Feb 02, 1999

Treatment plant proposal wins support

SEATTLE -- The proposal to build a third regional sewage treatment plant got support yesterday from state and national environmental experts. Representatives of the state Department of Ecology and the Federal Environmental Protection Agency testified yesterday before the Metropolitan King County Council. The council is reviewing a $1.1 billion plan to expand the wastewater treatment system by building a third plant in north King County or south Snohomish County. A final decision is scheduled for later this spring. John Glynn of Ecology advocated expanding the regional system as proposed by County Executive Ron Sims and the Regional Water Quality Committee. Chuck Clarke, EPA regional administrator, said the county must continue secondary treatment of wastewater. The need for secondary wastewater treatment is one of a number of assumptions about the plan questioned by Councilwoman Maggi Fimia, whose district would be home to the new plant. Her questions stem from a 1993 National Academy of Sciences report that found coastal cities may not need secondary sewage treatment because ocean currents adequately disperse wastewater. But Clarke said it takes more than a year for the waters of Puget Sound to be replaced by new ocean water. "Not only did the state acknowledge that we are quickly running out of capacity to treat sewage, but they also agreed that building a new treatment plant was the best solution," said Councilmember Larry Phillips, who chairs the Regional Water Quality Committee. "And the EPA made it clear that secondary treatment of wastewater is environmentally sound and legally required."

Miller Nash names E-team

PORTLAND -- Northwest law firm Miller, Nash, Wiener, Hager & Carlsen LLP has named two new co-chairs of its environmental law department. The two are Jerry Hodson and Suzanne Lacampagne, both partners in the firm. Before joining Miller Nash in 1995, Lacampagne was an environmental litigator with the U.S. Department of Justice. Her current practice focuses on adivising corporate clients on air and water quality permitting, hazardous waste and compliance issues. Hodson has been with the firm for over 10 years. His practice includes environmental assessments of real property, federal and state Superfund cost-recovery litigation, enforcement litigation and compliance with environmental laws and regulations.

Ecology to hold meetings on toxics

OLYMPIA -- The state Department of Ecology will hold public meetings this month to discuss ways to control persistent, bioaccumulative toxic chemicals. An open house and kickoff meeting was held last week by the department in Vancouver. Two more meetings will be held. On Feb. 11 the meeting will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. at Spokane Community College, Lair Auditorium, Building 6, 1810 N. Greene St. An open house precedes the meeting, starting at 6 p.m. The final meeting will occur in Seattle on Feb. 25. To be held in the Mountaineers building, Tahoma Room, 300 Third Ave., the meeting will commence at 7 and conclude at 9 p.m. An open house is set for 6 p.m. For more information, contact Mike Gallagher at Ecology, (360) 407-6868 or mgal461@ecy.wa.gov.

Environmental engineering courses at UW

SEATTLE -- The University of Washington's Engineering Professional Programs is offering five environmental courses this spring. They are:

• March 17 and 18, Groundwater Monitoring for Water Purveyors;
• March 25 and 26, Alternative On-Site Stormwater Management Techniques;
• April 7 and 8, Stormwater Treatment by Media Filtration;
• April 15, 16 and 17, Quarternary and Engineering Geology of the Central and Southern Puget Sound Lowland; and
• May 12 and 13, Design and Retrofit of Culverts in the Northwest for Fish Passage.

Lead in carrots prompts probe

KENNEWICK (AP) -- Government agencies and food processors are searching for contaminated farm land across the state after high levels of lead were found in a batch of carrots. The carrots, which were grown near the Columbia Basin town of Quincy, were pulled off the market after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration made the discovery in a routine food-safety test last year. Officials say there is no known health risk from lead in other produce. But the discovery of contaminated carrots raised questions about where soil-based lead might be absorbed into the food chain. The state Department of Agriculture plans to focus its search for contaminated lands on hobby farmers who might be planting on tainted ground. Meanwhile, industry leaders are pushing for soil testing before spring to keep an apparently isolated incident from turning into a public relations nightmare. "We need to take steps to make sure this doesn't repeat itself," said Craig Smith, vice president of the Northwest Food Processors Association in Portland. The association is compiling recommendations in the next few weeks for its 70 member food-processing companies, Smith said. They will include soil testing, collecting field histories and creating an industry task force. The processors' association also will work with a state and federal group to identify areas with high levels of the toxic metal in the soil. "If it was a widespread problem, they would probably be getting more samples with a high amount of lead," said Denise Laflamme of the state Department of Health. "But that is why the work group is being put together -- to look at how widespread the problem is in the state and how the people might be impacted," she said. Lead is not typically dangerous unless exposure occurs repeatedly. In children, long-term exposure can cause irreversible learning difficulties, mental retardation and delayed physical development. In adults, lead exposure can harm hearing, vision and muscle coordination. Officials said the discovery of the contaminated carrots is cause for concern, but not alarming. "I feel real comfortable with the commercial food supply," said Bob Arrington of the state Department of Agriculture. "There is not a health issue involved in this (incident)." After the lead was detected, an interview with the previous owner of the 70-acre carrot field confirmed the property had been an orchard before 1950. The FDA has long known the soil in old orchard sites might contain high levels of lead because of the use of lead arsenate fertilizers that were banned on food crops nationwide in 1988. Prior to 1949, use of lead-based pesticides to control fruit tree insects such as gypsy moths was common. Use of lead arsenate was "essentially discontinued" in Washington in the late 1960s, the state Agriculture Department said. Jon Savelle is the Journal's environment editor.

Incite

David Gans has been appointed director of Incite, a newly introduced Tacoma-based life education and personal development company. Gans served as a missionary and co-founder of the Christian Education Conference in six states. Greg Yost has been named director of customer service. Yost formerly served as senior manager for Texas-based Vitamin Expo. Joyce Greninger has been appointed director of marketing. Greninger formerly served at Signature Media Services, Nordstrom and owns Performers Marketing.

Towne Bank

Towne Bank recently opened its sixth office in the Kirkwood Building at 200 Kirkland Ave. in downtown Kirkland. Towne Bank, open since 1991, also has branches in Redmond, Woodinville, Renton, Bellevue and Bothell.

Cascadia Revolving Fund

Cascadia Revolving Fund, a Washington non-profit community development financial institution, has received a $250,000 commitment from U.S. Bank. The investment is the equivalent of purchasing preferred stock in a non-profit organization. Cascadia will use the proceeds to provide loans and technical support to businesses in Washington and Oregon which are unable to qualify for traditional bank financing.

Yergen and Meyer

James A. Silvis, a municipal auditor with the Medford office of Yergen and Meyer, recently become a certified management accountant.

Sellen Construction

Sellen Construction Co. recently hired two veteran project managers and promoted two existing employees to the role of project engineer. Al Bergman and Pat Burns are the company's new project managers. Bergman has 24 years of experience, including eight buildings and the Augusta project for Microsoft, Carillon Point in Kirkland and Sheraton hotels in Seattle and Monterey. Burns has 16 years of experience that has involved work on eight Nordstrom stores across the country, including the new flagship store in downtown Seattle. New project engineers at Sellen include Chris King and Ross Rosenow. King recently completed the Highline Community Hospital addition and Rosenow is working at Swedish Medical Center.

DLR Group

Erling Olsen of the DLR Group in Seattle has been elected a "fellow" to the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers. Olsen is a senior mechanical engineer and senior associate at DLR. He specializes in HVAC systems design, energy management controls and several other fields.

Ferguson Construction

Seattle-based Ferguson Construction recently won a 1998 National Construction Industry Safety Excellence Award from The Business Roundtable. Ferguson was one of two general contractors in the country to earn the award. The company was cited for its on-site safety while working with owners, architects and engineers to ensure an overall safe workplace. The Business Roundtable is an association of CEOs of leading U.S. corporations.