Open house today on Greenways Initiative

SEATTLE — Seattle Parks and Recreation is holding a public meeting and ice cream social today from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Rainier Beach Community Center and Pool, 8825 Rainier Ave. S., to talk about projects that could be part of the Greenways Initiative.

The city said the goal is to improve access to parks for pedestrians and bicycles.

Two projects that will be completed this year are in south Seattle at Rainier Beach Playfield and John C. Little Sr. Park. Information is at http://www.seattle.gov under parks/projects/greenways/

The Seattle Park District provides more than $47 million a year for maintenance, operation and development of new parks. Information about the meeting is available from Karen O'Connor at karen.o'connor@seattle.gov or 206-233-7929.

Tilth's urban farm tour is Saturday

SEATTLE — Seattle Tilth's 17th annual self-guided Chicken Coop and Urban Farm Tour is Saturday, July 16, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Tilth said in a press release that many of the farms are tucked behind ordinary looking houses, and will amaze visitors with livestock, chicken coops, compost systems, rain water collection, solar systems, hugelkultur beds, permaculture design and art.

Hosts will share what they've learned, and judges will choose winners for Community Star, Innovation Station, Garden to the Max and Animal House awards. Attendees will vote for the People's Choice Award online after the event.

Get tickets online at http://www.seattletilth.org or in person at Portage Bay Grange and at Seattle Farm Co-op.

Judge reduces fine for pesticide sprayer

SALEM, Ore. (AP) — An Oregon pesticide applicator may be paying reduced penalties for ignoring the Oregon Department of Agriculture's order to stop spraying herbicides.

The Capital Press reports that a senior administrative law judge has recommended that Applebee Aviation be fined for less than $55,000 and have their pesticide-spraying licenses suspended for one year.

The Oregon Department of Agriculture previously said Applebee Aviation must pay $160,000 and its owner Michael Applebee must pay an additional $20,000. The state's original fine was $1,100.

ODA says it discovered the company performed 16 separate pesticide applications in violation of its suspended license. The state obtained a restraining order in court to stop the company from spraying.

Applebee can challenge the ruling before the Oregon Court of Appeals after a final order has been issued.

Coos Bay fined $8,000 for sludge overflow

COOS BAY, Ore. (AP) — The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality has fined the city of Coos Bay because of a sludge overflow this winter.

The (Coos Bay) World reports the city has less than three weeks to contest the $8,000 penalty.

The DEQ says the incident happened Jan. 13 when a pump was left running at the city's wastewater treatment plant. The DEQ says sludge represents a public health threat because it could contaminate shellfish.

The city could face additional fines of $1,600 a day if it does not begin work on the wastewater treatment plant no. 2 replacement project by Sept. 12.

New worries about lead in Eugene homes

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — After drinking water at several public school buildings in Eugene tested positive for elevated levels of lead, homeowners in the area have expressed concern that their homes might also have tainted water.

The Register-Guard reports that about 72 percent of all homes in Lane County were built before 1986, when the use of lead-based pipes was banned. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says homes built before then are more likely to have lead pipes, fixtures and solder.

The Eugene Water & Electric Board, which provides water for most of the area, is not required to test plumbing or water quality inside private homes.

EWEB officials suggest that if homeowners are concerned they should test their water at a state-certified lab. Tests typically cost about $30 and a list of labs can be found on the EWEB website.

Kenworth plant wins wastewater award

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RENTON — Kenworth's truck plant in Renton won the King County Industrial Waste Program 2015 Gold Award for wastewater compliance covering discharge, permit, ordinance, reporting, self-monitoring and King County monitoring.

The awards honor facilities for protecting water quality.

The plant holds ISO 14001:2004 certification for environmental systems that allow Class 8 trucks to be built in an environmentally responsible manner. The Renton plant also holds a county award for recycling and waste reduction.

Volunteers help Save Seattle's Apples

Photo by Dan DeLong [enlarge]

Makena Carr covers an Asian pear tree with netting to keep pests off the fruit at Danny Woo Community Garden in Seattle.

SEATTLE — Volunteers from KeyBank worked with City Fruit recently on the second Save Seattle's Apples campaign. The goal is to improve the quality of the city's apple crop, increase donations to area food banks and reduce the amount of damaged fruit that ends up as compost.

Volunteers helped prevent pests by wrapping trees in netting to protect the apple crop.

KeyBank said in a press release that in 2014, City Fruit was forced to compost over 12,000 pounds of fruit from trees in Seattle because of insects, poor tree management or neglect. Save Seattle's Apples has dramatically decreased the amount of fruit that must be composted.

City Fruit helps tree owners grow healthy fruit, and helps with harvesting, preserving and sharing fruit.

$48M goes to western states for drought

BRIGHTON, Colo. (AP) — The Obama administration is awarding $48 million in grants in 13 mostly western states, including Washington, to help farmers and others conserve water and energy amid drought and climate change.

The money will pay for improvements to irrigation and water delivery systems as well as provide technical assistance for planning and engineering conservation measures.

The grants will help complete 76 projects and save 123,000 acre-feet of water, or about 40 billion gallons, each year, said Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Estevan Lopez.

The projects are in California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.

About $15 million of the grants will come from his department and $32.6 million from the Bureau of Reclamation, part of the Interior Department.

More upgrades for Ferry County trail

REPUBLIC, Ferry County (AP) — The Ferry County Rail Trail north of Republic is being improved with smooth surface sections.

A 8-foot wide surface of crusher fines was spread and compacted on 2.3 miles of the abandoned railway along the west side of Curlew Lake in May.

The new surfacing from Pete's Retreat South to Herron Creek Road connects to the improvements made last summer for a total of 5.5 miles.

The trail runs 28.5 miles on an abandoned railway from the U.S.-Canada border to an existing trail at Republic. Some portions of the trail are in good condition for mountain biking while some stretches are still rough.

The new surfacing was funded by a $198,000 Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office non-motorized trail grant. Ferry County Rail Trail Partnership is raising money to help fund improvements.

In April 2014, the Curlew Lake Trestle across the north end of the fine fishing lake was re-decked and opened for public use.

The phase 3 plan for this year also includes a new vault toilet and surface improvements to about 2 miles of rail-trail.

Materials for the surfacing were donated by Kinross Gold Corp., transportation of materials by ACI Northwest Inc., equipment use from Stott's Construction and volunteer hours from Curlew Job Corps, students and other local stakeholders and trail advocates.

Rooftop mixer July 13 at Hart Crowser

SEATTLE NEBC will hold its Olympic Chapter Rooftop Mixer on Wednesday, July 13, from 5 to 7:30 p.m. on the roof of Hart Crowser's office at

3131 Elliott Ave. in Seattle. NEBC members and guests pay $30 and its $35 for non-members. Information is at http://www.nebc.org

The evening of networking includes one beverage and hors d'oeuvres, with views of Elliott Bay from the outdoor patio at Hart Crowser's new building.

Feds OK $16M for Alaska energy projects

ANCHORAGE (AP) — Rural communities in Alaska are set to receive more than $16 million in federal grants to go toward their energy projects.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture said the grants will fund projects in areas where households pay at least 275 percent of the national average for their energy.

Recipients of the High Energy Cost Grants include nine towns, tribal organizations and utilities in various parts of Alaska. The awards range from $450,000 for the city of Grayling to build a system to capture and convert heat from a diesel plant to $3 million for the Alaska Village Electric Co-op, or AVEC, to develop a grid connecting towns to a planned wind farm in the Yukon Delta.

All the projects are aimed at using alternative energy sources or increasing efficiency to reduce dependence on diesel.

AVEC President Meera Koehler said the federal dollars are “critical to make these projects actually viable.”

Patrick Boonstra of Intelligent Energy Systems is working with the city of Pilot Point to install a wind turbine and electric stoves with grant funding.

Grant recipients still need to complete environmental reviews of their projects before securing the funding.

NANA Regional Corp. will get $1.6 million to install a battery and grid-forming converter in Buckland and Deering. The Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium is set to receive $690,388 to install solar photovoltaic arrays to reduce costs for several community water treatment facilities.

Urban Smart Bellevue launches this week

BELLEVUE — On Wednesday, Bellevue and PSE are launching Urban Smart Bellevue, a new effort to work with businesses to improve energy efficiency in downtown buildings and make Bellevue a leader in sustainable energy.

They said in a press release that commercial buildings waste about 30 percent of the energy they consume. The goal is to reduce collective annual energy use by five percent within two years.

The program will work with owners, operators and tenants. Even if just 200 businesses in the downtown core participate, the city and PSE said that would save more than $1 million in energy costs and save enough energy to power 16 average commercial buildings for a year.

Businesses will get a free action plan, an online dashboard to track progress and other tools to help cut energy use.

Permit updated for animal feed lots

OLYMPIA — Large livestock and animal facilities are one step closer to having a standard set of practices to protect water quality.

Ecology is updating the Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation permit, which expired in 2011. Ecology said changes will address groundwater, and primarily cover dairies. The updated permit expands coverage from 10 facilities to an estimated 150-200 facilities.

Ecology said it has gotten input from farmers, environmental groups, agencies, legislators and tribes. Facilities with less than 200 head of livestock will not be required to seek coverage.

The draft permit is available for review through Aug. 17, and Ecology is holding workshops and public hearings in Bellingham on July 26, in Yakima on July 28, and an online webinar workshop and hearing on July 27.

Comments due on Zayo fiber optic line

WALLA WALLA — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Walla Walla District is taking comments until July 5 on the draft finding of no significant impact for the Zayo Eastern Washington/Oregon Fiber Optic Line Project.

The Corps proposes to issue an easement to Zayo Inc. for the line that would be located on Corps-managed land on both sides of the Columbia River in Benton and Franklin counties in Washington, and Umatilla County in Oregon. Zayo wants to install approximately 200 miles of fiber optic line from Ellensburg to Umatilla.

The draft FONSI and other documents are at http://www.nww.usace.army.mil/Missions/Environmental-Compliance.

Comments may be submitted by email to NEPANWW@usace.army.mil, noting “Zayo” in the subject line. Or mail them to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, ATTN: CENWW-PD-EC - Zayo, 201 N. Third Ave., Walla Walla, WA 99362-1876

Deschutes restoration a work in progress

BEND, Ore. (AP) — Despite efforts to reintroduce salmon in Oregon's Deschutes River, there still aren't enough of the fish for a sustainable run.

The Bulletin reports that people have raised concerns about fish passage operations and water quality, but experts say restoring the upstream salmon may just take time.

Officials are trying to restore salmon runs upstream of a 20-mile dam complex operated by Portland General Electric. The three-dam complex was completed in 1964 and stopped salmon runs decades ago.

PGE fisheries and water quality manager Megan Hill says people want to see immediate results but don't realize that reintroducing salmon takes time.

The company will include public updates on the project during its 21st annual workshop exploring dam and fishery topics, which will be held Wednesday and Thursday in Madras.

Groups say plastic seawalls bad for turtles

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Two environmental groups are threatening to sue South Carolina and the federal government if they don't protect sea turtles from new hard plastic seawalls first installed on beaches a few years ago.

The State newspaper reports the state Sierra Club and Wildlife Federation sent a notice giving the government 60 days to act.

The state Department of Health and Environmental Control says it is investigating a picture of turtle tracks leading to a wall and other reports the seawalls are blocking turtle nests.

Lawmakers allowed the seawalls as part of an experiment to see if officials could stop erosion and protect turtles.

Isle of Palms Republican Sen. Chip Campsen says the walls were put in heavily eroded areas where the sand is too packed for sea turtle nests.

Kent looks at crosswalk improvements

KENT — City staff are asking Kent City Council for approval to install and maintain 61 new marked crosswalks and remove the markings at 47 crosswalks as early as this summer.

As part of the proposed policy, the city also would identify locations for additional safety features, such as flashing lights, and these features and crosswalk markings would be installed as funding becomes available.

The city said in a press release that roads, traffic and pedestrian activity have changed over time and this policy will make crosswalk marking more consistent. The City Council may schedule a public hearing.

Send questions and comments about the crosswalk recommendations to Senior Transportation Planner Lacey Jane Wolfe at lwolfe@kentwa.gov or (253) 856-5564.

No dam for Idaho's Bear River

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Federal authorities rejected a request by an irrigation company in southeastern Idaho to build a dam on the Bear River.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission voted last week to deny Twin Lakes Canal Co.'s license application for a 109-foot-high dam with a 10-megawatt powerhouse.

Commissioners say the project would inundate the Bureau of Land Management's Oneida Narrows Research Natural Area with resulting loss of recreation, wildlife and fishing resources that could not be replaced.

A final environmental impact statement released last month recommended commissioners reject the project, citing the potential loss of 4.5 miles of river, 425 acres of wildlife habitat and the scenic Oneida Narrows.

The canal company said the proposed reservoir would provide irrigation water to about 230 farmers and ranchers.

Buried bridge to replace culvert on SR 202

WOODINVILLE — WSDOT engineers have come up with a novel solution for replacing a narrow culvert and avoiding a long-term road closure on state Route 202/131st Avenue Northeast in Woodinville: an underground bridge. Work starts this week on the $7.5 million project and it is due for completion by fall 2017.

Replacing a culvert usually requires road closures for removal and installation. But SR 202 is six to seven lanes wide in areas, and the creek is about 30 feet below the road, and that would have meant a month-long closure.

WSDOT said mostly overnight lane closures and one weekend highway closure are expected.

Crews will drill 70 underground shafts to form walls to support the new bridge. Girders will be placed on top to create the new bridge. Next summer, crews will excavate under the buried bridge to uncover the old culvert, reveal the new bridge walls and the undersides of the girders, and build a new stream channel.

The new opening will be 25 feet tall and 30 feet wide. The current opening is 6 by 10 feet. This will improve fish passage and reduce flooding. The new streambed will provide wildlife habitat and help restore fish migration patterns.

This is one of more than 1,000 fish-blocking culverts in the state that must be removed under a 2013 court ruling.

City picks 3 days for ‘Summer Parkways'

SEATTLE — Seattle Summer Parkways returns this summer in August and September, with special events in Rainier Valley, West Seattle and Ballard.

Streets will become open-street “parkways” so people can bike, play, walk and run, and enjoy activities, live music and recreation.

Mayor Ed Murray said in a press release, “Building on last year's success, we are looking forward to bringing this celebration to more communities.”

The days are Saturday, Aug. 13 in Rainier Valley, Saturday, Aug. 27 in Ballard and Sunday, Sept. 25 in West Seattle.

People who want to host an activity in their neighborhood can fill out an online application. Information is at http://www.seattle.gov/summerparkways.