Opinion:
Carlsborg POOP! A recent newspaper article gave a very Disneyland report on a Carlsborg meeting regarding this issue. I take great tissue with this as most of the testimony was quite acrimonious. Before I get into this, I must admit that I was impressed by Bob Martin and the design engineer’s presentations but until I read the 410 page draft my issues would be based upon personal qualms rather than fact.
Two of my immediate questions were axed in the first few minutes when Bob Martin gave me a copy of that proposal and the design engineer promptly answered some of my financial questions. The presentation was well done and survived some heated comments by the public and I for one believe that what is pooped in Carlsborg should stay in Carlsborg.
My politeness also managed to get a copy of this proposal for the Sequim library. For some reason the county seems to think that a 410 page pdf download is what the public needs before making ‘informed’ commentary.
That commentary based upon sleuthed out information became acrimonious and surly upon occasion and led the speaker to obfuscate on some of the issues. Simple YES and NO answers do not always work in public discourse. To give credit to the questionnaires I would add that the general public has reason to be surly on this issue as so much has been hidden.
Will the public opinion even matter? My own experience says no. This is a done deal with the city of Sequim and the residents of Carlsborg will have to deal with the financial consequences. So will the county taxpayer!
My own unresolved issues glossed over by the design person are:
Environmental and local control.
I believe that this was totally misrepresented!
First being that the nitrate or pollution issue will be addressed. NOT! More below. The failure of the sewage treatment center and blowing it out to the straits is not an answer, it would back flush into Sequim Bay. A Carlsborg center could be engineered into having holding tanks.
Ground water replenishment. Totally ignored, except my one local nimby who was concerned about the pharmaceutical components of Class A treated water. Carlsborg and areas west of the Dungeness River need the groundwater recharge far more than does Sequim where the treated water would be infiltrated.
Financial stuff.
This is complicated and is full of ‘mana from the sky’ stuff regarding future hookups at 7,000 a crack. Trouble with that being that for two years the county would hook you up for 500. Dollars. This figure simply adds up to a questionable net income basis for the county. Later hookups at the more normal rate would be suspect to zoning issues and the fact that we are still recovering from our last overbuilding bubble. The next one may even be worse. Worse yet, (this gets back to local control) the deal struck between the county and the city of Sequim is based upon a penny per gallon charge for treatment. Most of the cost projections discussed at this meeting dealt with 15 and 20 year comparisons. I ask you which govt. agreement towards costs has ever lasted for fifteen or twenty years. Sequim is licking its lips over this revenue, as I am sure they will jack it up in the future.
Nitrate issue and all that.
As long as the mobile home park septic systems are exempt from hooking up to the sewer this entire issue is moot. Throw in the PORT industrial park and the groundwater issue that began this mess will not be solved regardless of which sewage treatment plant is chosen. Totally dumb!
Pseudo-poo! All that that is dumped or found isn’t always fecal. It’s just politics and public input is simply flushed down the toilet.
(C) Herbert Senft 2014