Black Diamond NOW

The Mystery of Algae at Lake Sawyer

Reports over the last several weeks have suggested that Lake Sawyer currently is home to a toxic blue-green form of algae which poses a significant danger and health risk, particularly to pets.  However, each time samples were taken of this "toxic material"  by King County and analyzed in the lab, no toxic algae was found in any of these samples at detectable levels.  What gives? 

Following is a photo of what blue-green algae can look like when in bloom (photo not from Lake Sawyer).  Pretty nasty looking stuff.

Though I must admit to not having seen algae like this in the lake, it doesn't mean that it isn't here now or hasn't been sometime in the past.  How can we learn more?  For those interested, you might start by reading King County's publication Algae and Water Quality.  For techies, you might also want to read the paper Download Algae101.  One of the things I learned is that it isn't simple.  Algae comes in all sizes, shapes and colors and what can cause algae growth and blooms in lakes is both simple yet complicated. It's simple in that algae growth requires photosynthesis and the same general conditions as land based plants.  However, like all plants, there are some key variables specific to algae that need to be considered.  For example:

1. Temperature - warmer temperatures in temperate climates like ours facilitate increased algae growth
2.  Nutrients - phosphorus is the most critical in lakes providing the food needed for photosynthesis
3.  Water flows and mixing of nutrients can spur algae growth
4.  Season of the year - longer days and sunny skies promote growth, while short cloudy days and lower temperatures inhibit photosynthesis

I found the following graphic from King County to be particularly helpful in better understanding these relationships in a seasonal context.

Because the reported Lake Sawyer toxic algae blooms have been in October and early November, one would think that there shouldn't be any algae blooms this time of year.  After all, temperatures are declining and there are fewer hours of sunlight.  For those lakes with high levels of nutrients (phosphorus), algae blooms begin early and last through the summer, before declining in the fall.  Fortunately, Lake Sawyer phosphorus concentrations are low and we should expect a seasonal cycle more similar to the "little P" seasonal graphic.  A fall bounce in algae growth can be spurred by increased water flows and mixing. 

For perspective, following is how Lake Sawyer compares with other lakes in King County, with monthly data and trends dating back to 1997.  First for 2018.  The blue buttons are for Lake Sawyer and the black/grey circles are for the other King County Lakes.

The following comparative data shows annual average phosphorus levels from 1997 through 2018.  The 2019 report from King County should be available early next year as part of their annual report.

As you can see, Lake Sawyer is at the lower end of phosphorus levels.  For more Lake Sawyer data, follow this link to Lake Sawyer Water Quality - August 2019 Update.  

So, with fresh water entering the lake this year in September and recent sunshine, it is possible that stirring up of lake nutrients at the bottom along with sunshine and relatively warm water temperatures for this time of year, could result in a fall spike in algae growth like you see in the seasonal chart shown above for "little P" lakes.  In any event, it wouldn't necessarily be abnormal.  But toxic algae???

Some in the community have suggested that development is the cause of recent algae growth, resulting in higher lake phosphorus levels and therefore algae growth.  There has certainly been a lot of development around Lake Sawyer and in other parts of the city.  The Oakpointe MPDs have also been developing their site and building new homes.  Could they be the culprit?  If growth is the problem, its hard to find a smoking gun. Lake Sawyer water quality monitoring reports and data don't support this premise.  In addition, none of the stormwater generated by the Oakpointe MPD's are currently discharged into the Rock Creek watershed that flows into Lake Sawyer.  The two plats currently being developed are Plat 1-A and Plat 2-C, both of which flow into a stormwater retaining pond  that drains south, not north into Rock Creek and Lake Sawyer.  You can see this stormwater pond at the bottom center of the following aerial view from King County.

I have been repeatedly told by King County and state DOE staff that you cannot draw conclusions until you can clearly see trends over a significant period.  No trends in the vast amount of data that we have either, except perhaps increasing water temperatures and clearer lake water as evidenced by trends in Secchi test results.  Ironically, the clearer lake water becomes, and it is getting clearer, the deeper sunlight will penetrate and the further down in the lake photosynthesis can occur.  I'm not arguing that this is the case - merely to point out that there are lots of variables and that a smoking gun cause and effect for algae in Lake Sawyer is not at all clear.  In fact, no test results to date support claims made that algae in the lake is toxic or even that algae growth has increased in the lake.  

What to do?  Keep testing and be vigilant for where we can identify contaminated surface water runoff going into the Rock Creek drainage so that it can be remedied.  As for me, I will continue kayaking around the lake in search of this elusive toxic algae that I have yet to see any signs of.

 

John Henry Mine - November 2019 Update

Last week, I talked with the federal Office of Surface Mining (OSM) for an update regarding the status of reclamation activities at the John Henry Mine.  Good news.  According to OSM, mine reclamation activities continue and Pacific Coast Coal Company (PCCC)  has fully addressed the 5 deficiencies outlined earlier.  In addition, they are moving ahead now to update PCCC's permit to focus just on reclamation.  This is the best sign yet that they no longer intend to mine coal and are proceeding ahead to complete reclamation and reforest the site.

As you may note in the above graphic, there are three very large stockpiles that will become mountains no more.  The change in topography will be particularly noticeable for those of us who drive to Lake 12 and the Green River Gorge or on the road to Ravensdale.   With so much earth moving to occur during reclamation, there remains risk of surface water runoff containing high phosphorus concentrations into Ginder Creek and on to Lake Sawyer - but much less so than if mining were to occur and OSM will continue to monitor discharge water quality during reclamation.  We are also likely to see curtailed levels of reclamation during wet winter months which will reduce discharge risks even further.

State DOE has yet to address any potential updates or changes to PCCC's NPDES surface water discharge permit.  We should expect to hear from them later this month.

Lake Wilderness Rocks

With Lake Sawyer and all of the many acres and miles of trails through Lake Sawyer Regional Park and the Black Diamond Natural Area, many of us who live here probably under appreciate our neighbor to the north - Lake Wilderness.  Though smaller in size and more developed for recreational uses, Lake Wilderness is another of our area's real gems.  Recently, I've grown to particularly appreciate the Lake Wilderness Arboretum and the many plants and flowers that we can find growing there in a beautiful natural setting.  But I must say, it's been years since I explored the lake.  So armed with my camera, it was time to go exploring.  Good decision.

Were you aware of the fantastic views of Mt. Rainier that you can find here?  I certainly don't recall seeing the mountain from here before.

Now, if only I can find a way to get on top of the roof of the Lake Wilderness Lodge. 

Here's one of my favorite photos of fall colors that I've taken this year.

Even the Lodge is beautiful in its setting.

Between the lake, the park and the arboretum, plenty to see while you wander about.  And did I mention the Cedar to Green River trail that borders the east side of the lake?  Bring your jogging shoes too or take your kids and grandkids for a bike ride!

Let's Go Bowling Circa 1900

When was the last time you went bowling?  Anyone remember the name Earl Anthony?  He was king!  Well, you don't see as many bowling alleys these days but there was a time when bowling ranked right up there, even in TV audience popularity with other sports. 

The city of Kent had it's coming of age all the way back in 1900, opening one of the first bowling alleys in the Puget Sound region.

Image courtesy The Greater Kent Historical Society and Museum, circa 1900

Though we see fewer bowling alleys and limited media attention today, bowling remains popular, even among the younger set.  In fact, a 2011 survey sponsored by the Bowling Proprietors' Association of American claimed that bowling still is the top participation sport with a 22% participation rate, exceeding other participation sports such as basketball (15%), golf (13%), aerobics (11.9%), baseball (13%) and yoga (9%).  Though this survey might be a little on the "biased side", this 2014 article in the Seattle Times echoes bowling's popularity - There are fewer lanes now, but we are still bowling.

Anyone ever go bowling at Secoma Lanes in Federal Way?  This bowling alley was started and owned by an aunt and uncle of mine back in the 1950s..
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We Have a New Bridge

No, our new bridge doesn't allow us to bypass Maple Valley or Covington during commute hours, but it does improve safety for mountain bikers and hikers in the Black Diamond Natural Area.  Though the bridge has no official name, at least that I am aware of, I've always called it the "slatted bridge" because of the way it was constructed.  Slats placed on top of runners that allowed bikers to ride across and hikers to walk across, but nothing to hang onto or keep you from falling  into Ravensdale Creek.  Thanks to a combination of volunteers and King County Parks, we now have a much safer passage.  Here's how it looked on Saturday.

We have handrails!  The creek itself remains as beautiful and pristine as ever and also where we sometimes see winter run Coho salmon spawning in gravel bars along the creek.  Will begin regular checks on salmon beginning in December when water will be flowing over the weir into Covington Creek in enough volume for salmon to make it up, through the lake and into Ravensdale Creek.

We've seen salmon from the bridge in the past, though the spawning we have seen is a bit further upstream.  If you don't want to use the bridge, you can always use the log crossing, like I do.

Ha, Ha, Ha - no way am I going to make this crossing even scooting along on my butt.  You've got to love all the trails in the Black Diamond Natural Area.  Another of our community's great treasures.

If there is a challenge here, it's that there are so many trails you can easily get lost - not lost-lost but disoriented for sure. 

I always find it easiest to stay as close to the creek as I can, whether on the west side of the creek or the east side.  You can't go wrong this way.  We also now have parking on the west side of SR169 just south of 288th.  If you want to find the new slatted bridge, park here, take the main trail until it reaches the old railroad bed (in the future, this will be part of the Cedar to Green River Trail).  Turn right onto this main trail going north and then left at the first trail that goes west toward the creek.  Follow it along as it reaches the creek and bends south (left), always staying close to the creek and on your right until you reach the bridge.  Enjoy.

 

Black Diamond Police - A Community Jewel

If there is one thing that unites our community, it's our overwhelming support for the Black Diamond Police Department.  

Each year, Black Diamond consistently ranks in the top 10, if not the top 5, of the safest cities in which to live in King County and the state.  Yes, we aren't big, but the statistics don't lie.  It starts with a strong history and the current leadership of Chief Jamey Kiblinger, and up and down the line from there.  Our town proudly wears its reputation as somewhere you better not go if you are up to "no good", and better not speed either.  So called petty crimes are not tolerated here.

Each year, the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs publishes a statewide annual report of Crime in Washington.  Following is a summary of 2018 statistics for Black Diamond and nearby cities of Covington, Maple Valley and Enumclaw (sorry about my misspelling of property when I put the tables together).  

For reference, Group A crimes include the following.

 

More detailed results for Black Diamond are as follows.

You might note that 2018 was an even better year than 2017.

Time to GO HUG A COP!  Many thank ALL!

 

 

Pile Bridges - Medieval Engineering in Northwest Logging

Building logging railroads in the northwest in the early days was no easy task.  Virtually no timberlands in the Cascades or Olympics are flat and  stream beds had a way of eroding into canyons or gorges that must be crossed to get from one logging site to the next.  One solution to crossing these canyons was to borrow engineering from the Romans of medieval times and build Pile Bridges.

Image courtesy Library of Congress, circa 1914

The pile bridge shown above was built by the English Logging Railway near Mt. Vernon and advertised at the time as being the highest pile bridge in the world at 119 feet.  Pile bridges use long poles typically made of wood (piles) as the structural foundation that are hammered into the ground.  Piles are hammered until the grip or friction is sufficient to hold the load of the bridge, and in this case the locomotive and railcars that will use it.  How they determined there was enough friction to carry the load is beyond me but this was not the only bridge in the annals of northwest logging history to be built this way.  Cross braces are added to keep it from falling over.   Here's another one.

Image courtesy Library of Congress, circa 1922

The piles in the above bridge are 132 feet long with a bridge height of 107 ft. at the top of the rails.

They look pretty fragile to me, but then the first pile bridge was thought to have been built by the Romans as far back as 642BC.  Now that's an engineering technology that lasted for a while.

Lots of Building Going On

If you've driven around town recently, you can attest to the fact that a whole lot of building is going on.  And a big share of it is not part of the Ten Trails Master Planned Development.  Where is the best place to find information about building activity in Black Diamond or anywhere else in King County?  The Assessors Office of course.  Gotta collect those taxes.

Following is a map that I obtained from the Assessors Office showing where and how many building permits have been issued in Black Diamond over the last 12 months.

In total, 197 permits were issued in the last 12 months, of which new building accounted for 168 permits, new accessory dwellings 2 permits, remodels 11, demolitions 2 and all other 14.  Total permit values are $55.5 million.  On the Assessors web site, you can also click on each of the locations highlighted above to get more details.  Two of these locations happen to be on either side of our house.  For those interested in leaning more, follow this link to King County Analytics.   If you want to see where a whole lot more building is going on, look up our neighbors Maple Valley and Covington.

Steam Powered Dragsaws

The early 1900's were a time of great innovation in pacific northwest logging.  Donkey engines and the use of spar trees paved the way for high lead logging methods and technology that revolutionized the industry.  Logging railroads then extended the reach of timber harvesting deep into the remote Cascade foothills.  But it would take some years before a suitable replacement for bucking logs in the woods using man powered crosscut saws could be found.  The use of steam powered dragsaws was an early attempt.  

Image courtesy Washington Rural Heritage, LOGGMACH010, circa 1916

The above photo shows a man pulling on a wire to engage the back and forth saw motion powered by steam.  This early model was used by the Puget Sound Mills & Timber Company.  As we can see, the saws were pretty big and clunky, very heavy and far from being user friendly.  Why were they called dragsaws?  The saw blade differed from conventional crosscut saws in that the teeth were designed only to cut one way - cut, then drag back.  Steam could be bled off from a donkey engine used for high lead logging as the source of power.

The use of gasoline powered engines was certainly an improvement in the portability and functionality of dragsaws, but they too were rather unreliable and "unloved" during this early period.

Image courtesy Bella Coola Museum

At least with the above model, the dragsaw could be left unattended for a period while the operator used his axe to split the log segments bucked by the dragsaw for cordwood.  It would take until after WWII before chainsaws came to be mainstream.   For more about dragsaws, follow this link to an early post Early Logging Automation.

 

Ragfish for Dinner Anyone?

Yes, there is such a thing as Ragfish that reside in the waters of the North Pacific.  The following photo taken in 1927 by famed northwest photographer Asahel Curtis shows a fisherman posing with his "prize" catch of the day.

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Photo courtesy Washington State Historical Society, 1943.42.51989, Asahel Curtis photographer, circa 1927

Those are egg sacks from this ragfish lying in a puddle on the dock.  Not the prettiest catch you'll find, nor a delicacy to behold.  The ragfish body is scale-less and limp and has a skeletal structure made up mostly of cartilage, giving it "flabby" muscles.  Catching a ragfish is a rarity since they reside at ocean depths in the 2,500 to 5,000 ft. range, which makes me wonder how the fisherman shown in the above photo could have caught this one.  I'll take halibut, thank you.

Nature's Magic

What a great time of year it is right now.  Leaves are turning brilliant shades of red, orange and yellow and falling from trees in bunches.  There was a time growing up when I didn't appreciate all those leaves.  It took time to rake them up into piles and haul them away to compost.  Today, I have a much better appreciation for nature's magic and look forward to time in the mountains to experience the change of seasons.  This weekend, I observed and learned something new - one of the better places to see brilliant colors in the forest now is to visit areas recently logged.  An area recently replanted can be perfect, like this Gifford Pinchot National Forest land shown below.

Young douglas fir trees have been replanted here but this still "leaves" (pun intended) quite a bit of land area at risk of erosion.  Air borne seed from deciduous trees, like alder and maple, help fill the voids and hold the ground until youngster firs can begin their tall reach for the sky and shade out their temporary companions.  So much beauty here right now.  The above photo was taken along Hwy 23 just north of Trout Lake.

And then I return home and look out the window across Lake Sawyer.  I gotta say, this view is pretty tough to beat.

 

 

Chinook Salmon now Spawning in the Green River

On Tuesday, I headed out to Kanaskat-Palmer State Park hoping to see some fall colors along the shores of the Green River.  What did I find - Chinook salmon spawning close to shore and some fall colors too.  What a treat this was!  These are the big guys that we seldom see spawning around these parts.

I'm not sure which of these are the female and which the male, but they sure make a pair working their way up and down the spawning grounds and within about 20 feet from where I stood.  More often than not, there were three or four fish swimming side by side participating in this annual ritual.  You can see the eye of the one salmon to the far right - one of four in this cluster making plenty of splashes on the surface.

Here's another pair.  Note how big the humpbacks are.  The water is crystal clear.

Spawning is apparently a bit early this year, thanks to fall rains.  I also saw some smaller Pinks spawning, but the Chinook steal the show.  You can see the eye of another salmon above.  Is it the male with the bigger humpback or the female?  Judging from the positioning of the two fish, I would have to guess the bigger fish is the male, trailing somewhat the movement of the female.

I did find some fall color and the carcass remains from spawning fish that had arrived earlier.

On the one hand, it makes me sad.

On the other hand, we should be very happy.  It's the time of year when trees shed their leaves and salmon spawn, depositing their fertilized eggs for the spring return to sea and leaving their remains for the eagles and other wildlife that rely on them for sustenance to make it through the winter.  And to see them survive and now return in increasing numbers, it's a special treat.

This coming weekend should be a great time for visiting Kanaskat-Palmer State Park and wandering the shoreline, both to see the colors of leaves falling and to see the Chinook salmon in the act of spawning.  The best place I found was along the shoreline to the far north end of the park.  After entering the park, head down the road toward the river.  When the road T's, turn right and follow to the end.  Follow the trail from there to the river.  What a treat!

Lake Sawyer Water Quality - August 2019 Update

King County recently posted updated water quality test results for Lake Sawyer taken through August 2019.  Once again, one cautionary note - we need to focus on trends.  As the historical data shows, sample results can bounce around from sample event to sample event but it takes a period of years for significant issues, either good or bad, to emerge.  Lake water temperatures are a good case in point.  We have test data that goes all the way back to 1993 and trends here couldn't be more clear.

Unfortunately, lake water temperature is a variable over which we have least control, but the adverse impacts on our salmon and trout fisheries are also very significant.  Higher temperatures increase plant growth, decreasing dissolved oxygen levels in the water which further adversely impacts trout and salmon.

Secchi is a measure of water clarity.  A disk is lowered into the lake and when it reaches the point where it cannot be seen, that is the data point recorded.  The lower the disk goes, the better it is.  Current data shows continued positive trends.

Total phosphorus is an important indicator of long term lake health.  The greater the level of phosphorus in the lake, the more plant growth we will see, the less dissolved oxygen there will be and over time, this is how lakes die - a process called eutrophication.  This is also the variable over which we have the greatest control, with the principal source of phosphorus being surface water runoff such as stormwater into Rock Creek and Ravensdale Creek, with highway and development runoff into Rock Creek being the principal bad actor here.  

On the positive side of the ledger, stormwater runoff from SR169 is currently untreated discharging directly into Ginder Creek which flows into Rock Creek and represents a significant share of current phosphorus discharge into Rock Creek.  Thanks to the persistence of City staff and with the help of grant funding, we will soon have stormwater treatment capacity in place to mitigate this source.  In addition, Master Plan Developer Oakpointe is required to meet a phosphorus anti-degradation standard from stormwater runoff from the development.  In other words, they can have zero net impact on phosphorus discharge into Lake Sawyer.

On the other hand, there is now significant development in our city around the lake and elsewhere in town outside the MPDs with potential for significant adverse impact on phosphorus concentrations in the lake.  In addition, stormwater runoff from mining and reclamation at the John Henry mine flows into Ginder Creek and on into Lake Sawyer and also posing significant risk (more about the status of the mine in future posts).

Identifying trends for phosphorus can be the most difficult given the variables of precipitation across the 500+ acre Lake Sawyer watershed, the season of the year and depth of water in the lake.  Following are results from samples taken in May of each year at different lake depths.

Sample results in both May and  August show a lot of variability from year to year, but not a clear trend.

King County will publish an annual water quality report for the lake after the first of the year.  Will pass it along when its available.

Footnote 1:  There is currently no stormwater runoff from Oakpointe MPD's flowing into Rock Creek or elsewhere in the Lake Sawyer watershed.  This will change when development moves to other plats within the property that do drain into Rock Creek but not currently.  

Footnote 2:  The recent scare about potential toxic algae in Lake Sawyer is not substantiated by the facts.  Intensive sampling by King County found algae levels in the lake to be very low and in many cases at nondetectable levels.

Place Names

What do the towns of Orting, Covington, Lester and Buckley have in common?  These towns all received their names via the Northern Pacific Railroad.  Towns that sprang up along the railroad's path needed a name before a post office could be established.  Because these towns were new, postal officials apparently looked for someone "in authority" that could speak for the town.  Who better than a big wig from the railroad to provide/sanction the official town name.  Covington, for example, is thought to have been named for the surveyor who established the route from Auburn to Kanaskat, generally known as the Palmer Cutoff.

Other towns were named for notable founders, such as Morgan Lumber Company founder Elmer G. Morgan who built a sawmill along the Green River Valley about seven miles east of Lester.  To be successful, Morgan's sawmill needed a spur connecting to the main line railroad and the NP provided it.  Hmmmm, the town was named Nagrom, not Morgan.  What gives?  Well, for some reason (maybe another town was already named Morgan), the NP named the sawmill town Nagrom which is backwards for Morgan.

Image courtesy White River Valley Museum, Gift of Gertrude Murphy, PO-01769A, circa 1915

It's always fun for me to see these old mill sites.  I haven't found any yet from this era that didn't have a mill pond.

Image courtesy Museum of History & Industry, 1998.10.1, V.S. Waters photographer, circa 1912

Unfortunately, with clear cutting and debris blanketing the area directly adjacent to the mill, they often weren't pretty either.  The Nagrom mill operated between 1911 and 1925 before being shut down, though some logging continued for several years in the area under management of the forest service and the Civilian Conservation Corps.

Postscript: E.C. Morgan appears not to have been an active owner/manager of the sawmill.  During this period, he lived in Lester (not Nagrom), owned and operated the general store in Lester and was also Lester's postmaster.

Postcard image courtesy Museum of History & Industry, 1998.10.33, circa 1912

 

Before There Were Trucks

What would we do without trucks?  Today, trucks move approximately 70% of all goods transported in the U.S. and 71% of the tonnage.  Over 10.8 billion tons of freight were moved by truck in 2017 in an industry employing over 7.4 million people - 5.8% of all full time workers in the country.  Now, go back to 1900 and before internal combustion engines were generally available.  How were goods delivered?  Railroads and shipping accounted for a bigger share, no doubt, but the economy still largely relied on horse drawn wagons.  That is, unless you had a "steam wagon".

Image courtesy Kent Historical Society, circa 1900

The above photo shows a steam powered delivery truck used by Joe Cowan in Kent (seen on the left).  He Delivers the Goods!  Take note of the wooden wheels and the hand brake.  I wonder how if any gears were used and how they controlled their speed and braking?  Steam powered trucks generally worked OK for local deliveries, but not so well for longer trips.

Karl Benz, in 1895, is generally credited with designing and building the first truck in history with an internal combustion engine.  Trucks of this period typically used a two-cylinder engine with a carrying capacity of about 3,000 to 4,000 lbs.  With 700 heavy duty trucks manufactured in the U.S. in 1904, total production had increased to over 25,000 by 1914.  It would take until the late 1930's for diesel engines to catch on in the U.S. and as they say - it's all history from there.

It Lasts A Lifetime - And Then Some

What local area business can you think of that has now been operating here for over 100 years, doing the same thing today that they did when they first began (albeit on a smaller scale).  They are known for being rock solid in their deliveries with a touch of artisan artistic beauty.  If you guessed Walker Cut Stone Company in Wilkeson, you win the prize.  Deposits of carved sandstone dating back to the ice age grace the shores of both the Green River and Carbon River basins, creating some of the deepest and most beautiful river gorges around and where the rivers still run free.  Concentrating not on the prospect of riches gained from mining coal or even cinnabar along these mineral rich rivers, Walker Cut Stone Company in 1914 chose instead to quarry for sandstone that could be transformed into "monument" exteriors for large buildings.  The company's most notable showcase can be seen today in Olympia where many of the State Capitol buildings are clad with Walker Cut Stone sandstone, much of it hand carved by company artisans and very ornate.  The following photo taken in 1925 of the Walker Cut Stone Company warehouse in Tacoma helps show the shear scale of company operations during the early years.

Image courtesy University of Washington Libraries, WAS1880, Marvin Boland photographer, circa 1925

With 6 automobiles parked in front of the warehouse, that means 6 bigwigs present - a whole lot for any business at the time.  And even more remarkable, the company remains in business today, though not on this scale.   For more information about this fascinating enterprise, follow this link to my earlier post Walker Cut Stone Company.

Warehousing & Distribution BT (Before Trucks)

Although bulk materials produced in the northwest during the late 1800's and early 1900's such as coal and lumber, relied principally on rail for transporting products to market, other region exports, such as fish and agricultural goods, required significantly more handling.  And then there were all those imports to the region that people and local businesses relied on in daily life that came in through our ports.  How did all this work?  In short - wagons and horses and manpower.  These early photos from the Port of Seattle tell a story.  The image that follows shows the Northern Pacific freight warehouse.

Image courtesy University of Washington Libraries, LAR302, Frank La Roche photographer, circa 1891

Chaos is one way to describe this.  It appears that passengers were also loaded atop these wagons as they disembarked their ships.

Image courtesy Washington State Historical Society, Curtis 1279, Asahel Curtis photographer, circa 1904

The above image shows the horse drawn wagons of the Seattle Transfer Company, all queued up waiting to pick up their hand loaded cargo.  A team of two horses were used to pull the wagons/carts.  Certainly more orderly than the scene above but awfully crowded.  I wonder how they communicated with their "dispatcher" located at the ship.

John Henry Mine - Reclamation Costs

How expensive will it be for Pacific Coast Coal Company (PCCC) to complete restoration of the John Henry coal mine?  How about $6,381,806.  Based on Reclamation Bond records from 2018, that's what it will cost PCCC and that is the amount of the collateral bond backed by an Irrevocable Letter of Credit that they must maintain to ensure that mine reclamation be completed.  Completed by when is a whole another matter.  It's one thing to arrange with a bank for a letter of credit, likely backed by a lien on real estate holdings of PCCC, but actual restoration requires cash out of pocket spending and borrowing money.  Clearly, there is a big incentive for delay, delay, delay.  Mine reclamation has now finally begun.  Let's hope that it's completed soon.

Follow this link for a copy of last year's bond records obtained from the Federal Office of Surface Mining, Enforcement and Reclamation Download Bond

 

 

Shear Power

Which engines used for transportation pack the most punch - steam power, internal combustion or electric power?  I always thought that steam engines had the most muscle but apparently not so, particularly when weight is considered.  Electric powered engines on a pound per pound basis win the prize hands down.  Following is a photo dating back to 1920 showing an electric powered locomotive on your left pitted against a Mallet steam engine on the right.  Guess who won.

Image courtesy White River Valley Museum, PO-00538, Asahel Curtis photographer, circa 1920

The electric powered locomotive won the pushing contest hands down.  The above photo was taken near the old Borden Plant in Kent and was used to publicize the Puget Sound Electric Railway that at one time provided passenger service between Seattle and Tacoma much as Sound Transit does today.  

Have you taken a ride in one of today's electric powered automobiles, like a Tesla, Nissan Leaf or Chevrolet Bolt?  Fasten your seatbelt.

John Henry Coal Mine - Close Neighbors & Safety Issues

One reason that plans by Pacific Coast Coal Company (PCCC) to reopen mining at the John Henry No. 1 Mine has generated such a high level of local community angst and opposition is its location.  It's not like surface mining of coal in the hinterlands of Wyoming.  Here, you have residential development located literally right next door to the mine.  This dramatically compounds the adverse impacts of noise and traffic that come with mining.  And safety too.

As previously reported, the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) is now conducting mine inspections on a monthly basis.  Among the 5 Enforcement Actions included in the Mine Site Inspection report dated 11/5/2018 was one related to Signs and Markings (or the lack thereof).  There were no signs or markers at each point of access to the permit area from public roads as are required. Fencing to prevent public access is even better.  Yet, here we have houses in Lawson Hills Estates located right next to the permit area and plenty of evidence that the public has been accessing the mining permit areas for some time.  You can see pathways and roads literally leading into the mine site.  This is a significant safety problem.  As OSMRE has frequently pointed out even before mining and/or reclamation proceed: "There are highwall, dilapidated mine facilities, and other hazards to public safety.  In some cases, the permit boundary is literally a step away from the backyards of newly constructed houses."

Following are several photos taken by OSMRE during the 11/5/2018 inspection:

This was taken by the inspector while standing in the mine permit area.

Note: The road shown above has been created by repeated public use driving into the mining site.

But no signs or fence what-so-ever.  Has PCCC been aware of the public access and safety problem?  Yes!!!  To quote from the 11/5/18 inspection report:  "Company representative David Morris had been instructed to place mine identification signs and perimeter markers in OSMRE inspection reports dated 5/30/18, 6/18/18, 7/18/18, 8/30/18, and 9/13/18."

This, at least in my view, is simply irresponsible ownership and one of the many reasons the mine needs to be reclaimed with all due haste.

For a complete copy of the 11/5/18 inspection report, follow this link to Download PCCC inspect 11.5.18 with NOV