Building application at Red Shirt Mill site
The Okanogan County Planning Department is considering an application from Kevin and Bonnie Schmidt to clear part of the Red Shirt Mill toxic clean-up site to build a house. The 7.33-acre parcel is on Twisp Airport Road and adjacent to the Methow River.
The Schmidts propose to clear a 100-by-100-foot area to build an approximately 4,400-square-foot residence. Water would be provided by an onsite well. They would construct a three-bedroom septic system.
The Red Shirt Mill site is listed as a cleanup site by the Washington Department of Ecology and is ranked as having one of the highest levels of environmental concern, according to the Okanogan County Planning Department.
Planning Director Pete Palmer determined that the project has the potential for significant adverse environmental impacts, which may be mitigated by conditions placed on development.
The parcel was used for tailings in the 1930s, when the mill processed gold and silver ore from the nearby Red Shirt Mine. The tailings contained arsenic, lead, mercury, copper, zinc and cyanide at concentrations that could affect human health and the environment, according to the county’s environmental determination. The tailings are still on site.
The use of the site for a residence, well and septic system may increase the risk of exposure. Soil sampling through the Department of Ecology is required, and the proponents must comply with any cleanup action plan, according to the Planning Department.
The property has an existing wetland. A 2019 survey of the property for potential wetlands, provided as part of the application, cited environmental concerns connected with a foot-thick clay cap on top of the mining waste. The survey said it may be wise to avoid puncturing the clay cap to prevent potential contamination. It also said it may be wise to avoid using untreated well water. It may be difficult to grow plants on the site and may be inadvisable to eat garden plants grown there, according to the wetland survey.
The public can comment on the proposal. If necessary, conditions will be added to the mitigated environmental determination. For more information or to comment, contact planner Pam Wyllson at (509) 422-7122 or pwyllson@co.okanogan.wa.us. Comments are due no later than May 11.
PUD solar workshop
People with interest in solar power for their home can learn about options and how to avoid scams at a free “Solar 101” workshop provided by the Okanogan County Public Utility District (PUD) on Wednesday, May 17.
The workshop, which starts at 5:30 p.m. at the PUD’s office in Okanogan, will cover net metering, an arrangement where PUD customers produce their own electricity from the sun while still being tied to the electric grid. That arrangement requires precise procedures and specifications, so it’s important that the system be designed to fit the needs of both the customer and the PUD.
The workshop will also provide people with information so they can evaluate options offered by solar companies. With the large volume of information about a complex topic, sales pitches can be aggressive and information is not always clear or accurate, the PUD said.
The workshop will feature testimonials from current solar net-metering customers about benefits and challenges of the arrangement. Attendees will be able to view a display of a solar panel and meters to understand how net metering works, and to talk with PUD staff about solar options.
Additional information about solar power and net metering is available on the PUD’s website at https://www.okanoganpud.org/energy-services/net-metering, and on the district’s Facebook page.
Twisp River restoration project
The Methow Salmon Recovery Foundation and Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation are partnering on the Twisp Devany Habitat Restoration Project to improve riparian and instream habitat for endangered and threatened fish species in the Twisp River.
The restoration is intended to provide refugia for fish in side channels and floodplain areas on the south bank of the Twisp River about 5 miles west of Twisp.
The project would increase the extent and duration of time when the side channels are active, provide access to off-channel thermal refugia, and increase the complexity of instream habitat.
To accomplish these goals, the project will grade side-channel inlets, construct an alcove, build engineered logjams, and place additional wood in the stream.
The Okanogan County Planning Director has determined that the Twisp Devany project would not have a significant effect on the environment.
For more information or to comment, contact senior planner Charlene Schumacher at (509) 422-7113 or cschumacher@co.okanogan.wa.us. Comments are due by May 11.
