In the July 8 edition of the Reporter, Lorraine Loomis called for a moratorium on development until salmon populations stabilize. The chance of that happening is probably somewhere between zero and none.

The governmental bodies of the Puget Sound Basin love to make long-term plans that endeavor to solve the problems by setting long-term goals. They are usually long on subjectivity but short on objectivity and actions at the daily operations level.

I have noticed “improvements” filling and landscaping the shoulders of arterials causing more runoff with copper brake pad, oils and other automotive pollutants to wash down Mill Creek headed to Puget Sound to poison salmon and other aquatic life. These were previously retained by the Earth’s natural filter when allowed to run off onto the gravel shoulder.

It is ironic the City of Auburn and Army Corps of Engineers just completed a $5 million stream bed restoration under Northwest 15th Street to enhance salmon recovery while “permitting” these additional pollutants to be flushed into the ecosystem from the hill above.

Construction activities in the area caused enough fine silt to plug my driveway storm drain for the first time in 35 years. This man made pollutant also clogs the spawning beds. If this runoff were still allowed onto a gravel shoulder, the Earth’s natural filtering action would capture the all the pollutants plus the water could still be refilling the Lakehaven Water District’s aquifer.

This has happened at several locations in the last few years on the West Hill. How many times is this ecological disaster multiplied in the Puget Sound Basin? This year? Next year? And again the next?

I doubt if developers and residents will give up their curbs, sidewalks and storm drains in their subdivisions. Capturing the primary source of automotive pollutants along our arterials should retain the bulk from this source. To endeavor is not good enough to save the salmon. We do have to start somewhere to achieve the stated goals in the feel good, long-range plans.

Let us take common sense actions now while the studies and feel good planning continue at a snail’s pace.

– Bob Zimmerman