Manufacturing
site’s impact on nearby heron colony a concern
Anacortes American, Wednesday, August 7, 2002
By Paul Cocke
News Editor
Several environmental groups have called for more review of T Bailey Inc.’s plans to build a manufacturing facility off South March Point Road, citing concerns about the project’s effect on a nearby heron nesting site.
The groups responded to a determination by the Port of Anacortes that the project won’t have a significant adverse effect on the environment, after certain measures were added to protect the heron.
But the groups feel the Port didn’t go far enough.
“We appreciate the considerable effort put forth by the Port ant T Bailey to address concerns aired to date,” the Skagit Land Trust wrote in a letter to the Port. “However, we feel that more work is necessary to ensure protection of the regionally significant great blue heronry on the Trust’s adjacent property."
Earlier this year, the Port commission approved a long-term lease, with option to purchase, for the Port’s March Point property to T Bailey, a local steel fabrication and construction company.
T Bailey plans to build a 320-foot by 350-foot fabrication building, attached maintenance shop, office and parking areas. About 20 acres of the 26-acre site will be graded, with completion of the fabrication building and yard areas planned by the end of this year, according to Port documents.
The new facility will have 80 on-site, full-time employees, working two shifts spanning 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily according to the Port.
In addition to Skagit Land Trust, Evergreen Islands, Friends of Skagit County, People for Puget Sound, the Skagit Audubon Society and 1000 Friends of Washington were among those who commented on the Port’s Mitigated Determination of Non-significance.
All of those groups urged the Port to do a more intensive environmental impact statement to better assess the effects on the heronry, located on adjacent property owned by Skagit Land Trust.
The groups raised a number of issues, voicing concern about how the herons would be affected by noise, lights, and increased traffic. They called for larger buffers and monitoring of the construction activities and long-term effects on the heronry described by several of the groups as one of the largest in the West.
But the Port is not willing to go the environmental impact statement route, citing extensive mitigation measures already developed.
Bob Elsner, Port director of planning and projects, said the Port does not plan to change its determination on the environmental effects of the project, although it will be responding to those who commented, to clarify some of the issues.
The Port does not have an appeals process in place for its determination, although staff are looking to recommend such a process to the Port commission this fall. But that wouldn’t affect the T Bailey determination.
T Bailey is seeking a building permit for the fabrication building from the city, which is now reviewing those plans.
The groups are considering their next move, said Tom Glade, vice president of Evergreen Islands.
“It doesn’t look real good,” Glade said.
Consultants studied existing conditions for the Port and potential impacts for T Bailey. The Port then approved conditions to protect the herons, such as situating the main fabrication buildings far as possible from the nest.
Other mitigations include limiting construction work to daytime hours, July through January; design of building openings and alignment to minimize noise; noise-dampening insulation in the fabrication building; use of covered and “down-shielded” lights, and a forest buffer of at least 200 feet between the facility yards and heron colony. In addition, construction traffic will be directed away from the heron nests and no activity will occur within 400 feet of a nearby eagle’s nest.
T Bailey owners have said the company needs the March Road site for expanded operations, which will lead to more local jobs. And they would prefer the project was begun sooner, rather than later, which the time-consuming nature of an environmental impact statement would affect.
Pacific International Engineering staff biologists and Norman Wildlife Consulting conducted a survey of the heron colony in May. Sixty-six occupied nest were observed at the perimeter of the colony, with more than 400 active nests estimated there.
“The heron colony appears to be in good health. Throughout the survey adults were observed transiting to and from foraging areas in Padilla Bay to the north," according to the consultant’s report. “Chicks were heard calling throughout the area…”
The consultants’ report noted a fourfold increase in the number of heron nests there from 1992 to 2001.
While bald eagles are a federally listed threatened species, regulations are less stringent on herons. Under federal law, it is illegal to shoot herons or destroy active nests. Heron colonies, however, are considered by the state to be a priority for conservation.
And the herons have adapted to noise from a nearby sawmill, according to the consultants. Prezant Associates conducted a noise study in early April at T Bailey’s Bartholomew Road plant, with noises noted that included welding, grinding and hammering of steel sheets into windmill towers.
Noise also was measured near the nests, with most coming from the sawmill. The Prezant Associates study estimated little difference in sound level when the T Bailey operation begins there, due to the existing sawmill noise, distance from the nests and topography.
The level March Point site is more than 120 feet lower than the nests, with a steep embankment to the south leading up to the nesting area. The noise further would be dampened by the foliage and added distance of 800 feet from the open bay door of the fabrication building to the nest.
The consultants doubted the herons would be “adversely affected by the noise generated the routine operation of the new T Bailey plan…," although they did recommend a noise survey be done when the new facility is complete.
And Pacific International Engineering report addressed the concern about “sporadic noise related to metal fabrication,” noting that a small heron colony has grown to well over 100 nests near Naval Air Station Whidbey Island’s Ault Field, with military jets using the airfield.
“It is apparent the herons can withstand sudden noise without affect on productivity,” the report said.
But in their comments, the groups questioned those findings, particularly in the noise study.
Evergreen Islands said the study relied on average noise levels and did not address sharp, abrupt “peak” noises.
“Evergreen Islands firmly believes that the long-term instantaneous noise from the T Bailey operation will be the ‘straw that breaks the camel’s back’ and drive the herons away from their March Point colony,” according to the group’s comments.
Further Skagit Land Trust questioned comparing noise at the sawmill and at the proposed facility, since “T Bailey plans 16-hour (a day) operations, whereas the sawmill is a daytime-only operation.”
Skagit Audubon Society said the noise study didn't address assembly and finishing of the wind towers in the new facility’s lay-down yard.
And Evergreen Islands was concerned about the steel fabrication building, “since it will act to reverberate the noise.” Insulating the building to dampen noise will be negated by the building’s open bay door, the group said.
Several groups also sought larger buffers. People for Puget Sound said the proposed 200-foot buffer does not measure up to state Fish and Wildlife recommendations of 820-984 feet “nor is it at all comparable to the 300 meter buffer required at Point Roberts for a much quieter development (a golf course).”
And several of the groups also want long-term, independent monitoring of the effects of the facility on the herons. Several called for consideration of alternative sites.
“Perhaps the birds will tolerate the additional noise and commotion – but what is proposed in the event that they begin to show signs that they aren’t?” asked the Skagit Audubon Society.