Staff reports
King County has eliminated a site on West Valley Highway in Auburn from its list of candidates for a new recycling and solid waste transfer station in South King County.
According to a press release, “review thus far has determined that a site located at 28721 West Valley Highway South in Auburn just north of the 37th Street West Valley Highway intersection is not a reasonable alternative, cannot feasibly attain the proposal’s objectives, and has been eliminated as a potential location for a new transfer station.”
King County’s Solid Waste Division made the announcement as it issued a Revised Determination of Significance and request for comments on the scope of Environmental Impact Statement in accordance with the State Environmental Policy Act
The new facility would replace the 1960s-era Algona Transfer Station that is outdated, overcapacity, and lacks sufficient space for recycling services.
An Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) will be prepared that evaluates two “action alternatives” and a no-action alternative. The two properties being evaluated as “action alternatives” are as follows:
• 901 C Street Southwest, Auburn
• 35101 W. Valley Highway S., Algona
A “no action” alternative is also being evaluated in the EIS, which would keep the current Algona Transfer Station at 35315 West Valley Hwy. S., Algona 98001 until the end of its useful life.
King County encourages anybody with ideas about the specific aspects of the environment it should study in the EIS to send their comments via email to: SCRTS.project@kingcounty.gov or by mail to: King County Solid Waste Division, 201 S. Jackson Street, Suite 701, Seattle, WA 98104-3855, ATTN: Tom Creegan, Project Manager.
The deadline to submit scoping comments is Nov. 24.
King County’s Solid Waste Transfer and Waste Management Plan recommends replacing the old Algona Transfer Station. The plan, approved by the King County Council in 2007 with input from an advisory committee, established the framework for upgrading the county’s aging transfer station infrastructure.
King County is proposing to replace the outdated and over-capacity Algona Transfer Station with a facility that:
• Provides sufficient space for recycling services;
• Encloses the building to control odor, noise and dust;
• Provides adequate on-site space for vehicles to maneuver;
• Integrates sustainable building design; and
• Achieves compatibility with the surrounding neighborhood.
