Black Diamond NOW

John Henry Mine - The Saga Continues

On April 18, 2018, the Pacific Coast Coal Company (PCCC), based in Seattle, received approval from the Department of Interior, Office of Surface Mining (OSMRE), to proceed ahead with surface mining at the John Henry No. 1 mine site located just north of town.  The Washington State Department of Ecology then issued an administrative extension to PCCC's existing NPDES permit, clearing the way for mine reopening.

So what's happened over the last 16 months?

1. NO MINING - After providing notification to all the adjacent residences and property owners of intent to proceed with mining and blasting and with promises that they had buyers for their coal, PCCC has not mined one ounce of coal and now admits to the fact that they have no customers for their coal mined now or in the near future. Remember the sales contract that PCCC presented as "proof" that they had customers for John Henry mined coal?  As several of us commented,  the so called "contract" required the identified "buyer" to buy nothing.  Not even an intent to buy.  But, they say they are still looking for potential customers.
2. NOTICE OF VIOLATION - PCCC received a formal notice from OSMRE that they were in violation of the conditions of the permit issued to them just last year.  Not yet sure about the nature of the violation but am tracking it down.
3. SITE INSPECTIONS - OSMRE is now visiting the site on a monthly basis and DOE on a quarterly basis.  For your reference, I am attaching copies of DOE's last two inspection reports dated March 26, 2019 and June 19, 2019.  It's never a good sign seeing an oil sheen on water draining from the coal washer into Ginder Lake while the inspectors are there.  See the pictures taken by DOE.
4. SOME RECLAMATION HAS BEGUN - Finally.

Based on past experience, I wouldn't get too excited about reclamation having begun.  There are plenty of ways to drag this out.  Reclamation of Stockpile 2 area alone is now estimated to take about two years and there is a lot more to be done in other areas of the property, even excluding the sites to be mined.  Previous estimates were that full reclamation would take just one year following cessation of mining.

DOE was previously planning to have available for public review and input an updated draft NPDES permit for the mine in May of this year.  It now looks like it will take a couple more months and we should have an opportunity to see an updated draft permit in November.

Following are PDF copies of the Inspection Reports:

Download John Henry Mine Inspection Report March 26 2019

Download John Henry Mine inspection report June 19-2019

I will pass along further updates as information becomes available.  Also, for perspective, the last coal mining at the John Henry Mine took place in 1999.   It's now 20 years later - well past when mine reclamation should have been completed.

Lake Sawyer Water Levels - August 2019 Update

As you may have noticed, Lake Sawyer water levels as we near the end of August are about one foot higher than last year at this time and way above the beaver dam days of 2015.    Attached is a recently updated graph prepared by Jack Sperry plotting lake water levels above/below the weir dating back to 1996.  

As you can see, not as steep a drop as we have seen in recent years - at least so far.  Rain in the mountains this time of year is always good.

 

 

Thanks again Jack Sperry and Bob Edelman for keeping us up to date.  For more information about Lake Sawyer weather, follow this link to Bob's website at Lake Sawyer Weather.

Black Diamond - 1936 to 2017

What has been happening in Black Diamond looking back over the period 1936 to 2017?  What did our community look like then and how does that compare with the here and now?  King County's iMap Interactive Mapping Tool provides some great points of comparative reference.  Following is an aerial image taken in 1936 spanning from 288th Street in the north to Jones Lake in the south and Lake 12 to the east and Horseshoe Lake to the west.  Not all of this area is within current city limits but the map provides a reasonable framework for visualizing what changes have occurred in our community over the years.  Here's what an aerial view of our community looked like in 1936.

Adding a few photos of well known locations from this time period, 1936 looks like this:

The Lawson coal mine closed in 1910 following the explosion that killed 11 miners and the Black Diamond mines were on their last legs, if not closed, by 1930.  The railroad depot closed in 1925 for passenger service but rail service continued for hauling coal until about 1931.  The mid 1930's and the great depression served to end what I'll call the "resort" era at Lake 12 and Lake Sawyer, but what an era it was. You could even rent bathing suits back then. The Lake Sawyer Mill Company sawmill and logging operations closed the doors in 1934.  Click on the above picture to enlarge and get a better view of these photos and their locations.

Fast forward to 1998 and as one might expect over 60 years, a whole lot of change occurred during this period.

Mining came back to town with Palmer Coking Coal's aggregate mining operation, the Reserve Silica mining operation of silica sand (now closed and in process of reclamation) and of course the John Henry No. 1 Mine which ceased operations in 1999.

Dredging of area lakes seemed to be the order of the day, particularly at Lake Sawyer, with significant parts of the lake dredged to make it more "development friendly".  But the big news was all of the residential development that occurred in our community beginning in the 1950's. The Lake Sawyer area alone added over 600 residential lots as the Neukirchen family (owners of the Lake Sawyer Mill Co.) and other land owners subdivided their land into residential lots.  Our cabin/home was built was built in 1954.  Significant waterfront areas surrounding Lake 12 and Horseshoe Lake were also developed during this period.  In addition, with the development of Morgan Creek, Lawson Hills Estates, Eagle Creek and Diamond Glen, historic Black Diamond also saw significant residential growth.

In 1975, the Black Diamond School District was dissolved and absorbed into the Enumclaw School District.  Grade school age children went to school in Black Diamond with middle school and high school students bussed to Enumclaw (as it is today).  Sawyer Woods Elementary (part of the Kent School District) was built to support the residential growth on the west side of Lake Sawyer, followed by Kentlake High School, which opened in September 1997.

By 2007, King County aerial photographs were now in color.

By 2007, new schools had attracted more residential development in the designated King County urban growth area west of Lake Sawyer.  In this case, land use regulations intended to protect land from development in unincorporated King County didn't quite work.  Lots of homes were built.  The John Henry No. 1 Mine ceased operating in 1999.  No mine reclamation occurred during the 2000 - 2017 period and we can see a big deep lake and spoils piles now on the site.   A significant area of timberlands in the Lake Sawyer watershed were also clear cut during this period.

A decade later in 2017, we can see the beginnings of the 10 Trails Master Planned Development.

Important parts of Black Diamond's history remain with some freshened faces.  Still a wonderful view of Mt. Rainier from the Black Diamond Bakery.  The old railroad station has been remodeled and "reclaimed" into a top notch History Museum befitting our community's coal mining history.  What a great new coal miner statue. Even the historic cemetery received a freshening.  Wonderful library and a brand spanking new elementary school.  Trails for mountain bikers and hikers abound and so do the views from Lake Sawyer.  Fortunately, our community's gift of wonderful wildlife remains including those cute otters, elite osprey fishermen and kings of the sky bald eagles.  4th of July traditions with Uncle Sam at Lake Sawyer and Labor Day festivities also remain.  

It will be interesting to see what this map looks like in 2027.  Fortunately, we have some important measures now in place that hold real promise for our future.  For one, new parks and natural areas are strategically located to protect the Ravensdale Creek sub-watershed and Lake Sawyer water quality.

Forest lands previously logged have recently been acquired by King County and add even more buffer protection.  Much to be thankful for and much to look forward to, including plenty of challenges too.  From where I sit, though, my glass is well over half full.

 

Friends of Lake Sawyer - On Vacation or Moving Away?

In the nearly 40 years that we have lived at Lake Sawyer, we could always count on visits from lots of regular friends.  Though I expect that they are still around, it's been awhile since we have seen a few of them.  Maybe I should put up some MOST WANTED posters.  First on my MOST WANTED list are the family of river otters that seemed to visit so regularly during fall and winter months.  They are so fun to watch and a great indicator of healthy water quality.  But, it's been a few years since we have seen them making the rounds.

At one time we had kokanee spawning in Ravensdale Creek - a  fisherman's delight to be sure for both man and otter but kokanee haven't been seen here for 20 years or more and are no longer planted in the lake.  But, trout and bass fishing do seem to be reasonably good, judging from all the cormorants, osprey and fishing boats we regularly see.  So let's hope that our otter friends are just vacationing elsewhere for a little while, letting osprey guard their territory.

A couple of winters ago, a storm wreaked havoc with the eagles nest at the south end of Lake Sawyer next to Frog Lake.  Alas, too much damage done and the eagles haven't been seen nesting here since then.  Though we do still occasionally see them patrolling around the lake, it sure would be great if we could find where they might be nesting now.  Close I hope.

Here's a view of a 3 or 4 month old eaglet taking some practice flights between branches, about ready to leave the nest.  Where else have you seen this before and within walking distance of your home?

Next on my MOST WANTED list are the winter Coho salmon that have historically spawned up Ravensdale Creek.  Four or five years ago, Judy and I were able to find them spawning near the "slatted" bridge.  Quite the spectacle to witness.

The good news - a substantially modernized salmon hatchery downstream at Big Soos Creek is now nearly completed.  Let's hope that increasing water temperatures and more development along Covington Creek don't ruin this important habitat.

So, if you spot any of these "friends" on our MOST WANTED list, please let me know.  It's very important that we keep the welcome mat out - through our actions to protect lake water quality and to maintain the vital wildlife habitat that we now have.

With the old Black Diamond sewer plant no longer discharging into the lake beginning about 1991, with the John Henry No. 1 mine shut down beginning in 1999 and now we have an "anti-degradation" phosphorus discharge limit in place and enforceable with the MPD developer, we have a good shot at protecting the lake.  But, it will take the continued work and vigilance of us all to make that happen. We do have challenges ahead.

Lake Sawyer Water Temperatures

It sure seems like it's been a warm and dry January.  One indicator for me has been that I've been able to be out on the lake in our kayak at least a half dozen times so far this year.  I can't remember ever being out in January before.  Maybe it's all that tough old horsehide we grow for skin as we age, protecting us from the cold?  Curious, I checked the Lake Sawyer Weather website and sure enough, weather has been mild this January to say the least.  As of January 31, Lake Sawyer water temperature measured 48 degrees F at one meter below the surface.  That's certainly warm for this time of year.  I think we can forget ice skating around the lake again this year.  Here's the latest lake water temperature chart.

Although Bob Edelman, who maintains this website, doesn't have historical water temperature data readily available, he does provide historical annual rainfall data and historical ambient temperature data on a daily, weekly, monthly and annual basis for Lake Sawyer dating back to 2005.  Using this data, following are two charts.  First, January rainfall for the years 2005 through 2019.

2019 has had the lowest level of rainfall at just 2.87 inches in January over this period.  Average January ambient temperatures also are at the high end of the spectrum over this period.

Unfortunately, higher temperatures are not good for fish habitat, particularly trout and salmon.  The oxygen carrying capacity of warm water is much less than for colder water.  Not a problem for catfish though.  It's most likely wishful thinking, but let's hope that warming trends don't continue or accelerate as recent years and forecasts seem to suggest.

Thanks again Bob for keeping us informed about the lake!

Whitewater Kayaking and Rafting Down the Green River Gorge - Update

Last week I noted how high water flows were in the Green River Gorge.  3,200 cfs is prime for whitewater kayaking and rafting (see complete article below). Apparently such a large release of water from the dam was done in coordination between the corps of engineers and recreational kayaking groups and only for a short period.  As of Feb. 1, water flows are now back down to only 1,000 cfs which is normal for this time of year. 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

With water now flowing at 3,200 CFS, it's prime time for advanced kayakers and river rafters to enjoy the thrill of shooting the rapids down the Green River Gorge.  What an incomparable experience this is.  

I spent yesterday hiking several trails in the gorge and ran into some kayakers at Kanaskat-Palmer State Park preparing to head down the river.  I also was surprised to see the high water flows being released by the dam.  

The word must have gotten out because at these flow rates, this is prime time for those capable of navigating level III and level IV rapids.  High flows limited my access to the river and photograph opportunities but it sure is a thrill just to see it.  The 5 miles from Kanaskat to the takeout at the Franklin bridge have some pretty amazing rapids.  So, I headed down to the Franklin bridge hoping to see the kayakers as they made their way down.  Sure enough, in not too long, along they came.  The photo you see above was taken from one of the take out points - after the major rapids.  By this time, it was pretty easy play time for these kayakers.

The take out point is immediately below and to your right.  A lot of water flowing.  Several years ago, Judy and I were fortunate to raft down through the gorge, guided by experts, and what a memorable experience it was.  It was not just the thrill of the rapids, but the unique beauty of the gorge seldom seem by many.  Since that day, my appreciation for the gorge and the need to protect such a unique asset for future generations has grown enormously and if I want to get away for a hike close to home, this is my get-a-way.

Such unique geology.  Somehow, I don't think I need the sign to tell me not to dive, even at high water.

 

Goings On

Two important issues are before our community this coming week:

1. Public Hearing re Black Diamond's city budget for 2019
2. Public Comment period ends re DOE Agreed Order for cleanup of the Reserve Silica mining site near Ravensdale

Black Diamond has scheduled a special Council meeting for Monday December 3rd at 7pm to receive public comment regarding the city's draft 2019 budget.  A copy of the budget can be found at Special Council Meeting Packet.  I know it can be arduous to work your way through all these numbers, but it's important too.  With significant development underway, it's particularly important now.  Increasing our city's financial reserves remains essential.  After having the coffers nearly bare in 2009, steady progress has been made over the years, with the notable exception of the Derdowski council spending of 2017.  The following chart shows beginning and ending general fund reserves. beginning in 2010.

You can find a complete copy of my comments for this year's budget at Download 2019 Budget Comments.  Please let our Council, Mayor and staff know that you care about these issues and support their efforts to continue to shore up city financial reserves.

The Reserve Silica site near Ravensdale and Ravensdale Lake has been closed for surface mining of silica and coal since 2007.  However, dating back to the 1980's, the site was also used as a dump site for hazardous materials that continue to this day to result in groundwater/surface water quality problems at and adjacent to the site.  Mine owners first sought to develop part of the site into residential lots.  Thankfully, with the help of local citizen's, the King County Council's preliminary approvals for changing land use were overturned and owners are now under Order from the State DOE to reclaim and clean up the site.  The public comment period for these reclamation plans can be found at DOE Reserve Silica and Greater Maple Valley Council - Reserve Silica.  This issue is important to Black Diamond and Lake Sawyer residents.  Surface water runoff through current groundwater seeps can contaminate Ravensdale Lake which flows into Ravensdale Creek which flows into Lake Sawyer.

 

Lake Sawyer Water Levels - Current Readings

Thanks to Jack Sperry, we are able to track seasonal water levels in Lake Sawyer dating back to 1996.  As we can all tell just by looking at the lake, water levels have already gotten pretty low - the second lowest reading we have seen for this time of the year since data has been collected on a regular basis.  Here are the trends.

This is how Jack Sperry explained what he sees:

"As you will note on the graphs, the lowest yearly water level in my collection of King County data (1996-2006) and Bob Edelman’s (2010-2018) data using my water level gauge was in 2015(bright green line) when the inlets to the lake were restrained by beaver dams until they were removed.  This year (red line) is showing the 2^nd lowest summer water levels in my data collection.  I believe this is due to unusually lower rainfall this year and early and extended periods of warm and sometimes very hot weather.  We’ve received about 10 cumulative inches of rainfall less this year than at this same time last year and coincidently our water level (red line) is just a little more than 10 inches lower than it was a year ago (brown line)."

Hopefully, the current weather outlook for rain over the next week will help arrest the decline before it gets much lower.

Thank you again Jack for keeping us up to date.

Time for a Visit to the Cedar River Watershed?

Rich in natural resources and rich in history, the 90,638 Cedar River watershed owned by the City of Seattle is a real jewel.  Not only does it provide two thirds of the city's water supply and serve a total population of over 1.2 million people, it is a naturalist's dream - off limits to us all except for a few limited programs and tours held each year.  Many of us have hiked the trail to the top of Rattlesnake Ledge and have seen the beautiful forestlands below and Chester Morse Lake created by the dam in the distance.  Now you have an opportunity for a closer look.  Following is a screenshot of the tours/programs now being offered on the city's website:

I've heard and read so much about the flooding of Moncton once caused by Masonry Dam and the historic mining, railroad and logging towns of Taylor, Cedar Falls, Barneston and Kerriston.  Now we have an opportunity to see and learn from the experts.  Participation is limited and a nominal fee applies.  For example, the Watershed Tour is offered every Saturday and Sunday through September.  Reservations will be needed and capacity is limited to only 30 people each day.  The Family Watershed tour is specifically designed for the shorter attention span of youngsters.  Naturalist adventures also await youngsters.

For those not familiar with the Cedar River watershed, the following map might help.

For more information about these programs and tours, follow this link to Cedar River Watershed Programs and Tours.  I hope that you find the time to take advantage of this fun opportunity.

Water Quality - Lake 12 and Jones Lake

While updating water quality trends for Lake Sawyer, I took a quick look at water quality indicators for two other local lakes.  Lake 12 and Jones Lake will both be adversely impacted by discharge from the John Henry mine should it restart operations.  Both lakes are also currently struggling with water quality challenges.  Following are graphs showing trophic state index trend indicators provided by King County for each lake.  As a reminder, >50 = eutrophic is good for algae, catfish and cloudy water, <40 = oligotrophic is good for salmon, trout and clear/clean water.  Lake 12's numbers are as follows.

Phosphorus concentrations appear to have worsened at Lake 12 in recent years.  In addition, should the John Henry Mine restart operations, this will further increase the amount of runoff and phosphorus going into the lake, potentially adding to current concerns.

Jones Lake appears to have even greater water quality challenges and would be considered as eutrophic today.  The data shown below is the last data available, but there is nothing to indicate that things have gotten any better since then.  To some extent, Jones Lake serves as a "sink" for process water and stormwater generated by the John Henry mine, stormwater from Lawson Hill residences, SR169 road runoff and old town Black Diamond stormwater, before discharging into Rock Creek and eventually into Lake Sawyer.  Without this sink and accumulation of sediment in Jones Lake, it is likely that Lake Sawyer water quality would be worse than it is today.  And keep in mind, what happens to sinks after a while?  They can only hold so much before accumulated sediment begins to overflow and this could significantly and adversely impact  Lake Sawyer.  Here is the data we have for Jones Lake.

More about Jones Lake in a future post.

 

Lake Sawyer Water Quality - Updated Thru May 2018

King County recently reported water quality sampling results for Lake Sawyer updated thru May 2018.  In a nutshell, there was not significant change.  Focusing first on phosphorus concentrations during May, here are my updated graphs.

No data was reported at a sampling depth of 15 meters for 2016 or 2018.  Not sure why.

Secchi disk sampling (a measure of water clarity) also remains in positive territory - five straight years now showing lake water clarity at a depth below the May average going back to the year 2000.   Data collected this year was rounded to the nearest whole number.   

As an overall indicator of lake water quality, King County uses what is called a trophic state index.  A eutrophic lake with an index greater than 50 is what we want to avoid at all cost - they are full of nutrients, weeds and algae.  Great for growing catfish, but not salmon or trout.  An oligotrophic lake with an index of 40 or below is generally clear with high oxygen levels and excellent fish habitat. 

In recent years, Lake Sawyer has remained borderline oligotrophic with good clarity and little if any algae.  Let's not go back to the bad old days of regular algae blooms and cloudy water.  Why are we concerned about process wastewater (coal washing operations) from the John Henry mine and stormwater from the mine being dumped into the Lake Sawyer watershed?  Enough said.

 

Yikes - Feds Give Go Ahead to Coal Mining at the John Henry Mine

Sad to say, the Federal Office of Surface Mining approved plans by Seattle based Pacific Coast Coal Company to reopen the John Henry mine and in the process, ignored our community's concerns about water quality degradation of Lake Sawyer.  Apparently, its ok these days to dump coal mine waste with elevated levels of contaminants into our lake.  In reading through OSM's approval documents, the only thing they apparently took to heart from State, County and citizen input was to require that PCCC begin reclamation if they fail to actually do mining at the site within one year.  In point of fact, this provides no assurance that reclamation will occur.  All PCCC needs to do to continue their blatant avoidance of reclamation is to move some equipment around for a week or so, call it mining, and then do nothing again.  Unless PCCC can "guarantee" that no degradation of Lake Sawyer water quality will occur, the mine needs to be closed for good now and reclaimed.  PCCC should be held to no lower water quality standards than those anti-degradation limits established with the city's Master Planned Developer.

To begin mining, two more permits must be obtained by PCCC - a Water Quality permit from Washington State Department of Ecology and a grading permit from King County.  Needless to say, I encourage us all to be in touch with DOE and do all we can to deny permit issuance.  Algae blooms in Lake Sawyer are too high a price for our community to have to pay.  Following are several links:

Federal Office of Surface Mining - John Henry Mine

Seattle Weekly Article May 25, 2018

Enumclaw Currier Herald May 25, 2018

The John Henry Mine - A Continuing Saga

Along with others I'm sure, I am planning to follow-up with DOE to better understand how we can best make our voices and concerns heard.  I will also follow-up with OSMRE to understand why our input and concerns were ignored.  No explanation has yet been given.

 

Coal Mining in Washington - A Quick Q&A

One cure for excessive verbosity is the simple use of charts and graphs.  Let's give it a try.

How much coal was mined in Washington State during the boom years?

Source: Coal & Coal Mining in Washington, Washington State Division of Mines and Geology, circa 1947

Where was coal once mined in the state and how many people were employed?  

Source: Coal & Coal Mining in Washington, Washington State Division of Mines and Geology, circa 1947

How much coal was mined in Pierce County?

Source: The Mining History of Pierce County, Washington Division of Geology and Earth Sciences, circa 1979

Which Pierce County Mines were the biggest.?

Source: The Coal Fields of Pierce County, Washington Geologic Survey, circa 1914

How big were the mines in our area, including Black Diamond and Franklin?

Source: Bill Kombol, Palmer Coking Coal Company

If employment is any indicator, local mines once accounted for 25% or more of all coal once produced in the state.

Were the mines safe?

Source: Bill Kombol, Palmer Coking Coal Company

During the period from 1887 thru 1927, 203 men lost their lives in local mines.

What about today?  No coal is currently being mined in the State of Washington.  However, Seattle based Pacific Coast Coal Company has submitted an application to restart mining at the John Henry Mine located just north of the City of Black Diamond.  Washington is one of only two states who rely on the U.S. Bureau of Mines for mine regulation and permit issuance.  Despite requests for a status update re Pacific Coast Coal's application, I have received no response from the Bureau of Mines.  

Because operation of this mine poses significant risk for degradation of Lake Sawyer water quality, I submitted my comments and concerns earlier.  But they do not respond.  They used to be quite responsive for info about the mine, but no more.  For more information about the John Henry Mine, follow this link to my earlier post The John Henry Mine - A Continuing Saga.  Once I hear anything, I'll be sure to pass it along.

Local Area Open Space - 1,000's of Acres to Explore

Designating Lake Sawyer as our "Center of the Universe" for the moment, draw a circle with a 15 to 20 mile radius from the center of the lake.  Or use Old Town Black Diamond with the Historical Museum at center and you will obtain the same results.  Within this circle there are nearly 10,000 acres of designated park and open space lands for us all to explore and enjoy.  Most of this land is owned by Washington State Parks, but in recent years King County has acquired large parcels particularly important to us here in Black Diamond.  Other owners include area cities and the Dept. of Fish and Wildlife.  Here's a map with designated open space areas identified.

Dark blue lines represent regional trails.  Green areas shown are owned by King County, bluish green areas owned by the State and the smaller greenish brown areas owned by cities.  Light blue lines represent rivers and streams.  Following is this same view taken from aerial photos maintained by King County using their wonderful tool King County iMap.

King county has aerial images dating back to 1936 with the most current being 2015.  It's very easy to zoom in with high levels of detail and get a historical perspective on development in our area over time.  But first, we have so much open space lands to explore..  I encourage each of us to find open space areas on this map that you have not yet visited and would like to see.  To find ways to access, open iMap by following the link shown above and zoom in and move around until you find the areas you are interested in.  Pretty amazing.  Easy to use after just a little time to play with it.  You can even find out your neighbors' property tax assessed values and property history if you would like.  More about historical mapping and what we can learn in future posts.

Hoarfrost - Frost on Steroids

While walking the trail along Ravensdale Creek this morning, Judy and I were disappointed to not see Coho salmon spawning in the stream.  Perhaps a little early or maybe too late this year.  Will have to keep checking.  Nature, however, never lets us down and there is always something special here.  As a wise sage named Thoreau once said, it's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see.  For us this day it was hoarfrost, something we may have noticed but not seen before.  What a treat.

How unusual.  What is hoarfrost?  It looks more like an old man's beard than ice particles.  On days like today, clear and cold with temperatures well below freezing, water vapor molecules come in contact with subfreezing surfaces such as leaves or branches and transform directly from gas to solid state.  The process is called "deposition", leading to a coating of tiny ice crystals.  

They grow longer and longer one upon another, creating these fascinating crystalline structures.  I love the contrast between hoarfrost and moss.  The hoarfrost looks like an upscale cousin or perhaps a tree's jewelry.  Ideal places for hoarfrost to grow are along streams or in foggy areas with high moisture content and cold winter air.  The longer these weather conditions persist, the longer a beard of hoarfrost can grow.  Once we started looking, pockets of hoarfrost seemed to be all over.

Looks like these crystals were created by a hairdresser.  Isn't it amazing what we can see if we but take notice.
 

 

How Much Are Your Trees Worth?

The answer is a lot according to a new computer model called the National Tree Benefit Calculator.  Obviously, this is not something used by timber cruisers in the logging business.  The model is intended to help quantify the annual value of trees grown in an urban/suburban setting.  We have quite a few large douglas fir trees on our property so I thought I'd see what the model calculates as their value.  Here's the results for an average 45" diameter douglas fir growing in Black Diamond based on our climate data - nearly $118 per year per tree.  

According to the model, reduced stormwater represents the biggest economic value here.

Calculating this value for stormwater is based upon these assumptions:

"Trees act as mini-reservoirs, controlling runoff at the source. Trees reduce runoff by:

• Intercepting and holding rain on leaves, branches and bark
• Increasing infiltration and storage of rainwater through the tree's root system
• Reducing soil erosion by slowing rainfall before it strikes the soil"

Though the benefits they cite are indeed true, the values may be a bit overstated here at Lake Sawyer given the highly permeable soils we have and our rain garden.  But there is no doubt, our 20 douglas firs drink up a lot of water.

Energy savings, principally through providing shade and cooling in the summer are also calculated.

According to the model:  "Your 45 inch Douglas fir will conserve 200 Kilowatt hours of electricity for cooling and reduce consumption of oil or natural gas by 21 therm(s)."  Since we don't have air conditioning, this would not apply to us specifically but in an urban environment it may not be far off the mark.  

Each of our firs is calculated to reduce atmospheric carbon by 441 lbs. per year.  "They sequester ("lock up") CO2 in their roots, trunks, stems and leaves while they grow, and in wood products after they are harvested.  Trees near buildings can reduce heating and air conditioning demands, thereby reducing emissions associated with power production."

Overall, with 20 big trees we stand to benefit by over $2,000 per year and this excludes property value benefits.  Big maples would pencil out at even higher benefit numbers.  Though the financial calculations may be a bit over the top in our circumstance, the model provides a fun reminder that trees benefit us not just aesthetically but environmentally and economically in many other ways as well.  Plant a tree - make your day.

 

 

The John Henry Mine - A Continuing Saga

The John Henry Mine closed surface mining operations in 1999.  In July 2010, the U.S. Office of Surface Mining (OSM) notified mine owner Pacific Coast Coal Company that they must commence mine reclamation immediately, denying a PCC permit application for the restart of mining activities.  To quote from OSM's letter:  “After eleven years with no mining activity or reclamation, the company must be held to a reasonable standard, which is why OSM has denied Pacific Coast’s permit.”   PCC appealed and was issued a permit to restart mining, delaying costly mine reclamation.  What's happened since then?  Nothing.  No mining.  No reclamation.  Faced with expiration of PCC's mining permit, they submitted a new application to extend their permit for another 7 years, expiring in 2024.  

For those not familiar with the site, following are a map and an aerial photo taken in 2015 from King County iMap showing the mining site.  

The very southern part of the mine, only about 25 acres of the 500 acre total, is located within Black Diamond city limits.  The mine site is bordered by the Black Diamond - Ravensdale road to the west, city of Black Diamond and Lawson St. to the south and 270th and Lake 12 to the east.

There are at least three very good reasons to deny issuing a mining permit extension:

1.  As the Nov.10 article in the Seattle Times phrased the issue, it's one of "Small Potatoes or Climate Change Disaster.  

2.  Based on past behavior, it appears to be nothing more than a Reclamation Deferral Scam.

3.  We face significant Lake Sawyer Water Quality Degradation if the mine restarts.

King County Executive Dow Constantine has vowed to fight permit issuance to the end.  Let's hope that he can be successful in winning the argument about "small potatoes" because if he doesn't, our community is going to pay a big price.  Unfortunately, the county's argument appears to provide little focus on the very real and tangible adverse consequences on our community if PCC is issued another operating permit extension.  These for me are the big issues.  Thanks to a heads up from city staff, I was made aware that a public comment period was open thru October 17 and I was able to provide public comment in time - addressing both reclamation and water quality issues as best I could.  Rather than paraphrase my 10 pages of comments, I have attached a copy of these comments for those interested.  This should be a very serious concern to us all.

Download Comments re John Henry Mine

Also attached is a copy of King County's official response to OSM dated Oct. 17.  In my opinion, it is not very strong, particularly when it comes to water quality impacts on Lake Sawyer.  Let's hope that the most recent publicity in the Times awakens staff to take this far more seriously.

Download DPER letter

Will keep you apprised as I learn more.

 

Lake Sawyer Water Quality Trends - Chlorophyll-a

Chlorophyll-a is the third water quality indicator used by King County when calculating an overall water quality index known as the Trophic State Index.  In earlier posts, I focused on Phosphorus and Secchi Disk Clarity and will pull all three together for an overall Trophic State Index once we have August data available.  Chlorophyll-a concentration measures the abundance of phytoplankton.  The higher the chlorophyll-a, the higher the algae growth we typically see.  All algae use it in order to complete the photosynthetic pathway by which they store energy.  Following are 2001 - 2017 sampling results for Lake Sawyer first taken in May of each year.

As we can see, trends over this period are very positive measured at both 1 meter below the surface and 8 meters below the surface.  The lower the Chlorophyll-a during the growing season, particularly near the surface, the less algae growth we should see and that appears to be the case.  We have seen little algae at our area of the lake the last few years.

August measurements, however, are significantly more variable.

Although May data consistently show higher concentrations nearer the surface than down at 8 meters, in August this reverses and measured values at 8 meters significantly exceed that for 1 meter below the surface.  In addition, 2015 and 2016 both showed a significant spike in chlorophyll-a measured at 8 meters compared to the average of prior years.  Not quite sure what to make of this yet.  Water levels in the lake were extraordinarily low in both 2015 and 2016 which could be a factor.  But we'll have to see results from this year's sampling in August to learn more about what might be going on.  2017 data for May certainly doesn't show any anomalies.  And as King County keeps saying - one data point does not a trend make.  We'll see.

The Black River - A River No Longer

Until 1916, the Black River linked Lake Washington with the Duwamish River, and the water was deep enough for steamboats to travel between towns on the lake and Puget Sound. After the lake was lowered in 1916, during construction of the Lake Washington Ship Canal, the Black River dried up and gradually disappeared. This photo shows the Black River as it looked around 1898-1900.

Photo courtesy Museum of History & Industry, 1988.33.286, Anders Wilse photographer, circa 1899

What was once the streambed of the Black River is currently the site of the Renton Wastewater Treatment Plant and its point of discharge.

Lake Sawyer Water Quality Results - Secchi Disk Water Clarity

Every May and August, a team of volunteers for King County conducts testing of lake water clarity.  In simple terms, they lower a "flashy" disk into the water and measure at what depth they can no long see the disk.  Technically, it's called a Secchi disk. The deeper the better, meaning the lake is that much clearer.  A murky lake without much transparency of light at shallow depths would typically be more "eutrophic" with lower dissolved oxygen and algae blooms more common - and less hospitable for fish.  We obviously don't want that.  Walking out on our dock this past weekend, I was surprised and quite pleased to see how clear the water was all the way to the bottom.  It sure looks to be getting clearer from year to year but what does the measured data say?  King County has not yet posted results for this year but they do have results posted thru 2016.  Here are the reported Secchi results for the years 2001 thru 2016.

Once again, the higher the Secchi values, the deeper and clearer the water and the better the water quality.  As we can see, measurements in May are typically lower than in August.  Fresh water flowing into the lake from Ravensdale Creek and Rock Creek in the spring bring with it higher levels of particulate making the water murkier at that time of year.  As the summer progresses, this particulate settles out and/or is carried over the spillway into Covington Creek.  By August, Sept. and Oct, water clarity typically reaches its peak.  It sure looks good right now.

It's important to note that one should not try to read too much into results from just one year to another.  King County makes the point that only until you have an 8 year or so trend, can we draw conclusions about lake water quality improving or worsening.  Thus, I always try to include charts with data spanning 10 or more years - in this case from 2001 thru 2016.  Not only is the 15 year trend very favorable, it appears to have accelerated improvement in water clarity during the past several years.  Let's hope that these trends continue.  Will add 2017 data to these charts once King County releases the data.

Special thanks go to Lake Sawyer resident Ken Doktor for taking the time to be trained by King County and who now spends many an hour each month taking water quality samples, helping us all protect the lake.    It should be noted that Ken is also a member of the Rock Creek Restoration team.  Thank you Ken!!!!

Note:  King county reports no data in their records for the year 2005 and that is why these charts exclude data for the year 2005.