By Kirk Kirkland
Cal/Portland has a permit to de-watering the aquifer and destroy Sequalitchew Creek near Dupont WA and Northwest Landing. We’ve been fundraising all summer and almost have enough money for our attorney to produce our final brief.
September 8 is the date of our fundraising party.
I’ve been working on stopping gravel mines from destroying our rivers and streams since 1995. It was when the initial Mining Permit was given to the Dupont gravel mine .
It was a different kind of superior court case where the gravel miner agreed to put a tree border along the border of the mine so that the mining operations and the lights from the dock and noise from the operation were not seen from across the water where it would disturb birds at the Nisqually Refuge and disturb residents on Anderson Island.
Our partners then were people on Audubon Society and the Nisqually Delta Association. And the mining operators agreed to donate funds to buy the eastern half of the Nisqually Wildlife Refuge.
Times have changed. The city gave the mine a permit without any restoration plan during the mining operation. Then when the pumps are turned off, and when the aquifer is drained, there is no long-term restoration plan as required by state law.
You have an opportunity to make sure the Sequalitchew Creek does not run dry and the salmon and the wildlife’s habitats are restored in such a way as there is no-net-loss of water flow and the forests and wetlands are restored.
This court appeal has cost us more than expected as CalPortland had deliberately increased our court costs by challenging our right to file a lawsuit. They are trying to take our right to appeal away from us.
It doesn’t need to be this way.
Here’s how you can help.
- Save the date! Come celebrate our successful summer fundraising campaign on:
October 8,
from at 6 pm to 8 pm
Dupont Community Center
303 Barksdale Ave, DuPont, WA 98327.