FGI To Make Its Case June 7 and 8 Later Hours for Guemes Ferry No Free Ride, Expert Reports In a 28-page technical document published for Friends of Guemes Island (FGI), noted land use planner Barbara Rudge points to the probable environmental, social, and financial repercussions of Skagit County’s decision to extend weekday ferry service to Guemes Island. Exactly one year ago today the Board of County Commissioners, led by Ted Anderson, decided to expand Monday through Thursday ferry service from the historical 6:00 p.m. end of day to 10 at night. “Skagit County neglected its responsibility to adequately assess the environmental impact of its actions,” says Rudge. Both island population and ferry costs are expected to jump with the added evening commuter service. She compares the Guemes ferry service expansion to a similar ferry hour extension on Anderson Island in Pierce County in southern Puget Sound, an action intended to reduce ferry congestion but that “Anderson Island residents report only resulted in an increased rate of growth, more ferry congestion, and greater expense.” Pierce County found they needed a new $11.2 million back-up ferry to deal with the induced growth of extending the ferry hours by only one additional run to 7:30 p.m. Rudge also notes that Guemes Island’s drinking water supply is already showing signs of stress from too many users, with saltwater intrusion affecting dozens of wells around the perimeter of the island. Growth induced from the later commuter ferry runs “will have probably significant adverse impact on the failing Guemes Island water system and remediation of damage to island aquifers would take years or decades to take effect,” states Rudge. She adds that “Skagit County has failed to do State required watershed resource planning and assessments for Guemes Island and they have developed no strategies to provide sufficient water for existing and future residential populations on the island.” Guemes Island could see its population triple to 1,630 in a very short time due to the added runs, even without any new houses or new wells, as the later ferry will make it possible for owners of seasonal homes to move to the island and commute to work. And the impact of enhanced ferry service could have an even more dramatic impact on island density. Rudge calculates that “under current zoning, at the average Skagit County occupancy rate, the total population would be 4,272 people, a 659% increase over current population.” Last year in Snohomish County Superior Court Judge James H. Allendoerfer found that Skagit County was not exempt from State environmental laws in their action to extend the Guemes ferry hours. A follow on hearing will be held in the same court June 7th and 8th to determine what specific environmental impact studies will be required from Skagit County, and whether the later ferry runs must be stopped until the environmental work is done. The FGI Board of Directors [5.30.7] Case will be heard at the Snohomish County Courthouse, 3000 Rockefeller (in downtown Everett), on the 5th Floor, Department 9. Report prepared for June 7 hearing in Superior Court: Land Use Impacts of the Guemes Island Ferry Schedule Extension [424kb PDF] Skagit County's Filings: DNS [252kb PDF] • DNS Addendum [384kb PDF] Environmental Checklist [2.4mb PDF] • Environmental Checklist Addendum [3.4mb PDF] |
