October 28, 1998
Mr. Mike Mills
Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council
P.O. Box 43172
Olympia, WA 98504-3172
Dear Mr. Mills,
On behalf of the board of trustees of the Chehalis River Council, I am speaking in support of the comments by the Grays Harbor Audubon Society regarding the transfer of the Satsop Nuclear Plant to Grays Harbor County.
The Chehalis River Council is a nonprofit, all volunteer citizens' organization concerned with water quality and quantity issues facing the entire Chehalis watershed.
We believe that the wildlife and peripheral areas set aside in the original Site Certification Agreement provide excellent protection for the Chehalis river and associated streams in this area. These mitigations were agreed upon to compensate the citizens of Washington for habitat lost due to the construction that has already occurred. These mitigations were intended to continue into any future use of the site. The wildlife habitat and peripheral lands are currently under an effective management plan in cooperation with Washington Fish and Wildlife. These reserve lands, under the existing agreed-upon plan, can provide a useful buffer for any future industrial use of the site. We join the Audubon Society and other groups in asking that the conditions placed upon the transfer of the Satsop site to any Grays Harbor County group be as protective of the environment as those defined in the original Site Certification Agreement. We are not opposed to an industrial site, but let's keep the wildlife habitat we have and not turn it into a managed forest.
As a group concerned with water issues, we are also very concerned about transfer of the water rights associated with the site. I am sure that you know that the Chehalis River at the Porter gage, upstream from the Satsop site, consistently shows low flows in summer months that are below the established state standards. And the upper Chehalis Basin is currently closed to new water rights. Any amendment to the Site Certification Agreement must ensure that the transferred water rights are within acceptable levels and do not create new rights. I understand there is a question as to whether the amendment as currently drafted would not be interpreted as providing a huge increase in the water available for industrial use, and I ask that you ensure this is not the case.
We want to underscore that the citizens of this state have already paid dearly for the Satsop site, and an effective management plan already exists. As citizens, we want the site's constructed areas to find a use that is positive for the community, but we also want the wildlife reserves to remain as protected areas, and we want to protect the water rights for all residents of the Chehalis Watershed.
Thank you for the opportunity to comment.
David Palmer
Chairman
for the Board of Trustees of the Chehalis River Council
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