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Screen capture from US government map showing sole-source drinking water aquifers. I’ve added labels showing approximate locations of some of Renton’s wells (in blue) and the planned Asphalt plant runoff “infiltration” facility (in red). (Link to map here)
Renton City Council’s Planning and Development Committee was recently briefed on a proposed update of Renton’s Critical Areas Ordinance. Per the language recommended by Washington State (slide 4, bullet point 5), critical areas include aquifer recharge areas: ” Critical aquifer recharge areas contribute to groundwater quality and in-stream flow. While critical aquifer recharge areas are designated and protected to ensure availability of potable water, the groundwater resource also interacts with streams.”
But a future Asphalt Plant could soon be injecting thousands of gallons per year of contaminated runoff water into the recharge soils of Renton’s pristine sole-source aquifer, a short distance upstream of our drinking wells, and Renton City Council has not used its state-granted authority to halt it.
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