Speaking last week at LWVSJ’s annual meeting, Executive Director of the Port of Friday Harbor Todd Nicolson described contamination of Jensen’s uplands and marine nearshore and expansion of the airport and marinas. Pollution occurred over many years of accretion and will be costly to clean up. Given Beaverton Valley is an ecological gem, avoiding similar mistakes is a priority.

To prevent the inadvertent transfer of contaminants from the proposed batch plant or current businesses, the culvert connecting Beaverton Business Park’s retention pond below the road could be filled with concrete as the Town of Friday Harbor told me it filled the sewer pipe between Martin and MacDonald Streets. Avoiding all physical connections between the Valley and the business park is the simplest way of protecting against inadvertent, accidental transfer or poor monitoring.

Gay Wilmerding,

San Juan Island