish hatchery, the library and City Hall, rumbling over crosswalks as they make their way to or from Interstate 90 using the main drag into the heart of Issaquah’s Olde Town. During the Council Infrastructure Committee’s regular monthly meeting Aug. 18, city staff members recommended reducing pass-through truck traffic by eliminating all city-designated truck routes south of I-90. If an agenda bill on the matter is passed, it would be illegal for truck drivers to use city streets south of Interstate 90 as a pass-through route. Trucks make up approximately 23 percent of the traffic along Sunset Way, according to data collected by an outside firm hired by the city. This study counted axles, so the city was unable to differentiate between trucks, school buses and delivery trucks. Deputy City Administrator Emily Moon said it can be scary to cross Sunset Way with all the truck traffic. “You don’t want a third of your traffic volume to be huge trucks,” Moon said. Many residents who attended the meeting to voice their concerns about a different agenda item stayed for the truck route discussion. They were concerned about safety with enormous trucks so close to See TRUCKS, Page 12
Talus landslide cleanup may hit $1 million, but who will pay the bill? By Lizz Giordano lgiordano@isspress.com Other than plastic sheets rustling in the wind, the Talus landslide site is a tranquil place. No sounds of construction vehicles working to build the 90 housing units originally planned for the
site. Nine months after the landslide disrupted work, the city remains in discussion with the property owner, The Resmark Companies, about who is responsible for the landslide — and liable for the cleanup. Keith Niven, Issaquah’s eco-
Much of the Talus landslide area above the intersection of Northwest Talus Drive and ShangriLa Way Northwest is covered in plastic sheeting. The ground started moving Nov. 13.
nomic and development services director, said the city was hoping the property owner would have fixed it this summer. He said the city doesn’t want to use public money to pay for damage caused
Lizz Giordano lgiordano@ isspress.com
See TALUS, Page 11
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