Okanogan County recently announced a SEPA Mitigated Determination of Nonsignificance (MDNS) for a proposal by Lloyd Logging to expand gravel mining operations at a pit located north of Winthrop on Hwy 20, across from Wolf Creek. The notice states that “The existing pit is 10 acres, the applicant is proposing to expand the pit with an additional 14.88 acres. The total acreage will be 24.88. The pit is for gravel and will include rock crushing. The hours of operation will be 7:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.” The county’s MDNS is out for comment until Thursday, September 26 at 5:00pm. If no comments are received, the MDNS will stand as it is. There will be a public hearing at an undetermined time in the future to address general public comments about the proposal.

Background: In 2023, neighbors living adjacent to a gravel pit along Hwy 20 north of Winthrop, started to notice the pit expanding and eating away a vegetated hillside that had previously served to screen the operation from the highway. The removal of the screen exposed the rapid expansion of active mining and amplified noise across the valley. When neighbors looked into the operation’s permit, they discovered that the last County permit had been issued in 1987 for 2 years, and never renewed. The pit was approved for 10 acres, but by 2023 had expanded significantly out of the original footprint and mined considerably more material than the original permits allowed (today, local measurements show the pit is around 14 acres in size). Unfortunately, operators had started expanding the gravel pit prior to obtaining any permits! Complaints and information requests by neighbors and MVCC in 2023 led to the discovery that the pit has been operating out of compliance with county and DNR regulations for many years. For the past year, the pit has been subject to an Order to Rectify Deficiencies by DNR. The new CUP application is viewed by DNR and the county as the final step in completing a required and much overdue reclamation plan for the expanded operation, if approved.

Our concerns:

• The original CUP issued for the gravel pit expired in 1989 and was not renewed, according to documents provided by Okanogan County and DNR in response to requests.
• In 2000, after an extensive process involving the community, the zoning for the area changed to Rural Residential. Gravel mining is NOT a permitted use in this zone unless the mine is already an existing and permitted use. At the time the zoning change was enacted, the CUP for the Lloyd pit was not active, according to documents provided by the county and DNR.
• We know the valley and county need gravel for many reasons! However, there are two 2 other pits within 1 mile of the proposed expansion. Both have active and current permits with both the county and DNR.
• We question why the county is considering a proposal to expand this mine, against community desires and county zoning, when there are currently permitted gravel pits very close by that can be legally mined.
• We are concerned that permitting this expansion reinforces the “better to ask forgiveness than permission” attitude that has resulted in the need for the county and DNR to respond to complaints and take enforcement actions.
• The current proposal allows mining activities to double in size and allows crushing and mining to take place from early morning until late at night. The current MDNS contains no provisions to protect neighbors or visitors from noise, restore the highway screen required by the original permit, or limit operations to be compatible with the needs of adjacent rural neighborhoods.
• Unless we receive new information, we believe that the county needs to revisit this expansion and consider it a new proposal, based on the expiration of the previous permit in 1989 and subsequent violations. As a new proposal, the mine should be rejected as out of compliance with local zoning laws that were in place prior to this application for expansion.

How to Comment:

Comments on the MDNS for this proposal can be sent to pwyllson@co.okanogan.wa.us by September 26. Stay tuned for more information as we continue to investigate and explore approaches to this challenging issue.