DNRP > SWD > Facilities > Algona Transfer Station Replacement Project

Siting of a New South County Recycling and Transfer Station
To Replace the Algona Transfer Station

Three sites (“Action Alternatives”) are being evaluated in the Environmental Impact Statement as a possible location for a new recycling and transfer station in south King County.

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35101 W. Valley Highway S., Algona

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901 C St. S.W., Auburn

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28721 West Valley Highway S., Auburn

The "No Action" Alternative to be evaluated in the Environmental Impact Statement would retain the current Algona Transfer Station.

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Algona Transfer Station – 35315 W. Valley Highway S., Algona

Spanish
El Condado de King está buscando propiedades en las cuales construir nuevas instalaciones de transferencia de desperdicios y reciclaje en el sur del condado. Comuníquese al 206-296-9755 para obtener ayuda con la traducción a fin de proporcionar comentarios o para obtener más información.

Korean
킹 카운티는 카운티의 남쪽 지역에 새로운 재활용 및 쓰레기 이송 설비를 건축하기 위한 부지를 찾고 있습니다.. 의견을 제공하거나 더 많은 정보를 얻기 위한 번역 지원이 필요할 경우, 206-296-9747로 전화 연락 주시기 바랍니다.

Russian
King County рассматривает земельные участки на юге округа, чтобы построить новый обьект по утилизации вторсырья и транспортировке мусора. Для переводческой помощи чтобы высказать комментарии или чтобы получить более подробную  информацию, звоните 206-296-9745

• Situation
• The search for potential sites
• Description of alternatives under consideration
• Public involvement
• Project schedule
• Project contacts
• Project documents

Situation

The Algona Transfer Station, like many of King County’s other solid waste transfer stations, was built in the mid-1960s. The station has served the region well for nearly five decades; however, it is now outdated and over-capacity and does not provide any opportunities for recycling. A regional, multi-year planning effort that resulted in the Solid Waste Transfer and Waste Management Plan (PDF, 650 K), led to the decision to replace the Algona Transfer Station with a new recycling and transfer station in the south King County area.

The King County Solid Waste Division’s project team has undertaken a comprehensive search for sites on which to build a new facility that would replace the current Algona Station. The new station would be located in or near the same communities that are served by the current Algona station - Algona, Auburn, Federal Way and Pacific.

Efforts to date include:

• Developed pass/fail (PDF, 148 K) and functional (PDF, 288 K) criteria to use to evaluate potential sites.
• Reached out to south county cities, residents, business owners, school districts, environmental groups, transfer station users and others to advise King County on community concerns and perspectives of siting a new station; formed a Siting Advisory Committee of those stakeholders.
• Held four meetings with the advisory committee in which community criteria (PDF, 225 K) were identified, King County’s newest recycling and solid waste facility at Bow Lake was toured, and feedback was provided to the County’s project team on potential sites and how well the sites met or did not meet the criteria.
• Identified four potential sites* to evaluate further from an initial list of more than 100 parcels.
• Held a public meeting to inform the wider south County community of the siting project, obtain input about the sites, and to address any questions or concerns.
• Eliminated two of the four sites from further consideration after the project team evaluated how well they met or did not meet the established criteria.
• Selected two sites to evaluate in an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).
• Issued a Determination of Significance (PDF, 119 K) and Request for Comments on Scope of Environmental Impact Statement in accordance with the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA).
• Held a public scoping meeting to hear from the community what aspects of the environment they want the King County to look at in the EIS.
• Received additional information from the City of Auburn about a site as a possible location for the new recycling and transfer station in south King County.
• Issued a Revised Scope of Environmental Impact Statement and Extension of Scoping Comment Period (PDF, 95 K) which included a third alternative and identified it as a preferred alternative.
• Issued a Notice of Second Extension of Scoping Comment Period and Public Scoping Meeting (PDF, 1.8 MB) which extended the scoping comment period for all of the alternatives and notified the public of a scoping meeting.
• Held a second scoping meeting to hear from the community what aspects of the environment they want the King County to look at in the EIS.

*In early 2012, the division became aware of a property for sale immediately adjacent to the Algona Transfer Station that might be a good location for a new transfer station. The division purchased the property to preserve it as an option for transfer station development. That property has been subject to the same site selection process and will be subject to the same environmental review as other potential sites.

The search for potential sites

The King County project team cast a wide net in searching for suitable sites. Two key resources were used to search for sites: the County’s Geographic Information Services (GIS) and professional real estate services. Real estate consultants searched using the Multiple Listing Service, checked for County and city surplus properties, met with brokers, and drove the area looking for sites. GIS applied key criteria to the search for parcels. Those key criteria included:

• Sites approximately 15-20 acres in size
• Site zoning that allows for transfer station use
• Site within approximately ½ mile of a major arterial/highway
• Property cost within budget
• Screen for critical areas ( e.g. floodplains, streams and wetlands)

After applying those criteria, the number of potential sites quickly narrowed.

Description of alternatives under consideration

Background

After evaluating how well the potential sites met or did not meet the functional and community criteria, two sites (one at South 320th & I-5 near Federal Way and one at 1250 C St. NW in Auburn) were eliminated from further consideration. The sites at 901 C St. SW in Auburn and the site at 35101 W. Valley Highway S. in Algona are still under consideration.

In late 2012, the City of Auburn provided the Solid Waste Division information about a 15-acre site that had previously been considered and rejected during the initial site screening process because it did not meet a key functional criterion, “site contains a manageable amount of critical areas.” The original information available to the Division indicated that approximately 12 acres of this 15-acre site were wetlands, which made the site unsuitable for development of a transfer station. The City of Auburn has provided the Division with new information indicating that a much smaller percentage of the site may qualify as wetlands. The information concerning wetlands will continue to be evaluated as the EIS is developed, including consultation with the appropriate regulatory agencies.

This 15-acre site is located at 28721 West Valley Highway S. in Auburn and includes the two parcels immediately adjacent to the west. This third site was identified as the preferred alternative based on information available at the time. This site is located in the northern portion of the City of Auburn’s Innovative Partnership Zone, which was established to bring economic development to the area. It is the Division’s understanding in working with the City of Auburn that this third site has more opportunity than the other two alternatives to attract “green” economic development and that a recycling/transfer facility could be a key component of that development. In addition, it is the Division’s understanding that the property owner is open to selling the property to the County.

The three sites that will be evaluated as “action alternatives” in the Environmental Impact Statement are:

• 901 C St. S.W., Auburn (PDF, 670 K)
• 35101 W. Valley Highway S., Algona (PDF, 780 K)
• 28721 W. Valley Highway S., Auburn (PDF, 2 MB)

A “No action” alternative will also be evaluated in the Environmental Impact Statement for:

• Existing Algona Transfer Station: 35315 W. Valley Highway S., Algona (PDF, 800 K)

Public involvement

Public involvement is essential to identify and evaluate the best site for a new facility. To learn more about the facility siting process and provide your input, please:

• See project schedule below for public meetings and public comment opportunities
• View the Frequently Asked Questions (PDF, 235 K)
• Download the project fact sheet (PDF, 341 K)
• View the notes from Siting Advisory Committee meetings
• Provide comments using our online comment form to ensure a timely response.
• Send a letter to the King County Solid Waste Division: 201 South Jackson Street, Suite 701, Seattle WA 98104-3855, Attn: Eric Richardt, Project Manager

Project schedule

Project documents

• Determination of Significance (PDF, 119 K)
• Revised Scope of Environmental Impact Statement and Extension of Scoping Comment Period (PDF, 95 K)
• Notice of Second Extension of Scoping Comment Period and Public Scoping Meeting (PDF, 1.8 MB)

Project contacts

If you have questions, would like to provide comments, or would like to sign up for electronic notices on this siting process, please use our online comment form to ensure a timely response. Online comments are sent to each of the following contacts.

Project managers

Eric Richardt
King County Solid Waste Division
Telephone: 206-296-8424, TTY Relay: 711; Fax: 206-296-8431

Public involvement

Polly Young
King County Solid Waste Division
Telephone: 206-296-8450, TTY Relay: 711; Fax: 206-296-0197

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