Item 1: PH on Ordinance Amending Metro Plan (Delta Sand and Gravel)

Home Browse Search

disturbed. He noted that the current ground water levels had been drawn down to such a degree that much of the natural vegetation in the water way had already been lost. In response to a question from Lane County Planning Commission Member Lisa Arkin regarding how the higher water table caused by the low permeability barrier would affect nearby property owner's issue of insurance and the requirement of building one foot above the water table, Mr. Christensen said it was important to understand that the requirement was to build one foot above the 100 year flood level. He added that this was a surface water requirement. He stressed that the low permeability barrier would raise the ground water to its historic level which would be the same as what was found in the rest of the River Road/Santa Clara area. He said the barrier could not suddenly raise the water level above the ground water level in the rest of the area. He stressed that the ground water level around Delta would rise to that same level which was generally 8 feet below the surface during the winter. Dick.Ruth, PO Box 1491, Eugene, submitted written material into the record. He ~aid he had worked in environmental dispute resolution as well as 13 years working at Lane Regional Air Pollution Authority. He said he had been interested in the Delta Sand and Gravel case because he had inspected the facility when he worked for LRAPA and was aware of the efforts the company made to "do the right thing." He said he had reviewed data regarding the wind patterns in the area because of the concern of the neighbors about dust blowing their way. He said his written material contained historical data from the meteorological site by Madison Middle School. He said the key point was that the chart showed very little wind blowing from the east (4 percent) both for the long term average and for the summer months or dry season. He said there should be very little wind born dust blowing into the neighbors on the west of the site since the wind blew so. rarely from the east. He added that the wind was below six miles per hour for the most part which would also be to the neighbor's benefit. Mr. Ruth said he had also done enforcement of noise reduction standards for the Department of Environmental Quality for'Lane, Linn, and Benton Counti~s. He said he had reviewed the consultant's report on nois'e and was impressed by the detail of the examination of individual equipment. He said the applicant had done a very thoroughjob of understanding and mitigating noise of the operation. In response to a question from Ms. Arkin regarding whether there would be significant dust impact to the northwest of the site, Mr. Ruth said the chart in his written material showed that 15 percent of the time the wind blew from the south east to the northwest. He said often those winds were associated with weather fronts moving through the area that often brought rain which would also mitigate dust. He stressed that the prevailing wind patterns were from the north/northwest in the .summer time. In response to a question from Lane County Planning Commissioner Steve Dignam regarding his qualifications, Mr. Ruth said he had worked for over 30 years in environmental fields including 13 years with LRAP A. He added that he was also the Director of Health, Safety, and Environment for an asbestos abatement comp,any in Houston and said since 1990 he had been doing consulting on environmental site assessments and had also.worked in environmental dispute resolution and mediation. He said his interest in mediation had attracted him. to the Delta application. He said neighbors often wanted to have scientific data reviewed by someone who was more objective rather than from one of the opposing sides. He expressed the hope that the data he had collected would be reassuring to the neighbors. Eugene Planning Commissioner JOM Belcher commented that, by the data shown on Mr. Ruth's written material, the wind blew from the southeast and south southeast 18.5 percent of the time for 3" total of one day out of four. MINUTES-Lane County Planning Commission. Eugene Planning Commission January 17, 2006 5